Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/91)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Israel as servants and chattel (1), assigning them to different kinds of work: one group built, another ploughed and sowed, and another served him. Upon anyone among them who was not engaged in work, he imposed a tribute.

Wahb said: They were divided into different classes in Pharaoh’s service. The strong among them hewed columns (2) out of the mountains, until their necks and hands became raw (3), and their backs were galled (4) from cutting and carrying them. One group carried stones, another built his palaces, another made mud-bricks and baked fired bricks, and another consisted of carpenters and blacksmiths. Upon the weak among them he imposed a daily tax, which they had to pay every day. If the sun set before a man had paid his tax, his right hand was shackled to his neck for a month. The women spun flax and wove.

It was also said that its explanation is given in what follows: “slaughtering your sons” is mentioned as an appositive clarification of “subjected you to the worst punishment,” while “sparing your women” means leaving them alive. This was because Pharaoh saw in a dream that a fire came from Jerusalem, surrounded Egypt, and burned every Copt therein, without harming the Children of Israel. This alarmed him, so he asked the priests about his dream. They said, “A boy will be born among the Children of Israel at whose hands your destruction and the end of your kingdom will come.” Pharaoh therefore ordered that every boy born among the Children of Israel be killed. He gathered the midwives and said to them, “No boy of the Children of Israel is to come into your hands without being killed, and no girl without being left alive.” He appointed overseers over the midwives, and they carried this out. It was said that he killed twelve thousand children among the Children of Israel in his search for Moses, peace be upon him. Wahb said: It has reached me that, in his search for Moses, peace be upon him, he slaughtered ninety thousand newborns.

They said: Death became widespread among the elders of the Children of Israel, so the leaders of the Copts went in to Pharaoh and said, “Death has struck the Children of Israel. Will you slaughter their young while their old die, so that the work will soon fall upon us?” Pharaoh then ordered that the boys be slaughtered one year and spared the next. Thus Aaron was born in the year in which they were not slaughtered, and Moses in the year in which they were slaughtered.

“And in that was a tremendous trial from your Lord.” It was said that trial here means affliction: that is, in their subjecting you to the worst punishment was a tremendous affliction. It was also said that it means blessing: that is, in My saving you from them was a tremendous blessing. Thus, trial may mean blessing or hardship. Allah, exalted is He, tests people through blessings by gratitude and through hardship by patience. Allah, exalted is He, says: “We test you with evil and good as a trial” (al-Anbiya 21:35).

“And when We parted the sea for you.” It was said that this means: We parted it for you. It was also said: We parted the sea through your entering it. The sea is called by this name because of its vastness; likewise, a horse is described thus when it is expansive in its running. When Pharaoh’s destruction drew near, Allah, exalted is He, commanded Moses, peace be upon him, to lead the Children of Israel by night out of Egypt. Moses commanded his people to keep lamps lit in their houses until morning,

(1) They are a man's retainers and followers; the singular is kha'il. The term is derived from takhwil, meaning to confer ownership, though it has also been said to derive from care. (2) The columns. (3) Wounded. (4) They caused sores on their backs, derived from dabbart al-dabbah: “I caused an animal's back to become sore.”

