Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 172

(Ayah 172) ➊ {وَ اِذْ اَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْۢ بَنِيْۤ اٰدَمَ … :} Up to this point, the arrangement for the guidance of the children of Adam through messengers and books was mentioned; now, the evidences of guidance that Allah Almighty has placed in the universe and in the very being of man ({اَنْفُسِهِمْ}) are being mentioned. The scholars have stated two interpretations of this verse: one is that Allah Almighty has placed in human nature the knowledge that he has a Lord who created him and provides for him, and when Allah Almighty creates the offspring of Adam (peace be upon him) generation after generation, and separates the sperm from the loins of any of the children of Adam and creates his offspring in the womb of the mother, at that very moment, by placing this in the nature of that offspring, He places so many evidences of His Lordship in his soul and his being that it is as if He makes him a witness over himself that his Lord is Allah. It is as if he is born upon Islam. A drop that became a leech, then a lump, then bones, then a living human with complete limbs—these and countless other signs in his own being and in the universe are sufficient testimony that he has one Lord, as Allah Almighty said: «{ سَنُرِيْهِمْ اٰيٰتِنَا فِي الْاٰفَاقِ وَ فِيْۤ اَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتّٰى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ اَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ }» [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۵۳ ] "Soon We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth." And He said: «{ وَ فِي الْاَرْضِ اٰيٰتٌ لِّلْمُوْقِنِيْنَ (20) وَ فِيْۤ اَنْفُسِكُمْ اَفَلَا تُبْصِرُوْنَ }» [ الذاریات : ۲۰، ۲۱ ] "And in the earth are signs for those who have certainty, and in yourselves—do you not see?" And testimony is not necessarily only by the tongue; according to the Noble Qur’an, the state can also be a testimony, as He said: «{ مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِيْنَ اَنْ يَّعْمُرُوْا مَسٰجِدَ اللّٰهِ شٰهِدِيْنَ عَلٰۤى اَنْفُسِهِمْ بِالْكُفْرِ }» [ التوبۃ : ۱۷ ] "It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allah while bearing witness against themselves to disbelief." And He said: «{ اِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لِرَبِّهٖ لَكَنُوْدٌ (6) وَ اِنَّهٗ عَلٰى ذٰلِكَ لَشَهِيْدٌ }» [ العادیات : ۶، ۷ ] "Indeed, man is surely ungrateful to his Lord, and indeed, he is surely a witness to that."
It is thus known that the nature of man is Tawheed, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every child is born upon the Fitrah, then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian." [ بخاری، الجنائز، باب ما قیل فی أولاد المشرکین : ۱۳۸۵ ] Therefore, the evidences of Allah Almighty being the One Lord present in the being of man and in the universe are sufficient for man not to associate anyone with Allah Almighty. That is why some scholars have said that even if no messenger had come, it would have been obligatory for man to avoid shirk due to reason, sound nature, and the countless evidences of Tawheed present in his own being and in the universe; if he commits shirk, then Allah Almighty has the right to hold him accountable. But from the Noble Qur’an, it is established that Allah Almighty, out of His immense mercy and grace, does not punish without making the truth clear through messengers, even though there is testimony upon his own soul. He said: «{ وَ مَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِيْنَ حَتّٰى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلًا }» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۱۵ ] "And We never punish until We send a messenger." Understand it like this: for seeing, it is necessary to have light in the eye and also light from the sun, moon, or something else; if there is no light in the eye or no light outside, then nothing can be seen. The intellect placed in the nature and the evidences in the universe are like the light of the eye for recognizing the Lord, and the prophets are like the sun and the moon, illuminating and explaining the evidences. Shaykh Salih Al al-Shaykh said in Sharh Aqeedah Tahawiyyah that many Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abi al-Izz al-Hanafi (the commentator of Tahawiyyah), Shaykh Abdur Rahman Sa'di, and many other Imams (may Allah have mercy on them) have adopted this very interpretation of {’’وَإِذْ اَخَذَ رَبُّكَ‘‘}. Note that the example of the light of the eye and the sun is not part of the interpretation of these Imams.
The second interpretation is that covenant (promise and pledge) which Allah Almighty took from all the children of Adam by bringing them out from the loins of Adam (peace be upon him), and which is generally known as the Covenant of Alast, and is narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas and other Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Thus, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that Allah Almighty took the covenant (promise and pledge) from the loins of Adam (peace be upon him) at Nu'man (with a fathah on the noon), i.e., at Arafah, so He brought forth from his loins all the offspring that Allah Almighty was to create, and scattered them before him, then spoke to them face to face, saying: «{ اَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ }» "Am I not your Lord?" They said: «{ بَلٰى }» "Yes, we bear witness!" (Lest) you should say on the Day of Resurrection, "We were unaware of this." Until the end of the verses. [ أحمد : 272/1، ح : ۲۴۵۹۔ مستدرک حاکم : 544/2، ح : ۴۰۰۰ ] Al-Hakim and Al-Dhahabi declared this hadith Sahih, and Al-Shawkani and many scholars preferred this interpretation, but there are several differences between the words of the Qur’an and the words of the hadith: first, in the verse it is «{ مِنْۢ بَنِيْۤ اٰدَمَ }», not {’’ مِنْ آدَمَ ‘‘}; second, it is «{ مِنْ ظُهُوْرِهِمْ }», not {’’ مِنْ ظَهْرِهِ ‘‘}; third, it is «{ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ }», not {’’ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ‘‘}; fourth, it is said: «{ اَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلٰۤى اَنْفُسِهِمْ }», a witness should remember what he is testifying to, whereas no one remembers that covenant, but man is a natural witness to the evidences of Allah Almighty’s Lordship and Tawheed in his soul and in the universe; it is another matter that by mixing with people of corrupt beliefs, a veil may fall over his nature. If someone says that although we do not remember the covenant that took place when we were brought out from the loins of Adam (peace be upon him), the prophets reminding us of this covenant is sufficient, then Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) has answered that the polytheists did not accept anything the prophets said as authentic, so how could their reminding them be a proof against them? (Whereas Allah Almighty has mentioned making them witnesses as a proof against them on the Day of Resurrection, just as He has mentioned sending messengers as a proof.) In short, Ibn Abi al-Izz has mentioned ten differences between the verse and the hadith in Sharh Aqeedah Tahawiyyah, so both are separate. However, by way of reconciliation, it can be said that bringing forth the offspring from the loins of the children of Adam is itself a detail of bringing forth the offspring from the loins of Adam (peace be upon him). (And Allah knows best)
➋ {اَنْ تَقُوْلُوْا:} This is originally {’’ لِئَلَّا تَقُوْلُوْا ‘‘} or {’’ كَرَاهَةَ اَنْ تَقُوْلُوْا ‘‘}, meaning this covenant was taken from you so that you would not adopt the way of shirk and disobedience in the world, and when you are questioned on the Day of Resurrection, you would begin to present your excuse by saying that you were unaware of it. (Ibn Kathir)