عَنْ رُفَيْعٍ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ عَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ {وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ} قَالَ جَمَعَهُمْ فَجَعَلَهُمْ أَرْوَاحًا ثُمَّ صَوَّرَهُمْ فَاسْتَنْطَقَهُمْ فَتَكَلَّمُوا ثُمَّ أَخَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعَهْدَ وَالْمِيثَاقَ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالَ فَإِنِّي أُشْهِدُ عَلَيْكُمُ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعَ وَالْأَرَضِينَ السَّبْعَ وَأُشْهِدُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَبَاكُمْ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لَمْ نَعْلَمْ بِهَذَا اعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ غَيْرِي وَلَا رَبَّ غَيْرِي فَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِي شَيْئًا إِنِّي سَأُرْسِلُ إِلَيْكُمْ رُسُلِي يُذَكِّرُونَكُمْ عَهْدِي وَمِيثَاقِي وَأُنْزِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ كُتُبِي قَالُوا شَهِدْنَا بِأَنَّكَ رَبُّنَا وَإِلَهُنَا لَا رَبَّ لَنَا غَيْرُكَ فَأَقَرُّوا بِذَلِكَ وَرَفَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ آدَمَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ فَرَأَى الْغَنِيَّ وَالْفَقِيرَ وَحُسْنَ الصُّورَةِ وَدُونَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ رَبِّ لَوْ لَا سَوَّيْتَ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أُشْكَرَ وَرَأَى الْأَنْبِيَاءَ فِيهِمْ مِثْلَ السُّرُجِ عَلَيْهِمُ النُّورُ خُصُّوا بِمِيثَاقٍ آخَرَ فِي الرِّسَالَةِ وَالنُّبُوَّةِ وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى {وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ {عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ} كَانَ فِي تِلْكَ الْأَرْوَاحِ فَأَرْسَلَهُ إِلَى مَرْيَمَ فَحَدَّثَ عَنْ أُبَيٍّ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ مِنْ فِيهَا
Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) says regarding the statement of Allah Almighty: And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants, and made them testify against themselves. Its detail is that Allah Almighty gathered them, made them souls, then formed their images and gave them the power of speech, so they spoke. Then Allah Almighty took a firm covenant from them and, making them witnesses over themselves, said: Am I not your Lord? I make the seven heavens, the seven earths, and your father a witness over you, so that you may not say on the Day of Resurrection that we had no knowledge of this. Know well that there is no deity nor Lord besides Me, so do not associate anything with Me. Soon I will send My messengers to you, they will remind you of My covenant, and I will also send down My books upon you. They said: We bear witness that You alone are our Lord and deity, we have no Lord besides You. Thus, all of them acknowledged. Then Allah Almighty raised Adam (peace be upon him) over them; he saw among them the rich, the poor, the handsome, and the less beautiful, and said: O my Lord! Why did You not make them equal among themselves? Allah Almighty said: I desire that gratitude be shown to Me. He also saw among them the Prophets, they appeared like lamps and had light upon them, they were distinguished with the covenant and pledge of Prophethood and Messengership. This is mentioned in the statement of Allah Almighty: And when We took from the Prophets their firm covenant... ‘Isa son of Maryam. ‘Isa (peace be upon him) was also among those souls. Then Allah Almighty sent that soul to Lady Maryam (peace be upon her), and it entered into her through her mouth.