Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/40)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

As for the death of Moses, peace be upon him, Ibn Ishaq said: Moses, peace be upon him, had disliked death and regarded it as a grave matter, so Allah wished to make death beloved to him. He therefore made Joshua son of Nun a prophet, and Joshua would visit him morning and evening. Moses, peace be upon him, would say to him, “O Prophet of Allah, what has Allah newly revealed to you?” [Joshua would reply, “O Prophet of Allah, have I not kept your company for so many years? Did I ever ask you about anything Allah had newly revealed to you, before you yourself initiated the matter and mentioned it?”] (1) And he would not tell him anything. When Moses saw this, he came to dislike life and to love death.

Abu Ali Hassan ibn Sa'id al-Mani'i informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmish al-Ziyadi informed us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Qattan informed us; Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Sulami informed us; Abd al-Razzaq informed us; Ma'mar informed us from Hammam ibn Munabbih, who said: Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, informed us that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“The Angel of Death came to Moses son of Imran and said to him, ‘Answer your Lord’s summons.’ Moses, peace be upon him, struck the Angel of Death in the eye and put it out. The Angel of Death then returned to Allah Most High and said, ‘You sent me to a servant of Yours who does not wish to die, and he has put out my eye.’ Allah restored his eye and said, ‘Return to My servant and ask him, “Do you desire life? If you do, then place your hand upon the back of a bull. For every hair covered by your hand, you shall live one year.”’ Moses asked, ‘Then what?’ He replied, ‘Then you will die.’ Moses said, ‘Then let it be now, without delay. My Lord, bring me within a stone’s throw of the Holy Land.’”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “By Allah, had I been there, I would have shown you his grave, beside the road by the red sandhill.” (2)

Wahb said: Moses went out for one of his needs and passed by a group of angels digging a grave. Nothing more beautiful than it had ever been seen, nor anything comparable to the greenery, freshness, and splendor it contained. He said to them, “O angels of Allah, for whom are you digging this grave?” They replied, “For a servant who is noble in the sight of his Lord.” He said, “Indeed, this servant enjoys a station with Allah; I have never seen a resting place like this.” The angels said, “O chosen one of Allah, would you like it to be yours?” He replied, “I would.” They said, “Then descend, lie down in it, and turn to your Lord.” So he lay down in it and turned to his Lord. Then he breathed his last with the gentlest of breaths, and Allah took his soul. Thereafter, the angels smoothed the earth over him.

It is also said that the Angel of Death came to him with an apple from Paradise. He smelled it, and then the angel took his soul.

Moses was one hundred and twenty years old. When Moses, peace be upon him, died and the forty years had elapsed, He sent forth—

(1) The text within parentheses is omitted from manuscript “A.” (2) Reported by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Jana'iz (Funerals), chapter “Whoever Wishes to Be Buried in the Holy Land,” 3:206, and also in Kitab al-Anbiya' (Prophets); and by Muslim in Kitab al-Fada'il (Virtues), chapter “The Virtues of Moses, peace be upon him,” no. 2373, 4:1843, with his wording. It was also reported by the compiler in Sharh al-Sunnah, 5:265.

