Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/205)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

straight and upright. “So follow it.” Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited “wa-inna” with the initial alif pronounced with kasrah, as an independent clause, while the others recited it with fathah. Al-Farra’ said: Its meaning is: “And recite to them that this is My straight path.” Ibn ‘Amir and Ya‘qub recited it with the nun unvocalized.

“And do not follow other ways”: that is, the divergent paths other than this path, such as Judaism, Christianity, and all other creeds. It was also said that this refers to whims and religious innovations. “Lest they lead you away”: that is, cause you to incline and become scattered, “from His way”—from His path and His religion, which He has approved and enjoined. “This”—that which I have mentioned—“He has enjoined upon you, so that you may become mindful of Allah.”

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Samad al-Turabi, known ⦗126/b⦘ as Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Haytham, informed us; al-Hakim Abu al-Fadl Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Haddadi informed us; Abu Yazid Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Khalid related to us; Abu Ya‘qub Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanzali related to us; ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi related to us, from Hammad ibn Zayd, from ‘Asim ibn Bahdalah, from Abu Wa’il, from ‘Abd Allah, who said:

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, drew a line for us and said: “This is the way of Allah.” Then he drew lines to its right and left and said: “These are paths; at the head of each of these paths is a devil calling people to it.” Then he recited: “And this is My straight path, so follow it,” to the end of the verse. (1)

Regarding His saying: “Then We gave Moses the Book”: If it is asked, “Why did He say, ‘Then We gave,’ when the particle ‘then’ indicates sequence, whereas Moses was given the Book before the coming of the Quran?” It is said: Its meaning is, “Then I inform you that We gave Moses the Book.” Thus, “then” indicates the delayed mention of the report, not a delay in the revelation itself.

“Completing Our favour upon the one who did good”: There is disagreement regarding this. It was said: completing it for the righteous among his people. Thus, “the one who” means “those who”: that is, for those of his people who did good. There were among them both the righteous and the wicked. This is supported by the recitation of Ibn Mas‘ud: “upon those who did good.” Abu ‘Ubaydah said: It means, upon everyone who did good; that is, We completed Moses’ virtue through the Book over the righteous—meaning, We made his merit manifest to them. The righteous are the prophets and the believers.

It was also said that “the one who did good” refers to Moses, and that “the one who” means “that which”: that is, for what Moses had done well. Its sense is: We gave him the Book—the Torah—in completion of the blessing upon him, because of his excellence in obedience and worship, in conveying the message, and in fulfilling the command.

It was also said that excellence here means knowledge, and that “did good” means “knew.” Its meaning is: completing it upon that which Moses knew

(1) Narrated by al-Darimi in al-Muqaddimah, chapter: “The Disapproval of Relying on Personal Opinion,” 1:67; by al-Tabari in his Tafsir, no. 14168; and authenticated by al-Hakim, 2:318, with al-Dhahabi concurring. It was also narrated by al-Ajurri in al-Shari'ah, p. 10; al-Lalaka'i in Sharh Usul I'tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah, 1:80-81; Ibn Abi 'Asim in al-Sunnah, 1:13; and Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 1:435. Al-Haythami said in Majma' al-Zawa'id, 7:22: “It was narrated by Ahmad and al-Bazzar. Its chain includes 'Asim ibn Bahdalah, who is trustworthy, though he has some weakness.” The author also narrated it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 1:196-197. See also Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2:191.

