Covenant (of Allah)

ٱلَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهۡدَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مِيثَٰقِهِۦ وَيَقۡطَعُونَ مَآ أَمَرَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦٓ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفۡسِدُونَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرُونَ ٢٧

Those who break Allah’s Covenant after ratifying it, and sever what Allah has ordered to be joined, and do mischief on earth, it is they who are the losers.

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah Verse 27

• Narrated Ubayy bin Ka’b that the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Allah gathered all human beings, divided them into different groups, granted them human form and the faculty of speech, made them enter into a covenant, and then making them witness against themselves He asked them: “Am I not your Lord?” They replied: “Assuredly. You are our Lord” Then Allah told them “I call upon the sky and the earth to be witness against you lest you should say on the Day of Judgement that you were ignorant of this. Know well that no other than Me deserve to be worshipped and no other than Me is your Lord. So do not ascribe any partner to Me. I shall send you My Messengers who will remind you of this covenant you made with Me. I shall send down to you My Books’ In reply all said: “We witness that you are our Lord and our Deity. We have no Lord or Deity other than You”’

The covenant was broken when the disbeliever denied what was proven to them to be authentic and rejected Allah’s Prophets and Books

• ‘what Allah has ordered to be joined’ – Qatadah asserted that this is in reference to keeping the relations with the relatives. However, it has been said by others that the meaning is more general. Hence, everything that Allah has commanded to nurture, and the people severed, is included in its meaning. Those who do mischief on earth are, therefore, held to be transgressors that strike their blows at those very relationships upon which the individual and collective well-being of mankind depends. By extension, this has also been held to mean forbidding the establishment of all forms of human relationship except the right and permissible ones. For wrong and prohibited bonds between people have the same consequence as the disruption of the legal bonds of human relationship
• ‘It is they who are the losers’ – meaning, In the Hereafter they are the losers. Ibn Abbas said: “Every characteristic that Allah describes those other than the people of Islam – such as being losers – then it refers to disbelief. However, when they are attributed to the people of Islam, then these terms refer to sin”. Ibn Jarir commented, “Losers is plural for loser, this word refers to whoever decreased his own share of Allah’s Mercy by disobeying Him, just as the merchant loses in his trade by sustaining capital loss. Such is the case with the hypocrites and the disbeliever who lose their share of the mercy that Allah has in store for His servants on the Day of Resurrection. And that is when the disbeliever and the hypocrite most desperately need Allah’s mercy”

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشۡتَرُونَ بِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ وَأَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ ثَمَنٗا قَلِيلًا أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَا خَلَٰقَ لَهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا يَنظُرُ إِلَيۡهِمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمۡ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ ٧٧

Verily, those who purchase a small gain at the cost of Allah’s Covenant and their oaths, they shall have no portion in the Hereafter (Paradise). Neither will Allah speak to them nor look at them on the Day of Resurrection nor will He purify them, and they shall have a painful torment.

Surah 3 Al-Imran Verse 77

• Narrated Abu Dhar that the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘There are three persons whom Allah will not speak to, look at, on the Day of Resurrection or purify, and they shall taste a painful torment’. I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Who are they; may they gain failure and loss?” He said, repeating this statement thrice, ‘The Musbil (man whose clothes reach below the ankles), he who swears while lying so as to sell his merchandize and the one who gives charity and reminds people of it’
• Narrated Adi bin Amirah Al-Kindi that the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Whoever swears while lying to acquire the property of others, will meet Allah while He is angry with Him’

وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّ‍ۧنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيۡتُكُم مِّن كِتَٰبٖ وَحِكۡمَةٖ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُولٞ مُّصَدِّقٞ لِّمَا مَعَكُمۡ لَتُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥۚ قَالَ ءَأَقۡرَرۡتُمۡ وَأَخَذۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمۡ إِصۡرِيۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَقۡرَرۡنَاۚ قَالَ فَٱشۡهَدُواْ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّٰهِدِينَ ٨١

And (remember) when Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: “Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allah), and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad, pbuh) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him”. Allah said: “Do you agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I conclude with you)?” They said: “We agree”. He said: “Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for this)”.

