What follows is a collection of small benefits found in the books of tafsir that were originally published on the Tulayhah social media channels during the second half of July, August and September 2020:
♦ The House in Which Allah’s Book is Recited
Ibn Abi Shaybah dedicated one chapter of his Musannaf to “Houses in which the Qur’an is Recited.” He concluded the chapter with the following narration:
ـ 29440 حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ ، قَالَ : كَانَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ : الْبَيْتُ إِذَا تُلِيَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ اتَّسَعَ بِأَهْلِهِ ، وَكَثُرَ خَيْرُهُ ، وَحَضَرَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ، وَخَرَجَتْ مِنْهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ ، وَالْبَيْتُ الَّذِي لَمْ يُتْلَ فِيهِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ ، ضَاقَ بِأَهْلِهِ ، وَقَلَّ خَيْرُهُ ، عَنْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ، وَحَضَرَهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ
… Abu Hurayrah used to say: The house in which Allah’s Book is recited becomes spacious for its inhabitants and its good increases. The angels come to it, and the shayateen leave it. But the house in which Allah’s Book is not recited becomes becomes constricting for its inhabitants and its good is scarce. The angels avoid it, and the shayaateen come to it.
[Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah #29440]
♦ Broken Agreements
Allah addresses Banu Israa’eel in surah al-Baqarah by saying:
ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ هَٰؤُلَاءِ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتُخْرِجُونَ فَرِيقًا مِّنكُم مِّن دِيَارِهِمْ تَظَاهَرُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَإِن يَأْتُوكُمْ أُسَارَىٰ تُفَادُوهُمْ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِخْرَاجُهُمْ ۚ أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ
Then it was you who killed yourselves and expelled a group of you from their homes, working together in sin and aggression against them. But if they came to you as captives, you ransomed them, when it was forbidden for you to expel them! Do you believe in some of the Scripture and disbelieve in other parts? [2:85]
Imam al-Baghawi commented on this by writing:
فكأن الله تعالى أخذ عليهم أربعة عهود: ترك القتال، وترك الإخراج، وترك المظاهرة عليهم مع أعدائهم، وفداء أسراهم، فأعرضوا عن الكل إلا الفداء.ـ
It is as if Allah took four covenants from them: 1) to leave off fighting one another, 2) to leave off expelling one another, 3) to leave off working with their enemies to overpower one another, and 4) to pay the ransom for those who become prisoners of war. However the turned away from all of these agreements except for paying the ransoms.
[Tafsir al-Baghawi 1/118]