﴿مُسْتَقِيمًا﴾ مُسْتَوِيًا قَوِيمًا، ﴿فَاتَّبِعُوهُ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ "وَإِنَّ" بِكَسْرِ الْأَلِفِ عَلَى الِاسْتِئْنَافِ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ: بِفَتْحِ الْأَلِفِ، قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: وَالْمَعْنَى وَأَتْلُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا. وَقَرَأَ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ وَيَعْقُوبُ: بِسُكُونِ النُّونِ. ﴿وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ﴾ أَيْ: الطُّرُقَ الْمُخْتَلِفَةَ الَّتِي عَدَا هَذَا الطَّرِيقِ، مِثْلَ الْيَهُودِيَّةِ وَالنَّصْرَانِيَّةِ وَسَائِرِ الْمِلَلِ، وَقِيلَ: الْأَهْوَاءُ وَالْبِدَعُ، ﴿فَتَفَرَّقَ﴾ فَتَمِيلَ، ﴿بِكُمْ﴾ وَتَشَتَّتَ، ﴿عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ﴾ عَنْ طَرِيقِهِ وَدِينِهِ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى، وَبِهِ أَوْصَى، ﴿ذَلِكُمْ﴾ الَّذِي ذَكَرْتُ، ﴿وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ الترابي المعروف ١٢٦/ب بِأَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ أَبِي الْهَيْثَمِ أَنَا الْحَاكِمُ أَبُو الْفَضْلِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الْحَدَّادِيُّ ثَنَا أَبُو يَزِيدَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدٍ ثَنَا أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ ثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ بَهْدَلَةَ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: خَطَّ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَطًّا ثُمَّ قَالَ: "هَذَا سَبِيلُ اللَّهِ، ثُمَّ خَطَّ خُطُوطًا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَعَنْ شِمَالِهِ، وَقَالَ: هَذِهِ سُبُلٌ عَلَى كُلِّ سَبِيلٍ مِنْهَا شَيْطَانٌ يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ" ثُمَّ قَرَأَ" "وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ" الْآيَةَ. (١) قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿ثُمَّ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ﴾ فَإِنْ قِيلَ: لِمَ قَالَ: "ثُمَّ آتَيْنَا" وَحَرْفُ "ثُمَّ" لِلتَّعْقِيبِ وَإِيتَاءُ مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ كَانَ قَبْلَ مَجِيءِ الْقُرْآنِ؟ قِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ ثُمَّ أُخْبِرُكُمْ أَنَّا آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ، فَدَخَلَ "ثُمَّ" لِتَأْخِيرِ الْخَبَرِ لَا لِتَأْخِيرِ النُّزُولِ. ﴿تَمَامًا عَلَى الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ، قِيلَ: تَمَامًا عَلَى الْمُحْسِنِينَ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ، فَتَكُونُ "الَّذِي" بِمَعْنَى مَنْ، أَيْ: عَلَى مَنْ أَحْسَنَ مَنْ قَوْمِهُ، وَكَانَ بَيْنَهُمْ مُحْسِنٌ وَمُسِيءٌ، يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ قِرَاءَةُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ: "عَلَى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا" وَقَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: مَعْنَاهُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ، أَيْ: أَتْمَمْنَا فَضِيلَةَ مُوسَى بِالْكِتَابِ عَلَى الْمُحْسِنِينَ، يَعْنِي: أَظْهَرْنَا فَضْلَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَالْمُحْسِنُونَ هُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ، وَقِيلَ: "الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ" هُوَ مُوسَى، وَ"الَّذِي" بِمَعْنَى مَا، أَيْ: عَلَى مَا أَحْسَنَ مُوسَى، تَقْدِيرُهُ: آتَيْنَاهُ الْكِتَابَ، يَعْنِي التَّوْرَاةَ، إِتْمَامًا عَلَيْهِ لِلنِّعْمَةِ، لِإِحْسَانِهِ فِي الطَّاعَةِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ، وَتَبْلِيغِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَأَدَاءِ الْأَمْرِ. وَقِيلَ: الْإِحْسَانُ بِمَعْنَى الْعِلْمِ، وَأَحْسَنَ بِمَعْنَى عَلِمَ، وَمَعْنَاهُ: تَمَامًا عَلَى الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ مُوسَى

(١) أخرجه الدارمي في المقدمة، باب كراهية أخذ الرأي: ١ / ٦٧، والطبري في التفسير برقم (١٤١٦٨) ، وصححه الحاكم: ٢ / ٣١٨، ووافقه الذهبي، وأخرجه أيضا الآجري في الشريعة ص (١٠) واللالكائي في شرح أصول اعتقاد أهل السنة: ١ / ٨٠-٨١، وابن أبي عاصم في السنة: ١ / ١٣، والإمام أحمد في المسند ١ / ٤٣٥. قال الهيثمي في المجمع: ٧ / ٢٢: " رواه أحمد والبزار، وفيه عاصم بن بهدلة، وهو ثقة وفيه ضعف " وأخرجه المصنف في شرح السنة: ١ / ١٩٦-١٩٧ وانظر: تفسير ابن كثير: ٢ / ١٩١.