Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/87)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

upon His servants. “Fulfill My covenant”—by obeying My command—“and I shall fulfill your covenant,” by accepting it and granting you reward.

Qatadah and Mujahid said: By this covenant, He meant what He mentioned in Surah al-Ma'idah: “Allah certainly took the covenant of the Children of Israel, and We appointed from among them twelve leaders,” up to His saying, “I shall surely absolve you of your misdeeds” [al-Ma'idah 5:12]. This, then, is the meaning of His saying, “I shall fulfill your covenant.”

Al-Hasan said that it is His saying: “When We took your covenant and raised the Mount above you: ‘Hold firmly to what We have given you’” [al-Baqarah 2:63]. This refers to the law of the Torah. Muqatil said that it is His saying: “When We took the covenant of the Children of Israel: ‘Worship none but Allah’” [al-Baqarah 2:83].

Al-Kalbi said: Allah made a covenant with the Children of Israel through Moses: “I shall raise up from among the descendants of Ishmael an unlettered Prophet. Whoever follows him and believes in the light that he brings, I shall forgive his sin, admit him into Paradise, and grant him two rewards.” This is indicated by His saying: “When Allah took the covenant of those who were given the Book: ‘You shall make it clear to the people’” [Al 'Imran 3:187]—meaning the matter of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

“And Me alone fear”: fear Me by not breaking the covenant. Ya'qub retained the final ya' letters omitted in the written text, as in farhabuni (“fear Me”), fattaquni (“be mindful of Me”), and wakhshawni (“fear Me”); the other reciters omit them in accordance with the written text.

“Believe in what I have sent down,” meaning the Quran, “confirming what is with you,” that is, corresponding to what is with you—the Torah—in affirming Allah’s oneness, prophethood, the reports, and the description of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This was revealed concerning Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf and his companions among the Jewish scholars and leaders. (1)

“And do not be the first to disbelieve in it,” that is, in the Quran. He means: among the People of the Book, for Quraysh had disbelieved before the Jews in Mecca. Its meaning is: Do not be the first among those who disbelieve in the Quran, lest the Jews follow you in that, and you thereby bear your own sins and theirs.

“And do not barter”—that is, do not exchange—“My signs,” namely, the clarification of Muhammad’s description, peace and blessings be upon him, “for a trifling price,” that is, a small worldly gain. This is because the Jewish leaders and scholars received provisions from their common and ignorant folk: every year, they took from them a specified share of their crops, livestock, and money. They feared that, if they made Muhammad’s description clear and followed him, peace and blessings be upon him, those provisions would be lost to them. So they altered his description and concealed his name, choosing this world over the Hereafter. “And Me alone be mindful of”: fear Me.

“And do not mix the truth with falsehood,” that is, do not mingle them. The verb means “to put on” when used of a garment, and “to confuse or mingle” when used of a matter. He says: Do not mix the truth that I sent down to you concerning Muhammad’s description, peace and blessings be upon him, with the falsehood that you write with your own hands by altering Muhammad’s description, peace and blessings be upon him.

The majority held that He meant: Do not mix Islam with Judaism and Christianity. (2)

Muqatil said: The Jews acknowledged part of Muhammad’s description, peace and blessings be upon him, but concealed part of it so that they might be believed in what they did acknowledge. Thus He said: Do not mix the truth that you acknowledge with falsehood—that is, with what you conceal. The truth is their disclosure, and the falsehood is their concealment. “And conceal the truth” means: Do not conceal it—namely, Muhammad’s description, peace and blessings be upon him.

(1) See al-Wahidi, Tafsir, 1:92. (2) Qatadah said: “Do not conflate Judaism and Christianity with Islam, while you know that Allah’s religion is Islam, and that Judaism and Christianity are innovations not from Allah.” See al-Durr al-Manthur, 1:155; and the article entitled “Indeed, the Religion with Allah Is Islam,” in issue no. 16 of the Journal of Islamic Research, published by the General Presidency for Scholarly Research, Ifta, Dawah, and Guidance, Riyadh.