Surah 3 Al-Imran Verse 81

• Allah states that He took a pledge from every Prophet whom He sent from Adam until Isa, that when Allah gives them the Book and the Hikmah, thus acquiring whatever high grades they deserve, then a Messenger would come afterwards, they would believe in and support him. Even though Allah has given the Prophets the knowledge and the prophethood, this fact should not make them refrain from following and supporting the Prophet who comes after them. Ali bin Abi Talib and his cousin Abdullah bin Abbas said, “Allah never sent a Prophet but after taking his pledge that if Muhammad were sent in his lifetime, he would believe in and support him.”.

وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَمِيثَٰقَهُ ٱلَّذِي وَاثَقَكُم بِهِۦٓ إِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ سَمِعۡنَا وَأَطَعۡنَاۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ٧

And remember Allah’s favour to you and His Covenant with which He bound you when you said: ‘We hear and we obey’. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Knower of that which is in the breasts.

Surah 5 Al-Maidah Verse 7

• Favour, mentioned here, denotes illuminating the Straight Way, and entrusting to the believers the task of guidance and leadership of the whole world
• ‘We hear and we obey’ – This is the pledge that believers used to give to the Messenger (pbuh) when they embraced Islam. They used to say, “We gave our pledge of obedience to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to hear and obey, in times when we are active and otherwise, even if we were passed on for rights, and not to dispute leadership with its rightful people”

ٱلَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَنقُضُونَ ٱلۡمِيثَٰقَ ٢٠ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَآ أَمَرَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦٓ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيَخۡشَوۡنَ رَبَّهُمۡ وَيَخَافُونَ سُوٓءَ ٱلۡحِسَابِ ٢١ وَٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُواْ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ وَجۡهِ رَبِّهِمۡ وَأَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنفَقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقۡنَٰهُمۡ سِرّٗا وَعَلَانِيَةٗ وَيَدۡرَءُونَ بِٱلۡحَسَنَةِ ٱلسَّيِّئَةَ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمۡ عُقۡبَى ٱلدَّارِ ٢٢

Those who fulfil the covenant of Allah and break not the Mithaq (bond, treaty, trust). And those who join that which Allah has commanded to be joined and fear their Lord and dread the terrible reckoning. And those who remain patient, seeking their Lord’s countenance, perform As-Salat, and spend out of that which We have bestowed on them, secretly and openly, and repel evil with good, for such there is a good end.

Surah 13 Ar-Ra’d Verses 20-22

• There is a verse in the Quran that describes the purpose of the primordial covenant:

وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمۡ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمۡ وَأَشۡهَدَهُمۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ أَلَسۡتُ بِرَبِّكُمۡۖ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ شَهِدۡنَآۚ أَن تَقُولُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنۡ هَٰذَا غَٰفِلِينَ ١٧٢

أَوۡ تَقُولُوٓاْ إِنَّمَآ أَشۡرَكَ ءَابَآؤُنَا مِن قَبۡلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةٗ مِّنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡۖ أَفَتُهۡلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلۡمُبۡطِلُونَ ١٧٣

And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying): ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes! We testify’, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection ‘Verily we have been unaware of this’, or lest you should say ‘It was only our fathers aforetime who took others as partners in worship along with Allah, and we were (merely their) descendants after them; will You then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Batil?’

Surah 7 Al-A’raf Verses 172-173

In other words, this primordial covenant has been mentioned as the reason for the inherent awareness in every single person that Allah is the only Lord and Deity. Thus, none can totally absolve himself or his responsibility on the plea that he was altogether ignorant, or transfer the blame for his error to the corrupt environment in which he was brought up.

