| Surah Aal Imran, 81-84
"And when Allah made the prophets take pledge: (saying) "If I give you a book and wisdom, then comes to you a messenger verifying what is with you, you shall have to believe in him and you shall have to support him." He said, "Do you affirm and accept my covenant in this respect?" They said, "We affirm." He said, "Then, bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses." [81] Then those who turn back after this they are the sinful [82] Are they, then, seeking a faith other than that of Allah while to Him alone submits whosoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwilling, and to Him they shall be returned? [83] Say, "We believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us and in what was revealed to Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq, Ya'qub and the descendants, and in what has been given to Musa, 'Isa (Jesus) and the prophets, from their Lord: We do not differentiate between any of them. And to Him we submit ourselves."[84] (3:81-84)
Commentary
Three Covenants With Allah Almighty
There are three kinds of pledges Allah Almighty has taken from His servants:
1) One of them has been mentioned in Surah al-A'raf under : alastu bi rabbikum (Am I not your Lord? - 7:172) The purpose of this pledge was to bring round the whole human community to believe in the being of God and in His universal Lordship since the whole edifice of religion rests on this very corner-stone. Unless this belief is there, the lead given by reason and reflection can be of no positive use in the field of religion. Additional details on this subject will, inshallah, appear where due.
2) The second pledge is mentioned in verse 187 of the present Surah in the following words: "And when Allah took pledge from those who were given the Book: "You shall make it known to people, and you shall not conceal it."" (3:18)
This pledge was taken exclusively from the 'ulama' (religious scholars) of the people of the Book asking them not to hide the truth but to state it clearly and openly.
3) The third pledge has been described in the present verse: "And when Allah made the prophets take pledge: (saying) "If I give you a book and wisdom..." (3:81)
The Purpose And Place Of The Pledge
To answer as to where did this third pledge take place, it can be said that it either took place in the spiritual world on a metaphysical plane or in our physical world by means of revelation. Both are probable. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
As for the meaning of Mithaq (pledge) the Holy Qur'an has itself mentioned its contents. However, with regard to the relevant subject of this pledge, sayings differ. Sayyidna 'Ali and Ibn 'Abbas (R.A) say that this was about the Last Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him. It means that Allah Almighty had taken this pledge from all prophets solely in respect of Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him. The pledge was that they should, if they appear in his blessed time, believe in him, give him help and support, and leave behind instructions for their respective communities to do the same.
Ta'wus, Hasan al-Basri and Qatadah say that this pledge was taken from the prophets so that they help and support each other mutually. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
This later statement can also be substantiated from what Allah Almighty has said in Surah al-Ahzab: "And when We took from the prophets their pledge, and from you, and from Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and 'Isa son of Maryam - and We took from them a firm pledge." (33:7)
This is because the pledge was taken in order that they support and attest each other. (Tafsir Ahmadi)
In reality, there is no contradiction in the two explanations cited above, therefore, both can be brought to bear on the meaning. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
There may be a doubt here. One may say that Allah Almighty is All-Knowing and All-Aware. He certainly knows that Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him, will not be appearing in this world during the presence of any prophet. If so, asking prophets to believe in him seems to be of no use. But, a little deliberation would bring its usefulness into clear focus. One will realize that the moment they declare a firm intention to believe, as commanded by Allah Almighty, in the prophethood of Sayyidria Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him, the paradigm of most sublime attributes, it will be right from that point of time that they will become entitled to Divine blessings. (Sawi vide Jalalayn)
The Final And Universal Prophethood
In verse 81 beginning with the words: (And when Allah made the prophets take pledge:), it has been clearly stated that Allah Almighty took a firm pledge from all prophets, which was: When, during your lifetime there comes another prophet - who will certainly reaffirm the message of past prophets and their books - then, it is necessary for the prophet who is present at that time that he not only believes personally in the veracity and prophethood of the new prophet but also instructs others to do so. From this absolute rule set by the Qur'an, it becomes very clear that Allah Almighty must have taken a pledge from the prophets about Sayyidna Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him as well, quite similar to what 'Allamah al-Subki has stated in his treatise entitled . He says: 'In this verse, the word, rasool (messenger) refers to Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him; and there has never been a prophet from whom Allah Almighty had hot taken the pledge to believe in his prophethood and provide help and support to him; and there has not been one single prophet who did not bequeath to his community the legacy of believing in and helping and supporting him; and, if the noble prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him had appeared during the times of the prophets, it is he who would have been the prophet to (be obeyed by) all of them, and all of them would have been part of his community.'
This tells us that his status is not restricted to his being simply the prophet of his community; he is the prophet of prophets as well. So, he himself says in a hadith: 'If Musa (Moses) was living today, he too would have had no option but to follow me.'
At yet another occasion, he said: 'When 'Isa (A.S) (Jesus) will come, he too will act in accordance with the noble Qur'an and the rules set forth by your prophet'. (Tafsir ibn Kathir)
Thus, from here we learn that his prophethood is 'universal and inelusive' and that all previous religious codes stand absorbed in his Shari'ah. What is being said here also brings into a bright focus the correct meaning of his saying: (I have been sent to all human beings). It shows that taking this hadith to mean that his prophethood extends from his time to the Day of Judgement is not correct. Instead, the time duration of his prophethood is so extensive that it begins before the prophethood of Sayyidna Adam (A.S) as the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has himself said in a hadith: (I was a prophet even when Adam was in a state between spirit and body). That he will be the first to step forward for intercession on the Day of Resurrection, and that the entire progeny of Adam (A.S) will assemble under his flag and that he led the prayers at a congregation of all prophets in Bayt al-Maqdis on the Night of Ascenst (Mi'raj) are all signs of this leadership which is great and universal. (Ma'ariful Qur'an)
» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 14th December 2011
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