Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/51)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“They will wish to leave the Fire, but they will never leave it; and theirs will be an enduring punishment.” (37) “As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands as recompense for what they have earned—a deterrent from Allah. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (38)

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek”—that is, request—“the means of nearness to Him,” meaning closeness to Him. The term denotes drawing near to someone by means of something, and its plural is “means of nearness.” “And strive in His cause, so that you may prosper.” [Its gist: Obey Allah’s command and you will be saved.] (1)

“Indeed, if those who disbelieve possessed all that is in the earth, and the like of it besides, to ransom themselves from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them.” He informs us that, even if the disbeliever possessed the whole world and the like of it besides, then offered it to ransom himself from the punishment, that ransom would not be accepted from him. “And theirs will be a painful punishment.”

“They will wish to leave the Fire, but they will never leave it.” This has two possible meanings. The first is that they will seek and attempt to find a way out of it, as Allah Most High says: “Whenever they wish to leave it...” (Surah al-Hajj, 22). The second is that they will long for this in their hearts, as Allah Most High reports them as saying: “Our Lord, bring us out of it.” (Surah al-Mu'minun, 107). “And theirs will be an enduring punishment.”

“As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands”: what is meant is their right hands. This is likewise found in the codex of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him.

The ruling is that whoever steals [the legal minimum threshold] (2) of property from secure custody, when he has no plausible claim to it, has his right hand cut off at the wrist. According to the general body of scholars, amputation is not required for stealing less than the legal minimum threshold. It is reported that Ibn al-Zubayr would amputate even for something insignificant, but the general body of scholars differed with him.

(1) The text within the parentheses is omitted in manuscript A. (2) Added from manuscript B.

﴿يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ (٣٧) وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَالًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ (٣٨) ﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا﴾ اطْلُبُوا، ﴿إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ أَيِ: الْقُرْبَةَ، فَعَيْلَةٌ مِنْ تَوَسَّلَ إِلَى فُلَانٍ بِكَذَا، أَيْ: تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيْهِ وَجَمْعُهَا وَسَائِلُ، ﴿وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ [تَلْخِيصُهُ: امْتَثِلُوا أَمْرَ اللَّهِ تَنْجُوا] (١) . ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لِيَفْتَدُوا بِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا تُقُبِّلَ مِنْهُمْ﴾ أَخْبَرَ أَنَّ الْكَافِرَ لَوْ مَلَكَ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّهَا وَمِثْلَهَا مَعَهَا ثُمَّ فَدَى بِذَلِكَ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ لَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ الْفِدَاءُ، ﴿وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ ﴿يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا﴾ فِيهِ وَجْهَانِ، أَحَدُهُمَا: أَنَّهُمْ يَقْصِدُونَ وَيَطْلُبُونَ الْمَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: "كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا" (الْحَجُّ -٢٢) وَالثَّانِي: أَنَّهُمْ يَتَمَنَّوْنَ ذَلِكَ بِقُلُوبِهِمْ، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِخْبَارًا عَنْهُمْ: "رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْهَا" (الْمُؤْمِنُونَ -١٠٧) ﴿وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ﴾ ﴿وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا﴾ أَرَادَ بِهِ أَيْمَانَهُمَا، وَكَذَلِكَ هُوَ فِي مُصْحَفِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ﵁. وَحُكْمُهُ أَنَّ مَنْ سَرَقَ [نِصَابًا] (٢) مِنَ الْمَالِ مِنْ حِرْزٍ لَا شُبْهَةَ لَهُ فِيهِ تُقْطَعُ يَدُهُ الْيُمْنَى مِنَ الرُّسْغِ، وَلَا يَجِبُ الْقَطْعُ فِي سَرِقَةِ مَا دُونَ النِّصَابِ عِنْدَ عَامَّةِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، حُكِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْطَعُ فِي الشَّيْءِ الْقَلِيلِ، وَعَامَّةُ الْعُلَمَاءِ عَلَى خِلَافِهِ.

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٢) زيادة من "ب".