Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/66)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

So judge, O Muhammad, between them—between the People of the Book when they bring their disputes before you—by what Allah has revealed, namely the Quran, and do not follow their desires, turning away from the truth that has come to you. That is, do not turn away from the truth that has come to you, nor follow their desires.

“For each of you We have appointed a law and a clear way.” Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, and Mujahid said: that is, a path and a way. Both the law and the way refer to a clear path. Whatever is prescribed is a law; hence the laws of Islam are called laws because its followers adhere to them. What is meant is that the laws differ, and every religious community has its own law.

Qatadah said: The address is directed to the three communities: the community of Moses, the community of Jesus, and the community of Muhammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and upon them all. The Torah has a law, the Gospel has a law, and the Furqan (the Criterion) has a law; yet the religion is one: tawhid (the affirmation of Allah’s oneness).

“And had Allah willed, He could have made you one community”—that is, followers of one religion—“but He tests you” means: He examines you “through what He has given you” of the Books and the laws He has made clear to you, so that the obedient may be distinguished from the disobedient and the one who conforms from the one who differs. “So hasten to good deeds”: hasten, then, to righteous works. “To Allah you will all return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.”

“And judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires. Beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has revealed to you. If they turn away, then know that Allah only intends to afflict them for some of their sins. Indeed, many people are defiantly disobedient. (49) Do they then seek the judgment of the Age of Ignorance? And who is better in judgment than Allah for a people who are certain in faith? (50)”

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “And judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires. Beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has revealed to you.” Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Ka'b ibn [Asad] (1), Abdullah ibn [Surayya] (2), and Shas ibn Qays, who were among the Jewish leaders, said to one another: “Let us go to Muhammad; perhaps we can tempt him away from his religion.” So they came to him and said: “O Muhammad, you know that we are the rabbis and nobles of the Jews, and that if we follow you, the Jews will not oppose us. We have disputes with other people, so we shall bring them before you for judgment. Rule in our favor against them, and we will believe in you, and others will follow us.” Yet their purpose was not faith; rather, their purpose was deception and to call him to partiality in judgment. So Allah, Exalted is He, revealed this verse (3).

“If they turn away”: that is, if they turn away from faith and from judging by the Quran, “then know that Allah only intends to afflict them for some of their sins.” That is, know that their turning away is because Allah intends to hasten for them punishment in this world for some of their sins. “Indeed, many people”—meaning the Jews—“are defiantly disobedient.”

(1) In the original: “Usayd.” The correction is based on Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 2:567. (2) In Ibn Hisham’s Sirah: “saluban.” (3) Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, 2:567; al-Tabari, 10:393; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 229.

يَا مُحَمَّدُ، ﴿بَيْنَهُمْ﴾ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِذَا تَرَافَعُوا إِلَيْكَ، ﴿بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ﴾ بِالْقُرْآنِ، ﴿وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ﴾ أَيْ لَا تُعْرِضْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ، ﴿لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَالْحَسَنُ وَمُجَاهِدٌ: أَيْ سَبِيلًا وَسُنَّةً، فَالشِّرْعَةُ وَالْمِنْهَاجُ الطَّرِيقُ الْوَاضِحُ، وَكُلُّ مَا شَرَعَتْ فِيهِ فَهُوَ شَرِيعَةٌ وَشِرْعَةٌ، وَمِنْهُ شَرَائِعُ الْإِسْلَامِ لِشُرُوعِ أَهْلِهَا فِيهَا، وَأَرَادَ بِهَذَا أَنَّ الشَّرَائِعَ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ، وَلِكُلِّ أَهْلِ مِلَّةٍ شَرِيعَةٌ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: الْخِطَابُ لِلْأُمَمِ الثَّلَاثِ: أُمَّةِ مُوسَى وَأُمَّةِ عِيسَى وَأُمِّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَعَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ، للتوراة شريعة والإنجيل شَرِيعَةٌ وَلِلْفُرْقَانِ شَرِيعَةٌ، وَالدِّينُ وَاحِدٌ وَهُوَ التَّوْحِيدُ. ﴿وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى مِلَّةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ، ﴿وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ﴾ لِيَخْتَبِرَكُمْ، ﴿فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ﴾ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ وَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّرَائِعِ فَيَتَبَيَّنُ الْمُطِيعُ مِنَ الْعَاصِي وَالْمُوَافِقُ مِنَ الْمُخَالِفِ، ﴿فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ﴾ فَبَادِرُوا إِلَى الْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ، ﴿إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ﴾ ﴿وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ لَفَاسِقُونَ (٤٩) أَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ (٥٠) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: قَالَ كَعْبُ بْنُ [أَسَدٍ] (١) وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ [صُورِيَّا] (٢) وَشَاسُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ مِنْ رُؤَسَاءِ الْيَهُودِ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: اذْهَبُوا بِنَا إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ لَعَلَّنَا نَفْتِنُهُ عَنْ دِينِهِ، فَأَتَوْهُ فَقَالُوا يَا مُحَمَّدُ قَدْ عَرَفْتَ أَنَّا أَحْبَارُ الْيَهُودِ وَأَشْرَافُهُمْ وَأَنَّا إِنِ اتَّبَعْنَاكَ لَمْ يُخَالِفْنَا الْيَهُودُ، وَإِنَّ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ النَّاسِ خُصُومَاتٍ فَنُحَاكِمُهُمْ إِلَيْكَ فَاقْضِ لَنَا عَلَيْهِمْ نُؤْمِنُ بِكَ، وَيَتْبَعُنَا غَيْرُنَا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ قَصْدُهُمُ الْإِيمَانَ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ قَصْدُهُمُ التَّلْبِيسَ وَدَعْوَتَهُ إِلَى الْمَيْلِ فِي الْحُكْمِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿ الْآيَةَ (٣) . ﴿فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا﴾ أَيْ: أَعْرَضُوا عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْحُكْمِ بِالْقُرْآنِ، ﴿فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ إِعْرَاضَهُمْ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُعَجِّلَ لَهُمُ الْعُقُوبَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ، ﴿وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ﴾ يَعْنِي الْيَهُودَ، ﴿لَفَاسِقُونَ﴾

(١) في الأصل: (أسيد) ، والتصويب من السيرة النبوية لابن هشام: ٢ / ٥٦٧. (٢) في السيرة لابن هشام: (صَلُوبا) . (٣) سيرة ابن هشام: ٢ / ٥٦٧، الطبري: ١٠ / ٣٩٣، أسباب النزول للواحدي، ص (٢٢٩) .