Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/176)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Had Allah willed, they would not have associated others with Him”: that is, had He willed, He would have made them believers. “We have not made you a guardian over them”: a watcher over them. Ata said: “We have not made you a guardian over them to protect them from Me”; that is, you were not sent to shield the polytheists from punishment. Rather, you were sent only to convey the message. “Nor are you a trustee over them.”

Regarding His saying, exalted is He: “Do not insult those whom they invoke besides Allah” [122/b]. Ibn Abbas said: When the verse was revealed, “Indeed, you and what you worship besides Allah are the fuel of Hell” (al-Anbiya, 98), the polytheists said: “Muhammad, you must cease insulting our gods, or we shall revile your Lord.” So Allah, Most High, forbade them from insulting their idols.

Qatada said: The Muslims used to insult the idols of the disbelievers, so Allah, exalted is He, forbade them from doing so, lest they insult Allah, for they were an ignorant people.

Al-Suddi said: When Abu Talib was near death, Quraysh said: “Let us go to this man and ask him to stop his nephew from troubling us, for we would be ashamed to kill him after his death, lest the Arabs say: ‘His uncle used to protect him, but once he died, they killed him.’” So Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith, Umayyah and Ubayy, the sons of Khalaf, Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, Amr ibn al-As, and al-Aswad ibn al-Bukhtari (1) went to Abu Talib and said: “Abu Talib, you are our elder and our chief. Muhammad has harmed us and our gods, and we would like you to summon him and forbid him from mentioning our gods. We will leave him and his god alone.”

So he summoned him and said: “These are your people. They say, ‘We want you to leave us and our gods alone, and we will leave you and your god alone.’ Your people have dealt fairly with you, so accept their offer.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Tell me: if I grant you this, will you give me a statement which, if you utter it, will enable you to rule over the Arabs and make the non-Arabs submit to you?” Abu Jahl said: “Yes, by your father! We shall give it to you, and ten times its like. What is it?” He said: “Say: There is no god worthy of worship except Allah.” But they refused and turned away.

Abu Talib said: “Say something else, my nephew.” He replied: “Uncle, I will not say anything other than it, even if they brought me the sun and placed it in my hand.” They said: “You must cease reviling our gods, or we shall insult you and the One who commands you.” Thereupon Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “Do not insult those whom they invoke besides Allah” (2)—meaning, the idols—“lest they insult Allah in hostility,” that is, through aggression and injustice, “without knowledge.”

Yaqub recited it as “ʿuduwwan,” with a dammah on the ʿayn and dal and a doubled waw. When this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to his Companions: “Do not cause your Lord to be insulted.” The Muslims then refrained from insulting their gods.

Thus, although the apparent wording of the verse prohibits insulting idols, its true import is the prohibition of insulting Allah, since such insult is the result of doing so.

(1) Omitted in manuscript B. (2) Reported by Ibn Abi Hatim from al-Suddi. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 3:338-339; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 255; al-Tirmidhi, 9:99-101, with Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi; Tarikh al-Tabari, 2:323-324; Majma al-Zawaid, 6:15; and Tafsir al-Tabari, 12:34-35.

