VisualDhikr|

Covenant with the Children of Israel

View in graph
event

Covenant with the Children of Israel

مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ

The Covenant with the Children of Israel, known as *Mithaq Bani Isra'il*, represents a profound and solemn agreement Allah made with a prophetic community, a recurring theme in the Quran. This divine pact bound them to fundamental principles of faith and conduct. Allah commanded them to [worship except Allah; and to parents do good and to relatives, orphans, and the needy. And speak to people good [words] and establish prayer and give zakah]. They were also enjoined [not to shed each other's blood or evict one another from your homes], emphasizing social justice and communal harmony. To underscore the gravity of this agreement, Allah even [raised over you the mount] as a powerful witness. This covenant promised immense divine blessings for those who adhered, stating [if you establish prayer and give zakah and believe in My messengers and support them and loan Allah a goodly loan, I will surely remove from you your misdeeds]. However, their deviation and eventual breaking of this sacred trust serve as a poignant reminder for all humanity about the importance of fulfilling divine obligations and the profound consequences of disobedience, profoundly shaping their historical journey and Islamic narratives.

Quran 5 verses

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَٰقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

Wa iz akhaznaa meesaaqakum wa rafa'naa fawqakumut Toora khuzoo maaa aatainaakum biquwwatinw wazkuroo maa feehi la'allakum tattaqoon

And [recall] when We took your covenant, [O Children of Israel, to abide by the Torah] and We raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and remember what is in it that perhaps you may become righteous."

اور جب ہم نے تم سے عہد (کر) لیا اور کوہِ طُور کو تم پر اٹھا کھڑا کیا (اور حکم دیا) کہ جو کتاب ہم نے تم کو دی ہے، اس کو زور سے پکڑے رہو، اور جو اس میں (لکھا) ہے، اسے یاد رکھو، تاکہ (عذاب سے) محفوظ رہو

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: Having received the Torah from Allah, Sayyidna Musa (Moses علیہ السلام) returned from Mount Tur طور (Sinai) and recited it to the Israelites. The injunctions contained in the Book were rather rigorous, but their conduct and habits of mind really called for such strict discipline. To begin with, they...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And mention when We made a covenant with you your pledge to act according to what is in the Torah and We had raised above you the Mount which We uprooted from the earth and placed above you when you refused to accept it sc. the Torah and We said ‘Take forcefully seriously and with effort what We hav...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Taking the Covenant from the Jews Allah reminded the Children of Israel of the pledges, covenants and promises that He took from them to believe in Him alone, without a partner, and follow His Messengers. Allah stated that when He took their pledge from them, He raised the mountain above their heads...

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَقُولُوا۟ لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنكُمْ وَأَنتُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

Wa iz akhaznaa meesaaqa Baneee Israaa'eela laa ta'budoona illal laaha wa bil waalidaini ihsaananw wa zil qurbaa walyataamaa walmasaakeeni wa qooloo linnaasi husnanw wa aqeemus salaata wa aatuzZakaata summa tawallitum illaa qaleelam minkum wa antum mu'ridoon

And [recall] when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, [enjoining upon them], "Do not worship except Allah; and to parents do good and to relatives, orphans, and the needy. And speak to people good [words] and establish prayer and give zakah." Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you were refusing.

اور جب ہم نے بنی اسرائیل سے عہد لیا کہ خدا کے سوا کسی کی عبادت نہ کرنا اور ماں باپ اور رشتہ داروں اور یتیموں اور محتاجوں کے ساتھ بھلائی کرتے رہنا اور لوگوں سے اچھی باتیں کہنا، اور نماز پڑھتے اور زکوٰة دیتے رہنا، تو چند شخصوں کے سوا تم سب (اس عہد سے) منہ پھیر کر پھر بیٹھے

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: This verse speaks of the pledge which Allah had made the Israelites take, and the few people it refers to as having been true to the pledge were those who acted upon the Shari'ah of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) (Moses) as long as it was in force, and when it was abrogated, followed the Shari` ah of S...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And mention when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel in the Torah where We said ‘You shall not worship a variant reading for lā ta‘budūna has third person plural lā ya‘budūn ‘they shall not worship’ any other than God lā ta‘budūna illā Llāha is a predicate denoting a prohibition; one may ...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Covenant that Allah took from the Children of Israel Allah reminded the Children of Israel of the commandments that He gave them, and the covenants that He took from them to abide by those commands, and how they intentionally and knowingly turned away from all of that. Allah commanded them to wo...

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَٰقَكُمْ لَا تَسْفِكُونَ دِمَآءَكُمْ وَلَا تُخْرِجُونَ أَنفُسَكُم مِّن دِيَٰرِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ

Wa iz akhaznaa meesaa qakum laa tasfikoona dimaaa'akum wa laa tukrijoona anfusakum min diyaarikum summa aqrartum wa antum tashhadoon

And [recall] when We took your covenant, [saying], "Do not shed each other's blood or evict one another from your homes." Then you acknowledged [this] while you were witnessing.