إِسْرَائِيلَ خَدَمًا وَخَوَلًا (١) وَصَنَّفَهُمْ فِي الْأَعْمَالِ فَصِنْفٌ يَبْنُونَ، وَصِنْفٌ يَحْرُثُونَ وَيَزْرَعُونَ، وَصِنْفٌ يَخْدِمُونَهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْهُمْ فِي عَمَلٍ وَضَعَ عَلَيْهِ الْجِزْيَةَ. وَقَالَ وَهْبٌ: كَانُوا أَصْنَافًا فِي أَعْمَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ، فَذَوُو الْقُوَّةِ يَنْحِتُونَ السَّوَارِيَ (٢) مِنَ الْجِبَالِ حَتَّى قُرِحَتْ (٣) أَعْنَاقُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَدَبِرَتْ (٤) ظُهُورُهُمْ مِنْ قَطْعِهَا وَنَقْلِهَا، وَطَائِفَةٌ يَنْقُلُونَ الْحِجَارَةَ، وَطَائِفَةٌ يَبْنُونَ لَهُ الْقُصُورَ، وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ يَضْرِبُونَ اللَّبِنَ وَيَطْبُخُونَ الْآجُرَّ، وَطَائِفَةٌ نَجَّارُونَ وَحَدَّادُونَ، وَالضَّعَفَةُ مِنْهُمْ يَضْرِبُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَرَاجَ ضَرِيبَةً يُؤَدُّونَهَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ، فَمَنْ غَرَبَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُؤَدِّيَ ضَرِيبَتَهُ غُلَّتْ يَمِينُهُ إِلَى عُنُقِهِ شَهْرًا، وَالنِّسَاءُ يَغْزِلْنَ الْكَتَّانَ وَيَنْسِجْنَ، وقيل: تفسيره ذكرما بَعْدَهُ: ﴿يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ﴾ مَذْكُورٌ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْبَدَلِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ -يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ ﴿وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ﴾ يَتْرُكُونَهُنَّ أَحْيَاءً، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ رَأَى فِي مَنَامِهِ كَأَنَّ نَارًا أَقْبَلَتْ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَأَحَاطَتْ بِمِصْرَ وَأَحْرَقَتْ كُلَّ قِبْطِيٍّ فِيهَا وَلَمْ تَتَعَرَّضْ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَهَالَهُ ذَلِكَ وَسَأَلَ الْكَهَنَةَ عَنْ رُؤْيَاهُ؟ فَقَالُوا: يُولَدُ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ غُلَامٌ يَكُونُ عَلَى يَدِهِ هَلَاكُكَ وَزَوَالُ مُلْكِكَ، فَأَمَرَ فِرْعَوْنُ بِقَتْلِ كُلِّ غُلَامٍ يُولَدُ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَجَمَعَ الْقَوَابِلَ فَقَالَ لَهُنَّ: لَا يُسْقَطَنَّ عَلَى أَيْدِيكُنَّ غُلَامٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَّا قُتِلَ وَلَا جَارِيَةٌ إِلَّا تُرِكَتْ، وَوَكَّلَ بِالْقَوَابِلِ، فَكُنَّ يَفْعَلْنَ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى قِيلَ: إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ صَبِيٍّ فِي طَلَبِ مُوسَى. وَقَالَ وَهْبٌ: بَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُ ذَبَحَ فِي طَلَبِ مُوسَى ﵇ تِسْعِينَ أَلْفَ وَلِيدٍ. قَالُوا: وَأَسْرَعَ الْمَوْتُ فِي =مَشْيَخَةِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَدَخْلَ رُءُوسُ الْقِبْطِ عَلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَالُوا: إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ قَدْ وَقَعَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَفَتَذْبَحُ صِغَارَهُمْ وَيَمُوتُ كِبَارُهُمْ فَيُوشِكُ أَنْ يَقَعَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَيْنَا؟ فَأَمَرَ فِرْعَوْنُ أَنْ يَذْبَحُوا سَنَةً وَيَتْرُكُوا سَنَةً، فَوُلِدَ هَارُونُ فِي السَّنَةِ الَّتِي لَا يَذْبَحُونَ فِيهَا، وَمُوسَى فِي السَّنَةِ الَّتِي يَذْبَحُونَ فِيهَا. ﴿وَفِي ذَلِكُمْ بَلَاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ﴾ قِيلَ: الْبَلَاءُ الْمِحْنَةُ، أَيْ فِي سَوْمِهِمْ إِيَّاكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ مِحْنَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ، وَقِيلَ: الْبَلَاءُ النِّعْمَةُ أَيْ فِي إِنْجَائِي إِيَّاكُمْ مِنْهُمْ نِعْمَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ، فَالْبَلَاءُ يَكُونُ بِمَعْنَى النِّعْمَةِ وَبِمَعْنَى الشِّدَّةِ، فَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَدْ يَخْتَبِرُ عَلَى النِّعْمَةِ بِالشُّكْرِ، وَعَلَى الشِّدَّةِ بِالصَّبْرِ وَقَالَ: اللَّهُ تَعَالَى "وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً" (٣٥-الْأَنْبِيَاءِ) . ﴿وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ﴾ قِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ فَرَقْنَا لَكُمْ وَقِيلَ: فَرَقْنَا الْبَحْرَ بِدُخُولِكُمْ إِيَّاهُ وَسُمِّيَ الْبَحْرُ بَحْرًا لِاتِّسَاعِهِ، وَمِنْهُ قِيلَ لِلْفَرَسِ: بَحْرٌ إِذَا اتَّسَعَ فِي جَرْيِهِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا دَنَا هَلَاكُ فِرْعَوْنَ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مُوسَى ﵇ أَنْ يُسْرِيَ بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ مِصْرَ لَيْلًا فَأَمَرَ مُوسَى قَوْمَهُ أَنْ يُسْرِجُوا فِي بُيُوتِهِمْ إِلَى الصُّبْحِ،

(١) هم حشم الرجل وأتباعه، واحدهم خائل: وهو مأخوذ من التخويل: التمليك، وقيل من الرعاية. (٢) الاسطوانات. (٣) جرحت. (٤) دبرت ظهورهم، مأخوذ من دبرت الدابة: قرحت ظهرها.