Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (327)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(70–71) “O Prophet, tell the captives in your hands: ‘If Allah knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what was taken from you and forgive you. Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. * But if they intend to betray you, they have already betrayed Allah, so He delivered them into your power. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.’”

These verses were revealed concerning the captives taken on the day of Badr. Among them was al-Abbās, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. When ransom was demanded of him, he stated that he had already become Muslim, but they did not waive his ransom. Allah Most High therefore revealed these verses to console him and others in the same situation.

“O Prophet, tell the captives in your hands: ‘If Allah knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what was taken from you’”—that is, better and more abundant wealth (1), which He will facilitate for you from His bounty, than what was taken from you.

“And forgive you” your sins and admit you into Paradise. Allah fulfilled His promise to al-Abbās and others. Thereafter, al-Abbās acquired considerable wealth. On one occasion, when a large amount of wealth was brought to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, al-Abbās came to him. The Prophet instructed him to take in his garment as much as he could carry, so he took an amount he could scarcely bear.

“But if they intend to betray you” by seeking to wage war against you and openly oppose you, “they have already betrayed Allah, so He delivered them into your power.” Let them therefore beware of betraying you, for Allah Most High has power over them, and they are within His grasp. “Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise”—that is, He knows all things and, in His wisdom, places everything in its proper place. Among the manifestations of His knowledge and wisdom are that He prescribed for you these noble and excellent rulings and undertook (2) to deal on your behalf with the captives and ward off their evil should they intend betrayal.

(1) Manuscript B reads: “much.” (2) Manuscript B reads: “and he undertook.”

﴿٧٠ - ٧١﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِمَنْ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ مِنَ الأسْرَى إِنْ يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِمَّا أُخِذَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ * وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا خِيَانَتَكَ فَقَدْ خَانُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَأَمْكَنَ مِنْهُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾ . وهذه نزلت في أسارى يوم بدر، وكان في جملتهم العباس عم رسول الله ﷺ، فلما طلب منه الفداء، ادَّعى أنه مسلم قبل ذلك، فلم يسقطوا عنه الفداء، فأنزل الله تعالى جبرا لخاطره ومن كان على مثل حاله. ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِمَنْ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ مِنَ الأسْرَى إِنْ يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِمَّا أُخِذَ مِنْكُمْ﴾ أي: من المال، بأن ييسر لكم من فضله، خيرا وأكثر (١) مما أخذ منكم. ﴿وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ﴾ ذنوبكم، ويدخلكم الجنة وقد أنجز الله وعده للعباس وغيره، فحصل له - بعد ذلك - من المال شيء كثير، حتى إنه مرة لما قدم على النبي ﷺ مال كثير، أتاه العباس فأمره أن يأخذ منه بثوبه ما يطيق حمله، فأخذ منه ما كاد أن يعجز عن حمله. ﴿وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا خِيَانَتَكَ﴾ في السعي لحربك ومنابذتك، ﴿فَقَدْ خَانُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَأَمْكَنَ مِنْهُمْ﴾ فليحذروا خيانتك، فإنه تعالى قادر عليهم وهم تحت قبضته، ﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾ أي: عليم بكل شيء، حكيم يضع الأشياء مواضعها، ومن علمه وحكمته أن شرع لكم هذه الأحكام الجليلة الجميلة، وأن تكفل (٢) بكفايتكم شأن الأسرى وشرهم إن أرادوا خيانة.

(١) في ب: كثيرا. (٢) في ب: وقد تكفل.