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alladhīna yūfūna bi-ʿahdi llāhi wa-lā yanquḍūna l-mīthāqa
—those who fulfill Allah’s covenant and do not break the pledge solemnly made,
— Ali Quli Qarai
13Ar-RaʿdالرعدVerse 20 of 43
The Thunder13. Ar-Raʿdالرعد
Al Ra‘d
The Thunder
MedinanVerse 20 of 43
Surah Ar-Ra‘d – Verse 20
20. “Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break the pledge.”
The Arabic phrase /‘ahdillah/ includes both the innate and inherent promises such as ‘love unto the Truth and justice’, and rational promises like the comprehension of the facts of the world of existence including the issues of ‘the origin and the end’. They also refer to both the religious promises such as practicing all the required acts and rituals and abstention from all that is prohibited, and the commitments of promises which men keep with regard to one another and Allah has made their observation required.
According to the statements of some commentators,8 one of the most important Divine covenants is the Imamate, ‘leadership’, of the celestial leaders. After that Hadrat ‘Ibrahim (as) attained accession to the position of Imamate following numerous tests and trials, he requested Allah to enable his progeny to achieve that rank. Instead of saying that the position of Imamate would not be bestowed on the cruel people, and to clarify the importance of this position, He said:
which itself is an evidence for the importance of the position and magnitude of Imamate. Incidentally, the Arabic term /mi aq/ ‘testament’ refers to what is the source of confidence between one’s heart and that thing. As the existence of a Divine leader provides comfort for men’s heart and soul, therefore, this matter has been regarded as one of the examples of ‘testament’. Anyway, keeping one’s promise, like respect for one’s parents, and returning of the deposits, is not confined to the Islamic jurisprudence. On the other hand, it is included in human rights as well. Thus every wise and rational man must observe it.
In conclusion, religious testament is the kind of the commitment which the Prophet (S) has secured from the believing people so as to obey him and abstain from committing sins and overlooking the religious commandments and prohibitions. Incidentally the reason why the term ‘testament’ or ‘pledge’ is repeated after the word ‘covenant’ is that none imagines that the objective is only the Divine promise and that of the people for all the commandments and the prohibitions are included in the meaning of ‘covenant’.
It is for this reason that He informs us that the testament and covenant of the Prophet (S) and the people is as vigorously to be observed as that of Allah (s.w.t.) and the people. The verse says:
“Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break the pledge.”
Some commentators, however, believe that the aim of this repetition is merely emphasis.
Footnotes