❖ Correct Tafsir of the Verse ﴿فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًا﴾ – Explanation in Light of Tafasir
Source: Ahkam wa Masail – Tafsir ka Bayan, Vol. 1, Page: 481
❀ The Question
Regarding the verse:
﴿إِذۡ عُرِضَ عَلَيۡهِ بِٱلۡعَشِيِّ ٱلصَّٰفِنَٰتُ ٱلۡجِيَادُ- فَقَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَحۡبَبۡتُ حُبَّ ٱلۡخَيۡرِ عَن ذِكۡرِ رَبِّي حَتَّىٰ تَوَارَتۡ بِٱلۡحِجَابِ- رُدُّوهَا عَلَيَّۖ فَطَفِقَ مَسۡحَۢا بِٱلسُّوقِ وَٱلۡأَعۡنَاقِ﴾
(Surah Sad, 31–33)
Translation:
“When in the evening, the fine, swift horses were presented before him,
He said: ‘Indeed, I preferred the love of good (horses) over the remembrance of my Lord, until they disappeared from sight behind the veil.
Bring them back to me.’ Then he began wiping over their shanks and their necks.”
The question is: In light of the differences among scholars regarding these verses, what is the correct tafsir according to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the context?
❀ Answer
Alhamdulillah, was-salatu was-salamu ‘ala Rasoolillah, amma ba‘d!
You have asked about the sound tafsir of the verse:
﴿فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًا بِالسُّوْقِ وَالْأَعْنَاقِ﴾
Below is the clarification:
❀ Encouragement to Study Tafasir
For further clarity on this passage, you are strongly encouraged to study the following tafasir:
✿ Tafsir Ibn Kathir
✿ Tafsir Fath al-Qadir
✿ Tafsir Ruh al-Ma‘ani
These works will, in shaa Allah, clear away any confusions.
❀ Critique of Imam Razi’s Statement
In Ruh al-Ma‘ani, the statement of Imam Razi regarding this verse is cited, and then a detailed scholarly rebuttal is presented.
The author of Ruh al-Ma‘ani explains clearly that:
❀ Tafsir Reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
The tafsir narrated from the Prophet ﷺ is:
«قَطَعَ سُوْقَهَا وَأَعْنَاقَهَا بِالسَّيْفِ»
“He struck their shanks and necks with the sword.”
In this tafsir, there is no valid objection or difficulty whatsoever.
Therefore, this tafsir may be accepted without hesitation, as it is reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and it leaves no scholarly ambiguity.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I hold, and Allah knows best what is correct.)