اور جب ہم نے تم سے عہد لیا کہ آپس میں کشت وخون نہ کرنا اور اپنے کو ان کے وطن سے نہ نکالنا تو تم نے اقرار کر لیا، اور تم (اس بات کے) گواہ ہو

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: This verse is a supplement to the previous verse, and speaks of the other articles of the pledge taken by the Israelites. They had agreed not to kill one another by engaging themselves in an internecine war, and also not to send their men into exile - that is to say, not to harass a man so as to for...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And when We made a covenant with you and We said ‘You shall not shed your own blood spilling it by slaying one another; neither expel your own from your habitations’ let no one of you expel the other from his house; then you confirmed it that is you accepted this covenant and you bore witness upon y...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Terms of the Covenant and their Breach of It Allah criticized the Jews who lived in Al-Madinah during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. They used to suffer, because of the armed conflicts between the tribes of Al-Madinah, Aws and Khazraj. Before Islam, the Aws and Khazraj worshipped idols, a...

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَٰقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ قَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُوا۟ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِهِۦٓ إِيمَٰنُكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Wa iz akhaznaa meesaaqakum wa rafa'naa fawqa kumut Toora khuzoo maaa aatainaakum biquwwatinw wasma'oo qaaloo sami'naa wa 'asainaa wa ushriboo fee quloobihimul 'ijla bikufrihim; qul bi'samaa yaamurukum biheee eemaanukum in kuntum m'mineen

And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and listen." They said [instead], "We hear and disobey." And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf because of their disbelief. Say, "How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you should be believers."

اور جب ہم نے تم (لوگوں) سے عہد واثق لیا اور کوہ طور کو تم پر اٹھا کھڑا کیا (اور حکم دیا کہ) جو (کتاب) ہم نے تم کو دی ہے، اس کو زور سے پکڑو اور جو تمہیں حکم ہوتا ہے (اس کو) سنو تو وہ (جو تمہارے بڑے تھے) کہنے لگے کہ ہم نے سن تو لیا لیکن مانتے نہیں۔ اور ان کے کفر کے سبب بچھڑا (گویا) ان کے دلوں میں رچ گیا تھا۔ (اے پیغمبر ان سے) کہہ دو کہ اگر تم مومن ہو تو تمہارا ایمان تم کو بری بات بتاتا ہے

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: In refuting the claim of the Jews to be authentic and true already referred to in Verse 63. When the Israelites succeeded, with the help of Allah, in escaping from Egypt and crossing the sea, they came upon a people who used to worship idols. They found this cult so attractive that they requested Sa...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: And when We made a covenant with you to act according to what is in the Torah and raised over you the Mount to drop it on you when you had refused to accept it; We said ‘Take forcefully seriously and with effort what We have given you and listen’ to what you have been commanded and be prepared to ac...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): The Jews rebel after Allah took Their Covenant and raised the Mountain above Their Heads Allah reminded the Jews of their errors, breaking His covenant, transgression and defiance, when He raised Mount Tur above them so that they would believe and agree to the terms of the covenant. Yet, they broke ...

وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ ٱثْنَىْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَيْتُمُ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَءَامَنتُم بِرُسُلِى وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ فَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ

Wa laqad akhazal laahu meesaaqa Banee Israaa'eela wa ba'sanaa minhumus ani 'ashara naqeebanw wa qaalal laahu innee ma'akum la'in aqamtumus Salaata wa aataitumuz Zakaata wa aamantum bi Rusulee wa'azzartumoohum wa aqradtumul laaha qardan hasanal la ukaffiranna 'ankum saiyiaatikum wa la udkhilan nakum Jannaatin tajree min tahtihal anhaar; faman kafara ba'da zaalika minkum faqad dalla sawaaa'as Sabeel

And Allah had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We delegated from among them twelve leaders. And Allah said, "I am with you. If you establish prayer and give zakah and believe in My messengers and support them and loan Allah a goodly loan, I will surely remove from you your misdeeds and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. But whoever of you disbelieves after that has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way."

اور خدا نے بنی اسرائیل سے اقرار لیا اور ان میں ہم نے بارہ سردار مقرر کئے پھر خدا نے فرمایا کہ میں تمہارے ساتھ ہوں اگر تم نماز پڑھتے اور زکوٰة دیتے رہو گے اور میرے پیغمبروں پر ایمان لاؤ گے اور ان کی مدد کرو گے اور خدا کو قرض حسنہ دو گے تو میں تم سے تمہارے گناہ دور کر دوں گا اور تم کو بہشتوں میں داخل کروں گا جن کے نیچے نہریں بہہ رہی ہیں پھر جس نے اس کے بعد تم میں سے کفر کیا وہ سیدھے رستے سے بھٹک گیا

Commentary

Ma'arif-ul-Quran: Commentary In the seventh verse of Surah al-Ma'idah which appeared earlier Allah Almighty has asked Muslims to remember the pledge taken from them to which they professed belief and obedience: وَاذْكُرُ‌وا نِعْمَةَ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُم بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَ...
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: God had made a covenant with the Children of Israel for what will be mentioned shortly and We raised up there is a shift of address away from the third to the first person from among them twelve leaders from each tribe one leader to be responsible for his people’s fulfilment of the covenant as a way...
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Cursing the People of the Book for Breaking the Covenant Allah commanded His believing servants to fullfil the promises and pledges that He took from them and which they gave His servant and Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ. Allah also commanded them to stand for the truth and give correct testimony. He also r...

A detailed scholarly analysis for this topic is not yet available. Get in touch to request one.

Related Topics