Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/129)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And if We had made him an angel, We would have made him appear as a man, and We would have confounded them just as they confound others. (9) Messengers before you were certainly ridiculed, but those who mocked them were overtaken by that which they used to ridicule. (10) Say, ‘Travel through the land, then see what was the end of those who denied the truth.’ (11)”

“And they said, ‘Why has an angel not been sent down to him?’”—that is, to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. “But if We had sent down an angel, the matter would have been decided”: that is, the punishment would have become inevitable and the matter would have been concluded. This is Allah’s way with the disbelievers: whenever they demand a sign, and it is then sent down but they still do not believe, they are utterly destroyed by punishment. “Then they would not be granted respite”: that is, they would neither be deferred nor given any reprieve.

Qatadah said: “Had We sent down an angel and they still did not believe, the punishment would have been hastened for them, and they would not have been given even the blink of an eye’s delay.” Mujahid said: “The matter would have been decided,” meaning that the Hour would have come. Al-Dahhak said: “Had an angel come to them in his true form, they would have died.”

“And if We had made him an angel”—that is, if We had sent them an angel (1)—“We would have made him appear as a man,” meaning in the form of a human man (2), because they would not have been able to look upon the angels. Gabriel, peace be upon him, used to come to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi, and the two angels came to David in the form of two men.

His saying, exalted is He: “And We would have confounded them just as they confound others,” means: We would have mixed up for them what they themselves mix up, and made the matter unclear to them, so that they would not know whether he was an angel or a human being. It was also said to mean: they confused their weaker followers, and so they themselves were confounded. It is also reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father,

(1) Added from manuscript B. (2) Added from manuscript B.

﴿وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ مَلَكًا لَجَعَلْنَاهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ (٩) وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (١٠) قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ انْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ (١١) ﴾ ﴿وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ﴾ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ، ﴿مَلَكٌ وَلَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ﴾ أَيْ: لَوَجَبَ الْعَذَابُ، وَفُرِغَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ، وَهَذَا سُنَّةُ اللَّهِ فِي الْكُفَّارِ أَنَّهُمْ مَتَى اقْتَرَحُوا آيَةً فَأُنْزِلَتْ ثُمَّ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا اسْتُؤْصِلُوا بِالْعَذَابِ، ﴿ثُمَّ لَا يُنْظَرُونَ﴾ أَيْ: لَا يُؤَجَّلُونَ وَلَا يُمْهَلُونَ، وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: لَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا مَلَكًا ثُمَّ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَعُجِّلَ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَمْ يُؤَخَّرُوا طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ، وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ أَيْ لَقَامَتِ الْقِيَامَةُ، وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: لَوْ أَتَاهُمْ مَلَكٌ فَى صُورَتِهِ لَمَاتُوا. ﴿وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ مَلَكًا﴾ [يَعْنِي: لَوْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ مَلَكًا] (١) ﴿لَجَعَلْنَاهُ رَجُلًا﴾ يَعْنِي فِي صُورَةِ [رَجُلٍ] (٢) آدَمِيٍّ، لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ النَّظَرَ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ، وَكَانَ جِبْرِيلُ ﵇ يَأْتِي النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فِي صُورَةِ دِحْيَةَ الْكَلْبِيِّ، وَجَاءَ الْمَلَكَانِ إِلَى دَاوُدَ فِي صُورَةِ رَجُلَيْنِ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ﴾ أَيْ: خَلَطْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَخْلِطُونَ وَشَبَّهْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فَلَا يَدْرُونَ أَمَلَكٌ هُوَ أَمْ آدَمِيٌّ، وَقِيلَ مَعْنَاهُ شَبَّهُوا عَلَى ضُعَفَائِهِمْ فَشُبِّهَ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ

(١) زيادة من "ب". (٢) زيادة من "ب".