Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 81

(Ayah 81) ➊ {وَ اِذْ اَخَذَ اللّٰهُ …:} The purpose of these verses is to clarify such evidences by which the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is established. (Razi) That is, Allah Almighty took a covenant from Adam (peace be upon him) and every prophet after him that he would affirm and support the prophet who comes after him, and that no kind of factionalism or partisanship would become an obstacle in this regard. If that prophet comes during his lifetime, he himself will believe in him, and if he comes after his death, he will instruct his community to believe in and support the prophet who comes after him. In this sense, it is as if a covenant was taken from Musa (peace be upon him) to believe in Isa (peace be upon him), and from Isa (peace be upon him) to believe in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). In Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim, with a good chain, the statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) is narrated that Allah Almighty took a covenant from all the prophets that if Muhammad (peace be upon him) comes during your lifetime, you will believe in him. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this explanation is not separate but is included in the first explanation. In any case, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is the last prophet of Allah Almighty and is obligatory to be followed; now, it is not permissible to follow any prophet other than him.

➋ { ”اِصْرٌ“ } Refers to binding or forcibly tying something, that is, a heavy burden. Similarly, a confirmed covenant is also called {”اِصْرٌ“}, because it binds a person. Allah Almighty took this covenant and pledge from all the prophets, commanded them to bear witness to it, and Himself also bore witness.

81. 1. That is, it was taken as a promise from every prophet that if another prophet comes during his lifetime and period of prophethood, it would be necessary to believe in him and to help him. When it is necessary for the prophet himself to believe in the new prophet who comes during his own presence, then for their communities, believing in that new prophet is all the more necessary. Some commentators have taken this very meaning. That is, regarding Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a covenant was taken from all the prophets that if he comes during their time, they must end their own prophethood and believe in him. However, the fact is that the second meaning is automatically included within the first meaning, so in terms of the words of the Quran, the first meaning is more Sahih. Even according to this meaning, it is clear that after the radiant lamp of the prophethood of Muhammad, no other prophet’s lamp can be lit, as it is mentioned in the hadith that once Umar ؓ was reading pages of the Torah, and the Prophet ﷺ became angry upon seeing this and said, “By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad ﷺ, if Musa ؑ were to come alive and you were to follow him, leaving me, you would surely go astray.” (Musnad Ahmad, as quoted in Ibn Kathir) In any case, now until the Day of Judgment, only Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is obligatory to follow, and salvation depends solely on obedience to him, not on blind imitation of any imam or allegiance to any elder. When the authority of any prophet can no longer prevail, how can anyone else be deserving of unconditional obedience? “Isr” means covenant and responsibility.

81. And (remember) when Allah took a covenant from the Prophets: "Whatever I give you of the Book and wisdom, then there comes to you a Messenger confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him." He said, "Do you agree and take up My covenant [71] on that?" They said, "We agree." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses."

[71]
The Covenant Taken from the Prophets Applies to Their Nations:

Allah Almighty took one covenant from all the children of Adam in the realm of souls, that they would not associate anyone with Allah, which is mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf, verse number 177, and another covenant was taken from the prophets, which is mentioned in this verse. According to the opinion of the commentators, this covenant was also taken in the realm of souls, and that covenant was that if, during your lifetime, a prophet comes who confirms the book already with you, then you must believe in him and help him. After giving this command, Allah Almighty also took confirmation from all the prophets regarding the fulfillment of this command. There were countless prophets who were contemporaries, such as Ibrahim and Lut, Musa and Harun, Isa and Yahya (peace be upon them), etc., and all of them were helpers and supporters of each other in the work of calling to Allah. Then, the responsibility of fulfilling the covenant taken from the prophets also falls upon the nation of every prophet. In this regard, it was the responsibility of the Jews to believe in Isa (peace be upon him) and other prophets and to prove themselves as helpers in their mission. Similarly, the Jews, Christians, and the polytheists of Makkah (who considered themselves followers of the religion of Ibrahim) all had the same responsibility to believe in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and to prove themselves as his helpers and supporters. Then, this matter was not limited to this covenant alone, but in the book of every prophet, glad tidings of the coming prophet were also given, and a similar covenant was taken from that prophet and his nation.

The Proof of Your Being Khatam an-Nabiyyin:

It should be clear that this covenant was taken from the prophets before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and glad tidings of the coming prophet were also given in their books. But no such covenant was taken from you, because you are Khatam an-Nabiyyin (the Seal of the Prophets). Nor is there any glad tiding of a coming prophet in the Quran and Hadith. On the contrary, in the Quran you have been called Khatam an-Nabiyyin, and from countless authentic hadiths it is clear that after you, until the Day of Judgment, no prophet will come. However, near the Day of Judgment, Isa (peace be upon him) will certainly descend, but at that time his status will be that of your follower, meaning he will follow only the Shariah of Muhammad.