عَلَى عِبَادِهِ ﴿وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِي﴾ أَيْ بِامْتِثَالِ أَمْرِي ﴿أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ﴾ بِالْقَبُولِ وَالثَّوَابِ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ وَمُجَاهِدٌ: أَرَادَ بِهَذَا الْعَهْدِ مَا ذَكَرَ فِي سُورَةِ الْمَائِدَةِ "وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وبعثنا منهم حفظ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ -لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ" (١٢-الْمَائِدَةِ) فَهَذَا قَوْلُهُ: "أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ". وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ هُوَ قَوْلُهُ "وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ" (٦٣-الْبَقَرَةِ) فَهُوَ شَرِيعَةُ التَّوْرَاةِ، وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ هُوَ قَوْلُهُ "وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ" (٨٣-الْبَقَرَةِ) وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: عَهِدَ اللَّهُ إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى لِسَانِ مُوسَى: إِنِّي بَاعِثٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْمَاعِيلَ نَبِيًّا أُمِّيًّا فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ وَصَدَّقَ بِالنُّورِ الَّذِي يَأْتِي بِهِ غَفَرْتُ لَهُ ذَنْبَهُ وَأَدْخَلْتُهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ أَجْرَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ: وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: "وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ" (١٨٧-آلَ عِمْرَانَ) يَعْنِي أَمْرَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ. ﴿وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ﴾ فَخَافُونِي فِي نَقْضِ الْعَهْدِ. وَأَثْبَتَ يَعْقُوبُ الْيَاءَآتِ الْمَحْذُوفَةَ فِي الْخَطِّ مِثْلَ فَارْهَبُونِي، فَاتَّقُونِي، وَاخْشَوْنِي، وَالْآخَرُونَ يَحْذِفُونَهَا عَلَى الْخَطِّ ﴿وَآمِنُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلْتُ﴾ يَعْنِي الْقُرْآنَ ﴿مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ﴾ أَيْ مُوَافِقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ يَعْنِي: التَّوْرَاةَ، فِي التَّوْحِيدِ وَالنُّبُوَّةِ وَالْأَخْبَارِ وَنَعْتِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، نَزَلَتْ فِي كَعْبِ بْنِ الْأَشْرَفِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ الْيَهُودِ وَرُؤَسَائِهِمْ (١) ﴿وَلَا تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ﴾ أَيْ بِالْقُرْآنِ يُرِيدُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ، لِأَنَّ قُرَيْشًا كَفَرَتْ قَبْلَ الْيَهُودِ بِمَكَّةَ، مَعْنَاهُ: وَلَا تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ مَنْ كَفَرَ بِالْقُرْآنِ فَيُتَابِعْكُمُ الْيَهُودُ على ذلك فتبوؤا بِآثَامِكُمْ وَآثَامِهِمْ ﴿وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا﴾ أَيْ: وَلَا تَسْتَبْدِلُوا ﴿بِآيَاتِي﴾ بِبَيَانِ صِفَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ ﴿ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا﴾ أَيْ عَرَضًا يَسِيرًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ رُؤَسَاءَ الْيَهُودِ وَعُلَمَاءَهُمْ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ مَآكِلُ يُصِيبُونَهَا مِنْ سَفَلَتِهِمْ وَجُهَّالِهِمْ يَأْخُذُونَ مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ عَامٍ شَيْئًا مَعْلُومًا مِنْ زُرُوعِهِمْ وَضُرُوعِهِمْ وَنُقُودِهِمْ فَخَافُوا إِنْ هُمْ بَيَّنُوا صِفَةَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَتَابَعُوهُ أَنْ تَفُوتَهُمْ تِلْكَ الْمَآكِلُ فَغَيَّرُوا نَعْتَهُ وَكَتَمُوا اسْمَهُ فَاخْتَارُوا الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ ﴿وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ﴾ فَاخْشَوْنِي ﴿وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ﴾ أَيْ لَا تَخْلِطُوا، يُقَالُ: لَبِسَ الثَّوْبَ يَلْبَسُ لُبْسًا، وَلَبِسَ عَلَيْهِ الْأَمْرُ يَلْبِسُ لَبْسًا أَيْ خَلَطَ. يَقُولُ: لَا تَخْلِطُوا الْحَقَّ الَّذِي، أَنْزَلْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ صِفَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ بِالْبَاطِلِ الَّذِي تَكْتُبُونَهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ مِنْ تَغْيِيرِ صِفَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ. وَالْأَكْثَرُونَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ أَرَادَ: لَا تَلْبِسُوا الْإِسْلَامَ بِالْيَهُودِيَّةِ وَالنَّصْرَانِيَّةِ (٢) . وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ أَقَرُّوا بِبَعْضِ صِفَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَكَتَمُوا بَعْضًا لِيُصَدَّقُوا فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ الَّذِي تُقِرُّونَ بِهِ بِالْبَاطِلِ يَعْنِي بِمَا تَكْتُمُونَهُ، فَالْحَقُّ: بَيَانُهُمْ، وَالْبَاطِلُ: كِتْمَانُهُمْ وَتَكْتُمُوا الْحَقَّ أَيْ لَا تَكْتُمُوهُ، يَعْنِي: نَعْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ.

(١) انظر: تفسير الواحدي: ١ / ٩٢. (٢) عن قتادة قال: لا تلبسوا اليهودية والنصرانية بالإسلام وأنتم تعلمون أن دين الله الإسلام، وأن اليهودية والنصرانية بدعة ليست من الله. انظر: الدر المنثور: ١ / ١٥٥، واقرأ بحثا بعنوان "إن الدين عند الله الإسلام" في العدد (١٦) من مجلة البحوث الإسلامية. الصادرة عن الرئاسة العامة لإدارات البحوث العلمية والإفتاء والدعوة والإرشاد، الرياض.