Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/314)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Al-Hasan said: It is possible that this was revealed concerning both the Jews and the Christians, for all of them went to excess regarding Jesus: the Jews by falling short, and the Christians by exceeding the proper limits. The basic meaning of excess is to go beyond the limit, and this is forbidden in religion.

Allah Most High says: “Do not exceed the limits in your religion.” That is, do not impose undue strictness in your religion, lest you fabricate lies about Allah. “And do not say anything about Allah except the truth”: Do not say that He has a partner or a child. “The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah and His word”: His word was His saying, “Be,” and thus he came to be a human being without a father. Another interpretation has also been given. (1) “Which He conveyed to Mary”: that is, He informed her of it and told her of it, just as one says, “I conveyed a kind word to you.” “And a spirit from Him”: It was said that he was a spirit like all other spirits, except that Allah Most High attributed him to Himself as an honor. (2)

It was also said that the spirit refers to the breath which Gabriel, peace be upon him, blew into the opening of Mary’s garment, and by Allah Most High’s permission she conceived him. The breath was called a spirit because it is a wind ⦗99/b⦘ that issues from the spirit; and He attributed it to Himself because it occurred by His command.

It was also said that “a spirit from Him” means mercy. Thus, Jesus, peace be upon him, was a mercy to those who followed him and believed in him.

It was also said that the spirit means revelation: He revealed to Mary the glad tidings, to Gabriel, peace be upon him, that he should blow, and to Jesus that he should be, and so he was. As Allah Most High says: “He sends down the angels with the Spirit by His command” (al-Nahl 16:2), meaning, with revelation. It was also said that the spirit means Gabriel, peace be upon him. Its meaning is that He conveyed His Word to Mary, and also sent to her, by His command, a spirit from Him—namely Gabriel, peace be upon him—as He says: “The angels and the Spirit descend therein” (al-Qadr 97:4), meaning Gabriel therein; and He says: “So We sent to her Our Spirit” (Maryam 19:17), meaning Gabriel.

Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Nu'aymi related to us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma'il informed us; Sadaqah ibn al-Fadl related to us; al-Walid related to us, from al-Awza'i, who said: Amr ibn Hani related to us; Junadah ibn Umayyah related to me, from Ubadah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever testifies that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone, without partner; that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger; that Jesus is Allah’s servant and His messenger, and His word which He conveyed to Mary, and a spirit from Him; and that Paradise and Hell are true—Allah will admit him into Paradise, whatever his deeds may have been.” (3)

(1) The text within parentheses is omitted in manuscript (A). (2) The text within parentheses is omitted in manuscript (A). (3) Reported by al-Bukhari, in Kitab al-Anbiya (Book of the Prophets), chapter on the verse, “O People of the Book, do not exceed the limits in your religion,” 6:474; and by Muslim, in Kitab al-Iman (Book of Faith), chapter: “Evidence that whoever dies upon tawhid (monotheism) will certainly enter Paradise,” no. 28, 1:57. The author also cited it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 1:101.

وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: يَجُوزُ أَنْ تَكُونَ نَزَلَتْ فِي الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى، فَإِنَّهُمْ جَمِيعًا غَلَوْا فِي أَمْرِ عِيسَى، فَالْيَهُودُ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ، وَالنَّصَارَى بِمُجَاوَزَةِ الْحَدِّ، وَأَصْلُ الْغُلُوِّ: مُجَاوَزَةُ الْحَدِّ، وَهُوَ فِي الدِّينِ حَرَامٌ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿لَا تَغْلُوَا فِي دِينِكُمْ﴾ لَا تُشَدِّدُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ فَتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ ﴿وَلَا تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْحَقَّ﴾ لَا تَقُولُوا إِنَّ لَهُ شَرِيكًا وَوَلَدًا ﴿إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ﴾ وَهِيَ قَوْلُهُ "كُنْ" فَكَانَ بَشَرًا مِنْ غَيْرِ أَبٍ، [وَقِيلَ غَيْرُهُ] (١) ، ﴿أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ﴾ أَيْ أَعْلَمَهَا وَأَخْبَرَهَا بِهَا، كَمَا يُقَالُ: أَلْقَيْتُ إِلَيْكَ كَلِمَةً حَسَنَةً، ﴿وَرُوحٌ مِنْهُ﴾ قِيلَ: هُوَ رُوحٌ كَسَائِرِ الْأَرْوَاحِ إِلَّا أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَضَافَهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ [تَشْرِيفًا] (٢) . وَقِيلَ: الرُّوحُ هُوَ النَّفْخُ الَّذِي نَفَخَهُ جِبْرِيلُ ﵇ فِي دِرْعِ مَرْيَمَ فَحَمْلَتْهُ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، سُمِّيَ النَّفْخُ رُوحًا لأنه ريح ٩٩/ب يَخْرُجُ مِنِ الرُّوحِ وَأَضَافَهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ بِأَمْرِهِ. وَقِيلَ: "رُوحٌ مِنْهُ" أَيْ وَرَحْمَةٌ، فَكَانَ عِيسَى ﵇ رَحْمَةً لِمَنْ تَبِعَهُ وَأَمِنَ بِهِ. وَقِيلَ: الرُّوحُ: الْوَحْيُ، أَوْحَى إِلَى مَرْيَمَ بِالْبِشَارَةِ، وَإِلَى جِبْرِيلَ ﵇ بِالنَّفْخِ، وَإِلَى عِيسَى أَنْ كُنْ فَكَانَ، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: "يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِالرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ" (النَّحْلِ -٢) يَعْنِي: بِالْوَحْيِ، وَقِيلَ: أَرَادَ بِالرُّوحِ جِبْرِيلَ ﵇، مَعْنَاهُ: وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ، وَأَلْقَاهَا إِلَيْهَا أَيْضًا رُوحٌ مِنْهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَهُوَ جِبْرِيلُ ﵇، كَمَا قَالَ: "تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ" (الْقَدْرِ -٤) يَعْنِي: جِبْرِيلَ فِيهَا، وَقَالَ: "فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا" (مَرْيَمَ -١٧) ، يَعْنِي: جِبْرِيلَ. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمُلَيْحِيُّ، أَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النُّعَيْمِيُّ، أَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، أَنَا صَدَقَةُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ، أَنَا الْوَلِيدُ، عَنِ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ هَانِي، حَدَّثَنِي جُنَادَةُ بْنُ أُمِّيَّةَ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ ﵄ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "مَنْ شَهِدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَأَنَّ عِيسَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِنْهُ، وَأَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ حقٌ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ" (٣) .

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من: (أ) . (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من: (أ) . (٣) أخرجه البخاري في الأنبياء، باب قوله تعالى: "يا أهل الكتاب لا تغلوا في دينكم": ٦ / ٤٧٤، ومسلم في الإيمان، باب: الدليل على أن من مات على التوحيد دخل الجنة قطعا، برقم (٢٨) : ١ / ٥٧. والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١ / ١٠١.