Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/111)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

His saying, exalted is He: “To Allah you will all return”—both those who went astray and those who were rightly guided—“and He will inform you of what you used to do.”

“O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. Those who go astray will not harm you if you are rightly guided. To Allah you will all return, and He will inform you of what you used to do.” (105)

“O you who believe! When death approaches one of you and he makes a bequest, let there be two just witnesses from among you; or, if you are travelling through the land and the calamity of death befalls you, two others from outside your community. If you doubt them, detain them after the prayer, and let them both swear by Allah: ‘We will not sell our testimony for any price, even if it concerns a close relative; nor will we conceal Allah’s testimony, for then we would surely be among the sinners.’

“But if it is discovered that the two have incurred sin, then two others, having a closer right from among those whose right has been violated, shall take their place. Let them both swear by Allah: ‘Our testimony is truer than their testimony, and we have not transgressed; for then we would surely be among the wrongdoers.’” (106–107)

His saying, exalted is He: “O you who believe! When death approaches one of you and he makes a bequest, let there be two just witnesses from among you.” The reason for the revelation of this verse is what has been related: Tamim ibn Aws al-Dari and Adi ibn [Badda’] (1) left Madinah for trade in the land of Syria. They were Christians, and Badil, the freedman of Amr ibn al-As, who was a Muslim, was with them.

When Badil’s illness became severe, he entrusted his belongings to Tamim and Adi and instructed them to deliver them to his family when they returned. Badil then died. They searched through his belongings and took from them a silver vessel inlaid with gold, containing three hundred mithqals of silver, and concealed it. They then completed their business and returned to Madinah.

They delivered the belongings to the household, who searched through them and found a written list naming what he had possessed. They came to Tamim and Adi and asked, “Did our companion sell anything from his belongings?” They replied, “No.” They asked, “Did he engage in any trade?” They replied, “No.” They asked, “Was his illness prolonged, so that he spent something on himself?” They replied, “No.”

They said, “We found among his belongings a written list naming what he had possessed, and we have found missing from it a silver vessel gilded with gold, containing three hundred mithqals of silver.” They replied, “He merely entrusted us with some things and instructed us to deliver them to you, which we have done. We have no knowledge of the vessel.”

They brought their dispute before the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The two persisted in their denial and swore an oath, so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse: “O you who believe! When death approaches one of you and he makes a bequest, let there be two just witnesses.” (2) That is, let two people bear witness. Its wording is declarative, but its meaning is imperative.

It was also said that its meaning is: the testimony concerning a bequest at the time of death is to be borne by two people. Scholars differed as to who these two are.

(1) The two manuscripts read “Zayd,” which is an error. The correction is based on al-Tirmidhi and others. (2) See al-Tirmidhi, Tafsir Surat al-Maidah, 8:426-431. He cites the report and says: “This is a gharib hadith, and its chain of transmission is not sound. In my view, Abu al-Nadr, from whom Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated this hadith, is Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi, whom the hadith scholars abandoned.” Something similar has also been narrated from Ibn Abbas in an abbreviated form through another chain. See also al-Tabari, 11:185; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 245; and Ibn al-Arabi, Ahkam al-Quran, 2:713-717. Al-Suyuti also attributed it to Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Nahhas in al-Nasikh wa al-Mansukh, Abu al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh, and Abu Nu'aym in al-Ma'rifah. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 3:220-221.

قوله ﷿: ﴿إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا﴾ الضال والمهتدي، ﴿فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (١٠٥) ﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِنْكُمْ أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الأرْضِ فَأَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةُ الْمَوْتِ تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا مِنْ بَعْدِ الصَّلاةِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ لا نَشْتَرِي بِهِ ثَمَنًا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى وَلا نَكْتُمُ شَهَادَةَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا إِذًا لَمِنَ الآثِمِينَ (١٠٦) فَإِنْ عُثِرَ عَلَى أَنَّهُمَا اسْتَحَقَّا إِثْمًا فَآخَرَانِ يَقُومَانِ مَقَامَهُمَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الأوْلَيَانِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ لَشَهَادَتُنَا أَحَقُّ مِنْ شَهَادَتِهِمَا وَمَا اعْتَدَيْنَا إِنَّا إِذًا لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ (١٠٧) ﴾ قوله ﷿: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ﴾ سبب نزول هذه الآية ما روي أن تميم بن أوس الداري وعدي بن [بدّاء] (١) قد خرجا من المدينة للتجارة إلى أرض الشام، وهما نصرانيان، ومعهما بُدَيْل مولى عمرو بن العاص، وكان مسلما فلما اشتد وجعه أوصى إلى تميم وعدي، وأمرهما أن يدفعا متاعه إذا رجعا إلى أهله، ومات بديل ففتشا متاعه وأخذا منه إناء من فضة منقوشا بالذهب فيه ثلاثمائة مثقال فضة فغيباه، ثم قضيا حاجتهما، فانصرفا إلى المدينة، فدفعا المتاع إلى أهل البيت، ففتشوا وأصابوا الصحيفة فيها تسمية ما كان معه فجاءوا تميما وعديا فقالوا: هل باع صاحبنا شيئا من متاعه؛ قالا لا قالوا: فهل اتجر تجارة؟ قالا لا قالوا: هل طال مرضه فأنفق على نفسه قالا لا فقالوا: إنا وجدنا في متاعه صحيفة فيها تسمية ما كان معه وإنا قد فقدنا منها إناء من فضة مموها بالذهب فيه ثلاثمائة مثقال فضة، قالا ما ندري إنما أوصى لنا بشيء فأمرنا أن ندفعه إليكم فدفعناه وما لنا علم بالإناء، فاختصموا إلى النبي ﷺ فأصرا على الإنكار، وحلفا فأنزل الله ﷿ هذه الآية ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ﴾ (٢) أي: ليشهد اثنان، لفضه خبر ومعناه أمر. وقيل: معناه: أن الشهادة فيما بينكم على الوصية عند الموت اثنان، واختلفوا في هذين الاثنينُ

(١) في المخطوطتين (زيد) وهو خطأ. والتصويب من الترمذي وغيره. (٢) انظر: الترمذي، تفسير سورة المائدة: ٨ / ٤٢٦-٤٣١، فقد ساق الرواية وقال: هذا حديث غريب وليس إسناده بصحيح. وأبو النَّضر الذي روى عنه محمد بن إسحاق هذا الحديث هو عندي: محمد بن السائب الكلبي، وقد تركه أهل العلم بالحديث.. وقد روي عن ابن عباس شيء من هذا على الاختصار من غير هذا الوجه. وانظر: الطبري: ١١ / ١٨٥، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٢٤٥) ، أحكام القرآن لابن العربي ٢ / ٧١٣-٧١٧. وعزاه السيوطي أيضا لابن أبي حاتم والنحاس في الناسخ والمنسوخ وأبي الشيخ وابن مردويه وأبي نعيم في المعرفة. انظر: الدر المنثور: ٣ / ٢٢٠-٢٢١.