Surah Al-Hadid (57) — Ayah 8

(Ayah 8) ➊ { وَ مَا لَكُمْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ … :} This address is also to the Muslims; its evidence is the last sentence of the verse {’’ وَ قَدْ اَخَذَ مِيْثَاقَكُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِيْنَ ‘‘} (And indeed He has taken a firm covenant from you if you are believers). Similarly, the next verse (10): « لَا يَسْتَوِيْ مِنْكُمْ مَّنْ اَنْفَقَ مِنْ قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَ قٰتَلَ » is also its evidence. Just as in the previous verse the believers are commanded to believe and to spend, in this verse too they are being shaken: what is the reason that you do not believe in Allah? That is, why do you not act upon the requirements of faith in Him and spend in His way, even though the Messenger himself is present among you and is personally inviting you to believe in your Lord and, having faith in Him, to spend in His way.

➋ The subject of {وَ قَدْ اَخَذَ مِيْثَاقَكُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِيْنَ: ’’ اَخَذَ ‘‘} can be the pronoun of {’’ الرَّسُوْلُ ‘‘} or the pronoun of the word {’’ اللّٰهِ‘‘}, meaning that when you accepted faith, Allah took a firm covenant from you for obedience; similarly, with the declaration of Islam, you also gave the Messenger a firm covenant of your obedience. So now, why are you avoiding obedience and hesitating to spend in jihad in the way of Allah? The mention of Allah taking a covenant is in this verse: «وَ اذْكُرُوْا نِعْمَةَ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ مِيْثَاقَهُ الَّذِيْ وَاثَقَكُمْ بِهٖۤ اِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَ اَطَعْنَا وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيْمٌۢ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوْرِ » [ المائدۃ : ۷ ] "And remember Allah's favor upon you and His covenant which He bound upon you firmly, when you said, 'We have heard and we have obeyed.' And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Knowing of what is within the breasts." And the mention of giving a covenant to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is in this hadith narrated from 'Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: [ بَايَعْنَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَی السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي الْمَنْشَطِ وَالْمَكْرَهِ وَ أَنْ لاَ نُنَازِعَ الْأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ، وَ أَنْ نَقُوْمَ أَوْ نَقُوْلَ بِالْحَقِّ حَيْثُمَا كُنَّا، لاَ نَخَافُ فِي اللّٰهِ لَوْمَةَ لاَئِمٍ ] [بخاري، الأحکام، باب کیف یبایع الإمام الناس؟ : ۷۱۹۹،۷۲۰۰ ] "We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that we would listen and obey in both active and disliked circumstances, and we would not dispute the authority of those in charge, and wherever we are, we will speak the truth, and we will not fear the blame of any blamer regarding Allah."

➌ Some commentators have taken {’’ وَ قَدْ اَخَذَ مِيْثَاقَكُمْ ‘‘} to mean the covenant of {’’ اَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ‘‘}, which is mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf (172), but here the context of the verses does not support this, so the first interpretation is correct. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) has also preferred this.

8-1 Ibn Kathir has made the subject of "akhadha" the Messenger, and by this is meant the pledge that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to take from the noble Companions, that obedience must be maintained in every situation, whether in happiness or hardship. According to Imam Ibn Jarir, its subject is Allah, and by this is meant the covenant that Allah Almighty took from all human beings when He brought them forth from the loins of Adam (علیہ السلام), which is called the Covenant of Alast, mentioned in (وَالَّذِيْنَ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰيٰتِنَا سَنَسْـتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ182ښ) 7. Al-A'raf:182).

8. What is the matter with you that you do not believe in Allah, while the Messenger invites you to believe in your Lord [11], and He (Allah) has already taken your covenant [12], if you are truly believers?

[11] Here, to have faith means to consider as certain and true those promises of Allah and His Messenger regarding the dominance of Islam, which they have made to the Muslims. These promises include that whatever you spend, Allah will return to you much more in the form of spoils and other means, and also the promises that Allah will grant you a much greater reward for such charity in the Hereafter.
[12] This acknowledgment may refer to the covenant of ﴿اَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ﴾, according to which every person had declared that he would live his life as an obedient servant of Allah, and it may also refer to embracing Islam. Because entering Islam itself is a firm declaration that one will remain obedient to Allah and His Messenger.