Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/92)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and Allah, exalted is He, returned to the Children of Israel every child born out of wedlock among the Copts whose father was an Israelite, and returned to the Copts every child born out of wedlock among the Children of Israel ⦗11a⦘ whose father was a Copt, until each child had been returned to his father. Allah sent death upon the Copts, and every one of their firstborn died. They were occupied with burying them until morning came and the sun rose. Moses, peace be upon him, then set out with six hundred and twenty thousand fighting men. They did not count those under twenty because of their youth, nor those over sixty because of their age. When they had entered Egypt with Jacob, they had numbered seventy-two persons, men and women.

Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The companions of Moses numbered six hundred and seventy thousand.” (1)

Amr ibn Maymun said: They numbered six hundred thousand. When they wished to set out, they were overcome by bewilderment and did not know where to go. Moses summoned the elders of the Children of Israel and asked them about this. They replied, “When death came to Joseph, peace be upon him, he took a covenant from his brothers that they would not leave Egypt until they took him out with them. That is why the way has been closed to us.”

He asked them where his grave was, but they did not know. Moses stood and called out: “I adjure by Allah everyone who knows the location of Joseph’s grave, peace be upon him, to tell me of it. And whoever does not know of it, let his ears be deaf to my words!” He would pass between two men calling out, yet they could not hear his voice, until an old woman among them heard him. She said, “If I show you his grave, will you grant me whatever I ask of you?” He refused her request and said, “Not until I ask my Lord.” Allah, exalted is He, then commanded him to grant her request. (2)

She said, “I am a feeble old woman and cannot walk, so carry me and take me out of Egypt. This is what I ask in this world. As for the Hereafter, I ask that you enter no chamber in Paradise without my entering it with you.” He said, “Yes.”

She said, “He is in the depths of the water in the Nile. So pray to Allah to remove the water from above him.” Moses prayed to Allah, exalted is He, and the water receded from him. He also prayed that dawn be delayed until he had completed the matter of Joseph, peace be upon him. Moses dug at that spot and brought him out in a marble coffin. He carried him until he buried him in the Levant. Then the way was opened for them, and they set out, with Moses, peace be upon him, at their rear (3) and Aaron at their vanguard. Pharaoh learned of them, gathered his people, and commanded them

(1) Ibn Khaldun relates in the introduction to his History that al-Masudi and many historians stated that Moses, peace be upon him, counted the Israelites during the wilderness wandering, including only those capable of bearing arms, from the age of twenty upward. They numbered more than six hundred thousand. He then refuted this on several grounds: (a) it overlooks the size of Egypt and Syria and their capacity to accommodate armies of such a number. Every kingdom has a garrison capacity sufficient for its needs and functions, but inadequate for any force beyond it, as is attested by customary practice and familiar conditions. (b) Armies reaching such numbers could hardly engage in an advance or battle because the available ground would be too confined; when drawn up in ranks, they would extend beyond the range of sight two or three times over, or more. How, then, could these two forces fight, or one line overcome the other, when one flank would not even be aware of the other? (c) Had the Israelites reached such a number, the territory of their kingdom would not have contained them, and the scope of their state would have had to expand. (d) Moreover, according to the investigators, only four forefathers separated Moses from Israel, and the period between them, according to al-Masudi, was two hundred and twenty years. It is unlikely that descendants could have multiplied to such a number in four generations. See Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddimah, 1:13-16, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi edition. (2) The original reads: fa-amara ("then he commanded"). (3) “At their rear,” that is, he places them before him and walks behind them out of humility. (4) That is, he knew.

وَأَخْرَجَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كُلَّ وَلَدِ زِنًا فِي الْقِبْطِ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَكُلَّ وَلَدِ زِنًا فِي بني إسرائيل ١١/أمِنَ الْقِبْطِ إِلَى الْقِبْطِ حَتَّى رَجَعَ كُلٌّ إِلَى أَبِيهِ، وَأَلْقَى اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَ عَلَى الْقِبْطِ فَمَاتَ كُلُّ بِكْرٍ لَهُمْ وَاشْتَغَلُوا بِدَفْنِهِمْ حَتَّى أَصْبَحُوا وَطَلَعَتِ الشَّمْسُ، وَخَرَجَ مُوسَى ﵇ فِي سِتِّمِائَةِ أَلْفٍ وَعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ مُقَاتِلٍ، لَا يَعُدُّونَ ابْنَ الْعِشْرِينَ لِصِغَرِهِ، وَلَا ابْنَ السِّتِّينَ لِكِبَرِهِ، وَكَانُوا يَوْمَ دَخَلُوا مِصْرَ مَعَ يَعْقُوبَ اثْنَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ إِنْسَانًا مَا بَيْنَ رَجُلٍ وَامْرَأَةٍ. وَعَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ﵁ قَالَ: كَانَ أَصْحَابُ مُوسَى سِتَّمِائَةِ أَلْفٍ وَسَبْعِينَ أَلْفًا (١) . وَعَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ قَالَ: كَانُوا سِتَّمِائَةِ أَلْفٍ فَلَمَّا أَرَادُوا السَّيْرَ ضُرِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ التِّيهُ فَلَمْ يَدْرُوا أَيْنَ يَذْهَبُونَ فَدَعَا مُوسَى =مَشْيَخَةَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَسَأَلَهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالُوا: إِنَّ يُوسُفَ ﵇ لِمَا حَضَرَهُ الْمَوْتُ أَخَذَ عَلَى إِخْوَتِهِ عَهْدًا أَنْ لَا يَخْرُجُوا مِنْ مِصْرَ حَتَّى يُخْرِجُوهُ مَعَهُمْ فَلِذَلِكَ انْسَدَّ عَلَيْنَا الطَّرِيقُ، فَسَأَلَهُمْ عَنْ مَوْضِعِ قَبْرِهِ فَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا فَقَامَ مُوسَى يُنَادِي: أُنْشِدُ اللَّهَ كُلَّ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَيْنَ مَوْضِعُ قَبْرِ يُوسُفَ ﵇ أَلَا أَخْبَرَنِي بِهِ؟ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِهِ فَصُمَّتْ أُذُنَاهُ عَنْ قَوْلِي! وَكَانَ يَمُرُّ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ يُنَادِي فَلَا يَسْمَعَانِ صَوْتَهُ حَتَّى سَمِعَتْهُ عَجُوزٌ لَهُمْ فَقَالَتْ: أَرَأَيْتُكَ إِنْ دَلَلْتُكَ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ أَتُعْطِينِي كُلَّ مَا سَأَلْتُكَ؟ فَأَبَى عَلَيْهَا وَقَالَ: حَتَّى أَسْأَلَ رَبِّي (فَأَمَرَهُ) (٢) اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِإِيتَائِهَا سُؤْلَهَا فَقَالَتْ: إِنِّي عَجُوزٌ كَبِيرَةٌ لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ الْمَشْيَ فَاحْمِلْنِي وَأَخْرِجْنِي مِنْ مِصْرَ، هَذَا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَأَمَّا فِي الْآخِرَةِ فَأَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ لَا تَنْزِلَ غُرْفَةً مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا نَزَلْتُهَا مَعَكَ قَالَ: نَعَمْ قَالَتْ: إِنَّهُ فِي جَوْفِ الْمَاءِ فِي النِّيلِ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ حَتَّى يَحْسِرَ عَنْهُ الْمَاءَ، فَدَعَا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فَحَسِرَ عَنْهُ الْمَاءَ، وَدَعَا أَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ طُلُوعَ الْفَجْرِ إِلَى أَنْ يَفْرَغَ مِنْ أَمْرِ يُوسُفَ ﵇، فَحَفَرَ مُوسَى ﵇ ذَلِكَ الْمَوْضِعَ وَاسْتَخْرَجَهُ فِي صُنْدُوقٍ مِنْ مَرْمَرٍ، وَحِمَلَهُ حَتَّى دَفَنَهُ بِالشَّامِ، فَفُتِحَ لَهُمُ الطَّرِيقُ فَسَارُوا وَمُوسَى ﵇ عَلَى سَاقَتِهِمْ (٣) وَهَارُونُ عَلَى مُقَدِّمَتِهِمْ، وَنَذَرَ (٤) بِهِمْ فِرْعَوْنُ فَجَمَعَ قَوْمَهُ وَأَمَرَهُمْ

(١) نقل ابن خلدون في مقدمة تاريخه أن المسعودي وكثيرا من المؤرخين ذكروا أن موسى ﵇ أحصى بني إسرائيل في التيه، بعد أن أجاز من يطيق حمل السلاح خاصة، من ابن عشرين فما فوقها فكانوا ستمائة ألف ويزيدون. ثم فند ذلك لجملة أسباب: أ- إن في ذلك ذهولا عن تقدير مصر والشام واتساعهما لمثل هذا العدد من الجيوش، لكل مملكة من الممالك حصة من الحامية تتسع لها وتقوم بوظائفها وتضيق عما فوقها، تشهد بذلك العوائد المعروفة والأحوال المألوفة. ب- ثم إن مثل هذه الجيوش البالغة إلى مثل هذا العدد يبعد أن يقع بينها زحف أو قتال لضيق ساحة الأرض عنها، وبعدها، إذا اصطفت، عن مدى البصر مرتين أو ثلاثا أو أزيد، فكيف يقتتل هذان الفريقان أو تكون غلبة أحد الصفين؟ وشيء من جوانبه لا يشعر بالجانب الآخر؟. ح- وأيضا: فلو بلغ بنو إسرائيل مثل هذا العدد لا تسع نطاق ملكهم وانفسخ مدى دولتهم. د- وأيضا فالذي بين موسى وإسرائيل إنما هو أربعة آباء على ما ذكره المحققون، والمدة بينهما على ما نقله المسعودي مائتان وعشرين سنة، ويبعد أن يتشعب النسل في أربعة =أجيال مثل هذا العدد. انظر: مقدمة ابن خلدون، ١ / ١٣-١٦، طبعة دار الكتاب العربي. (٢) في الأصل: فأمر. (٣) على مؤخرتهم: أي يقدمهم أمامه ويمشي خلفهم تواضعا. (٤) أي: علم.