Abdur-Razzaq recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that Allah's statement,
[وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ
نَبَأَ الَّذِى ءاتَيْنَـهُ ءَايَـتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا]
(And recite to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw
them away) "Is about Bal`am bin Ba`ura' a man from the Children of Israel.''
Shu`bah and several other narrators narrated this statement from Mansur who got
it from Ibn Mas`ud. Sa`id bin Abi `Arubah narrated that Qatadah said that Ibn
`Abbas said, "He is Sayfi, son of Ar-Rahib.'' Qatadah commented that Ka`b said,
"He was a man from Al-Balqla' (a province of Jordan) who knew Allah's Greatest
Name. He used to live in Bayt Al-Maqdis with the tyrants.'' Al-`Awfi reported
that Ibn `Abbas said, "He is Bal`am bin Ba`ura', a man from Yemen whom Allah had
given the knowledge of His Ayat, but he abandoned them.'' Malik bin Dinar said,
"He was one of the scholars of the Children of Israel whose supplication was
acceptable. They used to seek his lead in suplication in times of difficulty.
Allah's Prophet Musa sent him to the King of Madyan to call him to Allah. That
king appeased him and gave him land and gifts, and he reverted from the religion
of Musa and followed the king's religion.'' `Imran bin `Uyaynah narrated that
`Husayn said that `Imran bin Al-Harith said that Ibn `Abbas said, "He is Bal`am
son of Ba`ura'.'' Similar was said by Mujahid and `Ikrimah. Therefore, it is
well-known that this honorable Ayah was revealed about a man from the Children
of Israel in ancient times, according to Ibn Mas`ud and several others among the
Salaf. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "He is a man from the
city of the tyrants (Jerusalem) whose name was Bal`am and who knew Allah's
Greatest Name.'' `Ali bin Abi Talhah also reported that Ibn `Abbas that he said,
"When Musa and those with him went to the city of the tyrants (Jerusalem), the
cousins of Bal`am and his people came to him and said, `Musa is a strong man,
and he has many soldiers. If he gains the upper hand over us, we will be
destroyed. Therefore, supplicate to Allah that He prevents Musa and those with
him from prevailing over us.' Bal`am said, `If I supplicate to Allah that He
turns back Musa and those with him, I will lose in this life and the Hereafter.'
They kept luring him until he supplicated against Musa and his people, and Allah
took away what he bestowed on him (of knowledge). Hence Allah's statement,
[فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا
فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَـنُ]
(but he threw them away; so Shaytan followed him up).''' Allah said next,
[وَلَوْ شِئْنَا
لَرَفَعْنَـهُ بِهَا وَلَـكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ
هَوَاهُ]
(And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung
to the earth and followed his own vain desires.) Allah said,
[وَلَوْ شِئْنَا
لَرَفَعْنَـهُ بِهَا]
(And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith) from the
filth of this earthly life through the Ayat that We gave him knowledge of,
[وَلَـكِنَّهُ
أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ]
(but he clung to the earth), he became interested in the adornment of this
life and its delights. He indulged in the lusts of life and its joys and was
deceived by it, just as life deceived others like him, without sound
comprehension or a good mind. Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated from Salim,
from Abu An-Nadr that when Musa entered the land of Bani Canaan in the area of
Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), the people of Bal`am came to him, saying, "This is
Musa, son of `Imran with the Children of Israel. He wants to drive us out from
our land, kill us and replace us with the Children of Israel. We are your people
and have no other dwelling area. You are a person whose supplication is
acceptable (to Allah), so go out and supplicate to Allah against them.'' He
said, "Woe to you! Here is Allah's Prophet (Musa) with whom the angels and
believers are! How can I supplicate against them when I know from Allah what I
know'' They said, "We have no other dwelling area.'' So they kept luring and
begging him until he was tempted by the trial and went on his donkey towards
Mount Husban, which was behind the Israelite military barracks. When he
proceeded on the Mount for a while, the donkey sat down and refused to proceed.
He got off the donkey and struck it until it stood up again and he rode it. The
donkey did the same after a little while, and he struck it again until it stood
up... So he proceeded and tried to supplicate against Musa and his people.
