Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/117)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and the preposition “to” is supplementary. The disciples were the select companions of Jesus, peace be upon him. “Believe in Me and in My messenger, Jesus” (1). They said, once they had complied, “We believe, so bear witness that we are Muslims.

“When the disciples said, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table spread from heaven?’ He said, ‘Fear Allah, if you are believers.’ (112) They said, ‘We wish to eat from it, so that our hearts may be reassured, that we may know that you have told us the truth, and that we may be among those who bear witness to it.’ (113) Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a table spread from heaven, to be a festival for us—the first and the last of us—and a sign from You. Provide for us, for You are the best of providers.’ (114) Allah said, ‘I will indeed send it down to you. But whoever among you disbelieves thereafter, I will punish him with a punishment such as I will not inflict upon anyone in all the worlds.’”

“When the disciples said, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord...’” (115)

Al-Kisa’i recited it as, “Can you ask your Lord?” using the second-person form and placing “your Lord” in the accusative. This was also the recitation of Ali, Aishah, Ibn Abbas, and Mujahid. That is: Can you supplicate to and ask your Lord? The others recited, “Can your Lord?” using the third-person form and placing “your Lord” in the nominative. They did not say this because they doubted the power of Allah, glorified and exalted is He; rather, its meaning is: Will your Lord send it down or not? It is like a man saying to his companion, “Can you get up with me?” while knowing that he is able to do so; what he means is only: Will he do it or not?

It was also said that “can” here means “obey.” The verbs ata’a (to obey) and istata’a (to comply) may have one meaning, just as ajaba (to answer) and istajaba (to respond) do. Its meaning, then, is: Will your Lord answer your request? It is related in the reports: “Whoever obeys Allah, Allah responds to him.”

Some, however, took the wording according to its outward sense ⦗114/b⦘ and said: These people had made a mistake; they said this before their knowledge had become firmly established, for they were only human. When they made this mistake, Jesus, peace be upon him, said to them—regarding their statement as grave—“Fear Allah, if you are believers”; that is, do not doubt His power.

“...send down to us a table spread from heaven”: a ma’idah is a dining table upon which food is set. It is an active-form noun derived from mada (to provide food and feed), like mara (to provision); imtada (to obtain provisions) is derived from it. Thus, a ma’idah is that which provides food for those who eat. Food itself may also figuratively be called a ma’idah, since it is eaten from the table.

The scholars of Kufah said that it is called a ma’idah because it tamidu—that is, sways or inclines—with those who eat from it. The scholars of Basrah said that it is an active form used with a passive sense: that is, the eaters incline toward it, as in His saying, “a life that is pleasing,” meaning, a life that is well-pleasing.

Jesus, peace be upon him, replied to them: “Fear Allah, if you are believers”; therefore, do not doubt His power. It was also said: Fear Allah by not asking Him for something that no community before you has asked for. Thus, he prohibited them from demanding miraculous signs after having believed.

(1) Omitted from manuscript “B.”

وَ ﴿إِلَى﴾ صِلَةٌ، وَالْحَوَارِيُّونَ خَوَاصُّ أَصْحَابِ عِيسَى ﵇، ﴿أَنْ آمِنُوا بِي وَبِرَسُولِي﴾ [عِيسَى] (١) ﴿قَالُوا﴾ حين وافقتهم ﴿آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ﴾ ﴿إِذْ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (١١٢) قَالُوا نُرِيدُ أَنْ نَأْكُلَ مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعْلَمَ أَنْ قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ (١١٣) قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا أَنْزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا لِأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِنْكَ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ (١١٤) قَالَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي مُنَزِّلُهَا عَلَيْكُمْ فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بَعْدُ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ إِذْ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ (١١٥) قَرَأَ الْكِسَائِيُّ "هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ" بِالتَّاءِ "رَبَّكَ" بِنَصْبِ الْبَاءِ وَهُوَ قِرَاءَةُ عَلِيٍّ وَعَائِشَةَ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَمُجَاهِدٍ، أَيْ: هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَدْعُوَ وَتَسْأَلَ رَبَّكَ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ "هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ" بِالْيَاءِ وَ"رَبُّكَ" بِرَفْعِ الْبَاءِ، وَلَمْ يَقُولُوهُ شَاكِّينَ فِي قُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ ﷿، وَلَكِنْ مَعْنَاهُ: هَلْ يُنَزِّلُ رَبُّكَ أَمْ لَا؟ كَمَا يَقُولُ الرَّجُلُ لِصَاحِبِهِ هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَنْهَضَ مَعِي وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ يَسْتَطِيعُ، وَإِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ هَلْ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ أَمْ لَا وَقِيلَ: يَسْتَطِيعُ بِمَعْنَى يُطِيعُ، يُقَالُ: أَطَاعَ وَاسْتَطَاعَ بِمَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ، كَقَوْلِهِمْ: أَجَابَ وَاسْتَجَابَ، مَعْنَاهُ: هَلْ يُطِيعُكَ رَبُّكَ بِإِجَابَةِ سُؤَالِكَ؟ وَفِي الْآثَارِ مَنْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ أَطَاعَهُ اللَّهُ، وَأَجْرَى بَعْضُهُمْ على الظاهر ١١٤/ب فَقَالُوا: غَلَطَ الْقَوْمُ، وَقَالُوهُ قَبْلَ اسْتِحْكَامِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَكَانُوا بَشَرًا، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ عِيسَى ﵇ عِنْدَ الْغَلَطِ، اسْتِعْظَامًا لِقَوْلِهِمْ ﴿اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ أَيْ: لَا تَشُكُّوا فِي قُدْرَتِهِ. ﴿أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ﴾ الْمَائِدَةُ الْخِوَانُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الطَّعَامُ، وَهِيَ فَاعِلَةٌ مِنْ: مَادَهُ يُمِيدُهُ إِذَا أَعْطَاهُ وَأَطْعَمَهُ، كَقَوْلِهِ مَارَهُ يُمِيرُهُ، وَامْتَادَ: افْتَعَلَ مِنْهُ، وَالْمَائِدَةُ هِيَ الْمُطْعِمَةُ لِلْآكِلِينَ الطَّعَامَ، وَسُمِّيَ الطَّعَامُ أَيْضًا مَائِدَةً عَلَى الْجَوَازِ، لِأَنَّهُ يُؤْكَلُ عَلَى الْمَائِدَةِ، وَقَالَ أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ: سُمِّيَتْ مَائِدَةً لِأَنَّهَا تَمِيدُ بِالْآكِلِينَ، أَيْ: تَمِيلُ. وَقَالَ أَهْلُ الْبَصْرَةِ: فَاعِلَةٌ بِمَعْنَى الْمَفْعُولِ، أَيْ تَمِيدُ بِالْآكِلِينَ إِلَيْهَا، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى (عِيشَةٍ رَاضِيَةٍ) أَيْ: مَرْضِيَّةٍ، ﴿قَالَ﴾ عِيسَى ﵇ مُجِيبًا لَهُمْ: ﴿اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ فَلَا تَشُكُّوا فِي قُدْرَتِهِ، وَقِيلَ: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ أَنْ تَسْأَلُوهُ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَسْأَلْهُ الْأُمَمُ قَبْلَكُمْ، فَنَهَاهُمْ عَنِ اقْتِرَاحِ الْآيَاتِ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ.

(١) ساقط من "ب".