• This covenant, though taken a long time ago, it is argued, has been made fully in man’s conscious memory and that doubtlessly been preserved in man’s sub-conscious mind. Throughout the ages man has always positively responded to ‘Reminders’ (Prophets, Books). This is a testimony to the fact that the covenant is embodied in a knowledge which has always been recognised by man’s soul.
• ‘joining’ refers to all social and cultural relationships between human beings especially bonds of kinship
• ‘repel evil with good’ – the conduct of the believers has been aptly portrayed in the following saying of the Prophet (pbuh) : ‘Do not follow the ways of others, saying: “If others do good, we will also do good to them; but if others wrong us, we will also wrong them” Discipline yourself to a principle: If people do good to you, do good to them; and if they mistreat you, (still) refrain from being unjust’
• Of similar import is the tradition in which the Prophet (pbuh) mentions that his Lord had enjoined nine commands. Four of those commands are: ‘that I should speak with justice in anger and happiness; that I should render the right of him who deprives me; that I should give him who denies me; that I should forgive him who wrongs me’ [tradition not traceable in major collection of authentic traditions]. Another tradition expresses the same idea in another saying of the Prophet (pbuh): ‘do not betray him who betrays you’. Umar has also said something to the same effect “The best way to punish someone who has not behaved towards you in a Allah-fearing manner is that you behave with him in a Allah-fearing way”

وَٱلَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهۡدَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مِيثَٰقِهِۦ وَيَقۡطَعُونَ مَآ أَمَرَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦٓ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفۡسِدُونَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّعۡنَةُ وَلَهُمۡ سُوٓءُ ٱلدَّارِ ٢٥

And those who break the covenant of Allah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allah has commanded to be joined (bonds of kinship), and work mischief in the land, on them is the curse, and for them is the unhappy home (Hell).

Surah 13 Ar-Ra’d Verse 25

وَأَوۡفُواْ بِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا عَٰهَدتُّمۡ وَلَا تَنقُضُواْ ٱلۡأَيۡمَٰنَ بَعۡدَ تَوۡكِيدِهَا وَقَدۡ جَعَلۡتُمُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ كَفِيلًاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَفۡعَلُونَ ٩١

And fulfil the covenant of Allah when you have covenanted and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them – and indeed you have appointed Allah your surety. Verily, Allah knows what you do.

Surah 16 An-Nahl Verse 91

• This verse brings to light three kinds of covenants:

1. The one made by man to Allah
2. The one which has been reinforced by invoking Allah’s name
3. Agreements made with others without invoking Allah’s name

Though the last is less important than the other two, it is imperative that the obligations incurred by all of the covenants be fulfilled

وَلَا تَشۡتَرُواْ بِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ ثَمَنٗا قَلِيلًاۚ إِنَّمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيۡرٞ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ ٩٥

And purchase not a small gain at the cost of Allah’s Covenant. Verily! What is with Allah is better for you if you did but know.

Surah 16 An-Nahl Verse 95

وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ مَالَ ٱلۡيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحۡسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ أَشُدَّهُۥۚ وَأَوۡفُواْ بِٱلۡعَهۡدِۖ إِنَّ ٱلۡعَهۡدَ كَانَ مَسۡ‍ُٔولٗا ٣٤

And come not near to the orphan’s property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength. And fulfil (every) covenant. Verily! the covenant, will be questioned about.

Surah 17 Al-Isra Verse 34

وَأُزۡلِفَتِ ٱلۡجَنَّةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ غَيۡرَ بَعِيدٍ ٣١ هَٰذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٖ ٣٢ مَّنۡ خَشِيَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنَ بِٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَجَآءَ بِقَلۡبٖ مُّنِيبٍ ٣٣

And Paradise will be brought near to the Muttaqun not far off. (It will be said): ‘This is what you were promised – (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah; Who feared the Most Gracious (Allah) in the Ghaib (unseen) and came with a heart turned in repentance’.

Surah 50 Qaf Verse 31-33

• ‘in the Ghaib’ – who feared Allah in secret when only Allah the Exalted and Most Honoured could see him. The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘And a man who remembered Allah the Exalted while alone, and his eyes become tearful’

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