However, Allah made his tongue mention his people with evil and the Children of
Israel with good instead of his people, who protested, "O Bal`am! What are you
doing You are supplicating for them and against us!'' He said, "It is against my
will. This is a matter that Allah has decided.'' He then said to them, as his
tongue was made to loll out of his mouth, "Now I have lost this life and the
Hereafter.'' This Ayah was revealed about the story of Bal`am son of Ba`ura'
[وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ
نَبَأَ الَّذِى ءاتَيْنَـهُ ءَايَـتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا]
(And recite to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw
them away.), until,
[لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ]
(perhaps they may reflect.) Allah said next,
[فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ
الْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث]
(So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you drive him away, he pants, or
if you leave him alone, he (still) pants.) Scholars of Tafsir have conflicting
opinions regarding the meaning of this Ayah. Some scholars said that it refers
to the end of Bal`am's tongue which flickered out of his mouth, as in the story
narrated from Ibn Ishaq, from Salim, from Abu An-Nadr. Therefore, his example is
the example of the dog, its tongue pants regardless of whether it is driven away
or not. It was also said that the meaning here is a parable of this man -- and
his like -- concerning their misguidance, persisting the wrong path and not
being able to benefit from faith or comprehend what they are being called to. So
his example is that of a dog which pants whether it was driven away or left
alone. The person described here does not benefit from the advice or the call to
faith, just as if the advice and call never occurred. Allah said in another
Ayah, k
[سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ
ءَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ]
(It is the same to them (disbelievers) whether you warn them or do not warn
them, they will not believe.)[2:6] and,
[اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ
أَوْ لاَ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن
يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ]
(Whether you ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for
them -- (and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness -- Allah will
not forgive them.) [9:80] and similar Ayat. It was also said that the meaning
here, is that the heart of the disbeliever, the hypocrite and the wicked is weak
and devoid of guidance. Therefore, it keeps faltering. Similar was narrated from
Al-Hasan Al-Basri.
[فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ
لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ]
(So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect) Allah said next to His
Prophet Muhammad ,
[فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ
لَعَلَّهُمْ]
(So relate the stories, perhaps they may) the Children of Israel, who have
knowledge ot the story of Bal`am and what happened to him when Allah allowed him
to stray and expelled him from His mercy. Allah favored him by teaching him His
Greatest Name, by which, if He is asked, He will grant, and if He is called
upon, He answers. But Bal`am used it in disobedience to Allah and invoked Him
against His own party of the people of faith, followers of His servant and
Messenger during that time, Musa, the son of `Imran, peace be upon him, whom
Allah spoke to directly,
[لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ]
(perhaps they may reflect.) and avoid Bal`am's behavior, for Allah has given
the Jews knowledge and made them superior to the bedouins surrounding them. He
gave them the description of Muhammad which would allow them to recognize him,
as they recognize their own children. They, among people, have the most right to
follow, aid and support Muhammad , in obedience to their Prophets who informed
them of him and commanded them to follow him. Therefore, whoever among them
defies the knowledge in their Books or hides it from the servants, Allah will
place disgrace on him in this life, followed by humiliation in the Hereafter.
Allah said,
[سَآءَ مَثَلاً
الْقَوْمُ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِنَا]
(Evil is the parable of the people who rejected Our Ayat.) Allah says, evil
is the example of the people who deny Our Ayat in that they are equated with
dogs that have no interest but to collect food and satisfy lusts.' Therefore,
whoever goes out of the area of knowledge and guidance, and seeks satisfaction
for his lusts and vain desires, is just like a dog; what an evil example. The
Sahih recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,
«لَيْسَ لَنَا مَثَلُ
السَّوْءِ، الْعَائِدُ فِي هِبَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِه»
(The evil example is not suitable for us: he who goes back on his gift is
just like the dog that eats its vomit.) Allah's statement,
[وَأَنفُسَهُمْ
كَانُواْ يَظْلِمُونَ]
(and they used to wrong themselves.) means, Allah did not wrong them, but
they wronged themselves by rejecting guidance, not obeying the Lord, being
content with this life that will soon end, all the while seeking to fulfill
desires and obey lusts.
[مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ
فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِى وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ ]
(178. Whomsoever Allah guides, he is the guided one, and whomsoever He sends
astray, -- then those! They are the losers.) Allah says, whomever He leads
aright, then none can lead him to misguidance, and whomever He leads astray,
will have acquired failure, loss and sure misguidance. Verily, whatever Allah
wills occurs; and whatever He does not will, does not occur. A Hadith narrated
from `Abdullah bin Mas`ud reads,
«إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ
للهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَهْدِيهِ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ
بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِ
اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ
أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ
مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُه»
(All praise is due to Allah, Whom we praise and seek help, guidance and
forgiveness from. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils within ourselves and
from the burden of our evil deeds. He whom Allah guides, will never be misled;
and he whom He misguides, will never have one who will guide him. I bear witness
that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah without partners and that
Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.) The complete Hadith was collected by
Imam Ahmad and the collectors of Sunan and others.
[وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا
لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لاَّ يَفْقَهُونَ
بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لاَّ يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌ لاَّ
يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَآ أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ
الْغَـفِلُونَ ]
(179. And surely, We have created many of the Jinn and mankind for Hell. They
have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see
not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like
cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.)
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