وَأَمَّا وَفَاةُ مُوسَى ﵇، قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: كَانَ مُوسَى ﵊ قَدْ كَرِهَ الْمَوْتَ وَأَعْظَمَهُ فَأَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُحَبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ، فَنَبَّأَ يُوشَعَ بْنَ نُونٍ فَكَانَ يَغْدُو وَيَرُوحُ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَ: فَيَقُولُ لَهُ مُوسَى ﵇ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ مَا أَحْدَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ؟ [فَيَقُولُ لَهُ يُوشَعُ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَلَمْ أَصْحَبْكَ كَذَا وَكَذَا سَنَةً، فَهَلْ كُنْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ شَيْئًا مِمَّا أَحْدَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ] (١) حَتَّى تَكُونَ أَنْتَ الَّذِي تَبْتَدِئُ بِهِ وَتَذْكُرُهُ؟ وَلَا يَذْكُرُ لَهُ شَيْئًا، فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ كَرِهَ مُوسَى الْحَيَاةَ وَأَحَبَّ الْمَوْتَ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ حَسَّانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْمَنِيعِيُّ أَنَا أَبُو طَاهِرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَحْمِشٍ الزِّيَادِيُّ أَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الْقَطَّانُ أَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ السُّلَمِيُّ أَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ﵁ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "جَاءَ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ إِلَى مُوسَى بْنِ عُمْرَانَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَجِبْ رَبَّكَ، قَالَ: فَلَطَمَ مُوسَى ﵇ عَيْنَ مَلَكِ الْمَوْتِ فَفَقَأَهَا، قَالَ: فَرَجَعَ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ أَرْسَلْتَنِي إِلَى عَبْدٍ لَكَ لَا يُرِيدُ الْمَوْتَ وَقَدْ فَقَأَ عَيْنِي قَالَ فَرَدَّ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ عَيْنَهُ، وَقَالَ: ارْجِعْ إِلَى عَبْدِي فَقُلْ لَهُ: الْحَيَاةَ تُرِيدُ؟ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ الْحَيَاةَ فَضَعْ يَدَكَ عَلَى مَتْنِ ثَوْرٍ، فَمَا وَارَتْ يَدُكَ مِنْ شَعْرَةٍ فَإِنَّكَ تَعِيشُ بِهَا سَنَةً، قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَهْ؟ قَالَ: ثُمَّ تَمُوتُ، قَالَ: فَالْآنَ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ، رَبِّ أَدْنِنِي مِنَ الْأَرْضِ الْمُقَدَّسَةِ رَمْيَةً بِحَجَرٍ، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "وَاللَّهِ لَوْ أَنِّي عِنْدَهُ لَأَرَيْتُكُمْ قَبْرَهُ إِلَى جَنْبِ الطَّرِيقِ عِنْدَ الْكَثِيبِ الْأَحْمَرِ" (٢) . وَقَالَ وَهْبٌ: خَرَجَ مُوسَى لِبَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ فَمَرَّ بِرَهْطٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ يَحْفِرُونَ قَبْرًا لَمْ يُرَ شَيْئًا قَطُّ أَحْسَنَ مِنْهُ وَلَا مِثْلَ مَا فِيهِ مِنَ الْخُضْرَةِ وَالنَّضْرَةِ وَالْبَهْجَةِ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: يَا مَلَائِكَةَ اللَّهِ لِمَ تَحْفِرُونَ هَذَا الْقَبْرَ؟ قَالُوا: لَعَبَدٍ كَرِيمٍ عَلَى رَبِّهِ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْعَبْدَ مِنَ اللَّهِ لَهُوَ بِمَنْزِلَةٍ مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ مَضْجَعًا قَطُّ، فَقَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ: يَا صَفِيَّ اللَّهِ تُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ؟ قَالَ: وَدِدْتُ، قَالُوا: فَانْزِلْ وَاضْطَجِعْ فِيهِ وَتَوَجَّهْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ، قَالَ: فَاضْطَجَعَ فِيهِ وَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ تَنَفَّسَ أَسْهَلَ تَنَفُّسٍ فَقَبَضَ اللَّهُ ﵎ رُوحَهُ، ثُمَّ سَوَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ مَلَكَ الْمَوْتِ أَتَاهُ بِتُفَّاحَةٍ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَشَمَّهَا فَقَبَضَ رُوحَهُ. وَكَانَ عُمْرُ مُوسَى مِائَةً وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً فَلَمَّا مَاتَ مُوسَى ﵇ وَانْقَضَتِ الْأَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً بَعَثَ

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٢) أخرجه البخاري في الجنائز، باب من أحب الدفن في الأرض المقدسة: ٣ / ٢٠٦، وفي الأنبياء، وأخرجه مسلم في الفضائل، باب من فضائل موسى ﵇، برقم (٢٣٧٣) : ٤ / ١٨٤٣، واللفظ له، وأخرجه المصنف في شرح السنة: ٥ / ٢٦٥.