﴿وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكُوا﴾ أَيْ: لَوْ شَاءَ لَجَعَلَهُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ، ﴿وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا﴾ رَقِيبًا قَالَ عَطَاءٌ: وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِنِّي، أَيْ: لَمْ تُبْعَثْ لِتَحْفَظَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ عَنِ الْعَذَابِ إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتَ مُبَلِّغًا. ﴿وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾ الآية ١٢٢/ب قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ "إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ" (الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، ٩٨) قَالَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَتَنْتَهِينَ عَنْ سَبِّ آلِهَتِنَا أَوْ لَنَهْجُوَنَّ رَبَّكَ، فَنَهَاهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَسُبُّوا أَوْثَانَهُمْ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: كَانَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ يَسُبُّونَ أَصْنَامَ الْكُفَّارِ، فَنَهَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ﷿ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، لِئَلَّا يَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ فَإِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ جَهَلَةٌ. وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: لَمَّا حَضَرَتْ أَبَا طَالِبٍ الْوَفَاةُ قَالَتْ قُرَيْشٌ: انْطَلِقُوا فَلْنَدْخُلْ عَلَى هَذَا الرَّجُلِ فَلْنَأْمُرَنَّهُ أَنْ يَنْهَى عَنَّا ابْنَ أَخِيهِ فَإِنَّا نَسْتَحِي أَنْ نَقْتُلَهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، فَتَقُولُ الْعَرَبُ: كَانَ يَمْنَعُهُ عَمُّهُ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ قَتَلُوهُ. فَانْطَلَقَ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ وَأَبُو جَهْلٍ وَالنَّضْرُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ وَأُمَيَّةُ وَأُبَيُّ ابْنَا خَلَفٍ وَعُقْبَةُ [بْنُ أَبِي مُعَيْطٍ وَعَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ، وَالْأَسْوَدُ بْنُ] (١) الْبَخْتَرِيِّ إِلَى أَبِي طَالِبٍ، فَقَالُوا: يَا أَبَا طَالِبٍ أَنْتَ كَبِيرُنَا وَسَيِّدُنَا وَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا قَدْ آذَانَا وَآلِهَتَنَا، فَنُحِبُّ أَنْ تَدْعُوَهُ فَتَنْهَاهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ آلِهَتِنَا، وَلَنَدَعَنَّهُ وَإِلَهَهَ، فَدَعَاهُ فَقَالَ: هَؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُكَ يَقُولُونَ نُرِيدُ أَنْ تَدَعَنَا وَآلِهَتَنَا وَنَدَعَكَ وَإِلَهَكَ، فَقَدْ أَنْصَفَكَ قَوْمُكَ فَاقْبَلْ مِنْهُمْ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَعْطَيْتُكُمْ هَذَا هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُعْطِيَّ كَلِمَةً إِنْ تَكَلَّمْتُمْ بِهَا مَلَكْتُمُ الْعَرَبَ وَدَانَتْ لَكُمْ بِهَا الْعَجَمَ؟ " قَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ: نَعَمْ وَأَبِيكَ لَنُعْطِيَنَّكَهَا وَعَشْرَةَ أَمْثَالِهَا، فَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: "قُولُوا لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ" فَأَبَوْا وَنَفَرُوا، فَقَالَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ: قُلْ غَيْرَهَا يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، فَقَالَ: يَا عَمِّ مَا أَنَا بِالَّذِي أَقُولُ غَيْرَهَا وَلَوْ أَتَوْنِي بِالشَّمْسِ فَوَضَعُوهَا فِي يَدِي، فَقَالُوا: لَتَكُفَّنَّ عَنْ شَتْمِكَ آلِهَتَنَا أَوْ لَنَشْتُمَنَّكَ وَلَنَشْتُمَنَّ مَنْ يَأْمُرُكَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿: ﴿وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾ (٢) يَعْنِي الْأَوْثَانَ، ﴿فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا﴾ أَيِ: اعْتِدَاءً وَظُلْمًا، ﴿بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ﴾ وَقَرَأَ يَعْقُوبُ " عُدُوًّا " بِضَمِّ الْعَيْنِ وَالدَّالِ وَتَشْدِيدِ الْوَاوِ، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِأَصْحَابِهِ: "لَا تَسُبُّوا رَبَّكُمْ"، فَأَمْسَكَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَنْ سَبِّ آلِهَتِهِمْ. فَظَاهِرُ الْآيَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ نَهْيًا عَنْ سَبِّ الْأَصْنَامِ، فَحَقِيقَتُهُ النَّهْيُ عَنْ سَبِّ اللَّهِ، لِأَنَّهُ سَبَبٌ لِذَلِكَ.

(١) ساقط من "ب". (٢) أخرجه ابن أبي حاتم عن السدي. انظر: الدر المنثور: ٣ / ٣٣٨-٣٣٩، والواحدي في أسباب النزول ص (٢٥٥) ، وانظر: الترمذي: ٩ / ٩٩-١٠١ مع تحفة الأحوذي، تاريخ الطبري: ٢ / ٣٢٣-٣٢٤، مجمع الزوائد: ٦ / ١٥، تفسير الطبري: ١٢ / ٣٤-٣٥.