Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/59)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is they who are the disbelievers.” (Surah al-Ma'idah, 44)

‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi informed us; ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Shurayh told us; Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi told us; ‘Ali ibn al-Ja‘d told us; Ibn Abi Dhi’b told us, from al-Harith ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Allah has cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who accepts it.” (1)

Unlawful gain is every form of earnings that is not lawful.

Allah’s saying: “So if they come to you, judge between them or turn away from them. If you turn away from them, they can never harm you in any way.” Allah the Exalted gave His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the choice regarding judging between them: if he wished, he could judge; and if he wished, he could leave them.

They differed concerning the ruling of this verse today: does a judge have the choice of whether to judge between the non-Muslim subjects under covenant when they bring their disputes before us? Most scholars held that this ruling remains in force, and that nothing in Surah al-Ma'idah has been abrogated. Muslim judges may choose whether to judge between the People of the Book: if they wish, they may judge, and if they wish, they need not do so. If they do judge, they must judge according to the ruling of Islam. This was the view of al-Nakha‘i, al-Sha‘bi, ‘Ata’, and Qatadah.

Others said that it is obligatory for a Muslim judge to rule between them, and that the verse has been abrogated by Allah’s saying: “And judge between them by what Allah has revealed” (Surah al-Ma'idah, 49). This was the view of Mujahid and ‘Ikrimah, and it was also reported from Ibn ‘Abbas (2). He said: “Only two verses of Surah al-Ma'idah have been abrogated: Allah’s saying, ‘Do not violate the sacred rites of Allah,’ which was abrogated by His saying, ‘Kill the polytheists’; and His saying, ‘So if they come to you, judge between them or turn away from them,’ which was abrogated by Allah’s saying, ‘And judge between them by what Allah has revealed.’”

However, when a Muslim and a non-Muslim subject under covenant bring a dispute before us, it is obligatory upon us to judge between them; there is no difference of opinion on this matter, because a Muslim may not submit to the judgment of the non-Muslim subjects under covenant.

Allah’s saying: “And if you judge, judge between them with justice,” that is, with fairness. “Surely Allah loves those who are just,” meaning, those who act fairly. It has been narrated to us from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said: “Those who act justly will be with Allah upon pulpits of light.” (3)

(1) Narrated by Abu Dawud in al-Aqdiyah (Judgments), chapter: “The reprehensibility of bribery,” 5:207; al-Tirmidhi in al-Ahkam (Legal Rulings), chapter: “What has been reported concerning the briber and the one who accepts a bribe in judgment,” 4:567, who said: “This hadith is sound and authentic”; and Ibn Majah in al-Ahkam, chapter: “The stern warning against injustice and bribery,” 2:775. Authenticated by al-Hakim, 4:102-103, with al-Dhahabi concurring. It was also narrated by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 10:87-88. (2) See: al-Tabari, 6:744-747; al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh by Abu al-Qasim Hibat Allah ibn Salamah, pp. 41-42; Ahkam al-Quran by al-Jassas, 4:87-89. (3) Narrated by Muslim in al-Imarah (Leadership), chapter: “The virtue of the just ruler,” no. 1827, 3:1458; and by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 10:63-64.

تَعَالَى: ﴿يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ﴾ "سُورَةُ الْمَائِدَةِ، ٤٤". أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمُلَيْحِيُّ أَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي شُرَيْحٍ أَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْبَغَوِيُّ ثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْجَعْدِ أَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ﵄ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الرَّاشِيَ وَالْمُرْتَشِيَ". (١) . وَالسُّحْتُ كُلُّ كَسْبٍ لَا يَحِلُّ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿فَإِنْ جَاءُوكَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَإِنْ تُعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ فَلَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْئًا﴾ خَيَّرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى رَسُولَهُ ﷺ فِي الْحُكْمِ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنْ شَاءَ حَكَمَ وَإِنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي حُكْمِ الْآيَةِ الْيَوْمَ هَلْ لِلْحَاكِمِ الْخِيَارُ فِي الْحُكْمِ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الذِّمَّةِ إِذَا تَحَاكَمُوا إِلَيْنَا؟ فَقَالَ أَكْثَرُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: هُوَ حُكْمٌ ثَابِتٌ، وَلَيْسَ فِي سُورَةِ الْمَائِدَةِ مَنْسُوخٌ، وَحُكَّامُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِالْخِيَارِ فِي الْحُكْمِ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِنْ شَاءُوا حَكَمُوا وَإِنْ شَاءُوا لَمْ يَحْكُمُوا، وَإِنْ حَكَمُوا حَكَمُوا بِحُكْمِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ النَّخَعِيِّ وَالشَّعْبِيِّ وَعَطَاءٍ وَقَتَادَةَ. وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: يَجِبُ عَلَى حَاكِمِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَالْآيَةُ مَنْسُوخَةٌ نَسَخَهَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: "وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ" (سُورَةُ الْمَائِدَةِ، ٤٩) ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ وَعِكْرِمَةَ، وَرُوِيَ ذَلِكَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ (٢) وَقَالَ: لَمْ يُنْسَخْ مِنَ الْمَائِدَةِ إِلَّا آيَتَانِ، قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: "لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ" نَسَخَهَا قوله تعالى: "اقتلوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ" وَقَوْلُهُ: "فَإِنْ جَاءُوكَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ" نَسَخَهَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: "وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ" فَأَمَّا إِذَا تَحَاكَمَ إِلَيْنَا مُسْلِمٌ وَذِمِّيٌّ فَيَجِبُ عَلَيْنَا الْحُكْمُ بَيْنَهُمَا لَا يَخْتَلِفُ الْقَوْلُ فِيهِ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ لِلْمُسْلِمِ الِانْقِيَادُ لِحُكْمِ أَهْلِ الذِّمَّةِ. قَوْلُهُ ﴿وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ أَيْ: بِالْعَدْلِ، ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ﴾ أَيِ: الْعَادِلِينَ، رُوِّينَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "الْمُقْسِطُونَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَلَى مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُورٍ" (٣) .

(١) أخرجه أبو داود في الأقضية، باب في كراهية الرشوة: ٥ / ٢٠٧، والترمذي في الأحكام، باب ما جاء في الراشي والمرتشي في الحكم: ٤ / ٥٦٧، وقال: هذا حديث حسن صحيح، وابن ماجه في الأحكام، باب التغليظ في الحيف والرشوة. ٢ / ٧٧٥. وصححه الحاكم: ٤ / ١٠٢،١٠٣، ووافقه الذهبي. وأخرجه المصنف في شرح السنة: ١٠ / ٨٧-٨٨. (٢) انظر: الطبري: ٦ / ٧٤٤-٧٤٧، الناسخ والمنسوخ لأبي القاسم هبة الله بن سلامة، ص (٤١-٤٢) ، أحكام القرآن للجصاص: ٤ / ٨٧-٨٩. (٣) أخرجه مسلم في الإمارة، باب فضيلة الإمام العادل، برقم (١٨٢٧) : ٣ / ١٤٥٨، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٠ / ٦٣-٦٤.