Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/159)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

the dominion of the heavens and the earth, he saw a man committing an indecency and supplicated against him, so he perished. Then he saw another and supplicated against him, so he perished. Then he saw another and intended to supplicate against him, whereupon the Lord, glorified and exalted is He, said to him: “O Abraham, you are a man whose supplications are answered, so do not supplicate against My servants. For I deal with My servant in one of three ways: either he repents and I accept his repentance; or I bring forth from him a soul that worships Me; or he is returned to Me, and if I will, I pardon him, and if I will, I punish him.” Another narration states: “Or he turns away, for Hell lies before him.” (1)

Qatadah said: The dominion of the heavens consists of the sun, the moon, and the stars; and the dominion of the earth consists of the mountains, trees, and seas. “So that he might be among those possessing certainty” is coordinated according to the meaning; that is: We showed him the dominion of the heavens and the earth so that he might infer thereby and be among those possessing certainty.

“Then, when night covered him, he saw a star”—the verse. The exegetes said: Abraham, peace be upon him, was born in the time of Nimrod son of Canaan. Nimrod was the first to place a crown upon his head and call people to worship him. He had soothsayers and astrologers, who said to him: “This year, a boy will be born in your land who will change the religion of the people of the earth, and at whose hands your destruction and the end of your kingdom will come.” It is said that they found this in the scriptures of the prophets, peace be upon them.

Al-Suddi said: Nimrod saw in a dream that a star rose and took away the light of the sun and moon until no light remained for either of them. He was greatly alarmed by this, so he summoned the magicians and soothsayers and asked them about it. They said: “It is a child who will be born in your region this year, at whose hands you, your kingdom, and your household will perish.” They said: So he ordered that every boy born in his region that year be slaughtered. He also ordered that men be kept apart from women, and appointed one man over every ten men. Whenever a woman menstruated, he allowed her to be with her husband, since they did not have intercourse during menstruation; but once she had purified herself, he kept them apart. Azar then returned and found that his wife had purified herself from menstruation, so he had intercourse with her, and she conceived Abraham, peace be upon him. (2)

Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: Nimrod sent for every pregnant woman in a village and detained her, except for Abraham’s mother, peace be upon him. He was unaware of her pregnancy because she was a young girl, and the pregnancy in her womb was not apparent.

Al-Suddi said: Nimrod took the men out to an encampment and kept them away from the women, fearing that child would—

(1) Al-Suyuti states in Al-Durr al-Manthur, 3/302: “It was reported by Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn Abi Hatim on the authority of Shahr ibn Hawshab.” Shahr was truthful but frequently mistaken. (2) See: Al-Durr al-Manthur, 3/304. We reiterate here that the details presented by the author (may Allah have mercy on him) are not supported by any authentic text that must be accepted, nor does understanding the verses depend on these reports and narrations.

مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَبْصَرَ رَجُلًا عَلَى فَاحِشَةٍ فَدَعَا عَلَيْهِ فَهَلَكَ، ثُمَّ أَبْصَرَ آخَرَ فَدَعَا عَلَيْهِ فَهَلَكَ، ثُمَّ أَبْصَرَ آخَرَ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّبُّ ﷿: "يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ إِنَّكَ رَجُلٌ مُسْتَجَابُ الدَّعْوَةِ، فَلَا تَدْعُوَنَّ عَلَى عِبَادِي فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا مِنْ عَبْدِي عَلَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ إِمَّا أَنْ يَتُوبَ فَأَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ أُخْرِجَ مِنْهُ نَسَمَةً تَعْبُدُنِي، وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُبْعَثَ إِلَيَّ فَإِنْ شِئْتُ عَفَوْتُ عَنْهُ، وَإِنْ شِئْتُ عَاقَبْتُهُ" وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: "وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَتَوَلَّى فَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ" (١) . وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: مَلَكُوتُ السَّمَوَاتِ: الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ، وَمَلَكُوتُ الْأَرْضِ الْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالْبِحَارُ. ﴿وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ﴾ عَطْفٌ عَلَى الْمَعْنَى، وَمَعْنَاهُ: نُرِيهِ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، لِيَسْتَدِلَّ بِهِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ. ﴿فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَبًا﴾ الْآيَةَ، قَالَ أَهْلُ التَّفْسِيرِ: وُلِدَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ﵇ فِي زَمَنِ نُمْرُودَ بْنِ كَنْعَانَ، وَكَانَ نُمْرُودُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ وَضَعَ التَّاجَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَدَعَا النَّاسَ إِلَى عِبَادَتِهِ، وَكَانَ لَهُ كُهَّانٌ وَمُنَجِّمُونَ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ: إِنَّهُ يُولَدُ فِي بَلَدِكَ هَذِهِ السَّنَةَ غُلَامٌ يُغَيِّرُ دِينَ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ وَيَكُونُ هَلَاكُكَ وَزَوَالُ مُلْكِكَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُمْ وَجَدُوا ذَلِكَ فِي كُتُبِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ ﵈. وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: رَأَى نُمْرُودُ فِي مَنَامِهِ كَأَنَّ كَوْكَبًا طَلَعَ فَذَهَبَ بِضَوْءِ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ حَتَّى لَمْ يَبْقَ لَهُمَا ضَوْءٌ، فَفَزِعَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَزَعًا شَدِيدًا، فَدَعَا السَّحَرَةَ وَالْكَهَنَةَ فَسَأَلَهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالُوا: هُوَ مَوْلُودٌ يُولَدُ فِي نَاحِيَتِكَ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ، فَيَكُونُ هَلَاكُكَ وَهَلَاكُ مُلْكِكَ وَأَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، قَالُوا: فَأَمَرَ بِذَبْحِ كُلِّ غُلَامٍ يُولَدُ فِي نَاحِيَتِهِ فِي تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ، وَأَمَرَ بِعَزْلِ الرِّجَالِ عَنِ النِّسَاءِ، وَجَعَلَ عَلَى كُلِّ عَشَرَةِ رِجَالٍ رَجُلًا فَإِذَا حَاضَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ خَلَّى بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ زَوْجِهَا، لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لَا يُجَامِعُونَ فِي الْحَيْضِ، فَإِذَا طَهُرَتْ حَالَ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَرَجَعَ آزَرُ فَوَجَدَ امْرَأَتَهُ قَدْ طَهُرَتْ مِنَ الْحَيْضِ فَوَاقَعَهَا، فَحَمَلَتْ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇ (٢) . وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: بَعَثَ نُمْرُودُ إِلَى كُلِّ امْرَأَةٍ حُبْلَى بِقَرْيَةٍ، فَحَبَسَهَا عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ أُمِّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇، فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِحَبَلِهَا لِأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ جَارِيَةً حَدِيثَةَ السِّنِّ، لَمْ يُعْرَفِ الْحَبَلُ فِي بَطْنِهَا. وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: خَرَجَ نُمْرُودُ بِالرِّجَالِ إِلَى مُعَسْكَرٍ وَنَحَّاهُمْ عَنِ النِّسَاءِ تَخَوُّفًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْمَوْلُودِ أَنْ

(١) قال السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٣ / ٣٠٢ "أخرجه عبد بن حميد وابن أبي حاتم عن شهر بن حوشب. وشهر: صدوق كثير الأوهام. (٢) انظر: الدر المنثور: ٣ / ٣٠٤. ونذكر هنا مرة أخرى: أن هذه التفصيلات التي ساقها المصنف ﵀ لم يرد فيها نص صحيح يجب المصير إليه، ولا يتوقف فهم الآيات على هذه الروايات والأخبار.