وَلَقَدْ كَانُوا۟ عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مِن قَبْلُ لَا يُوَلُّونَ ٱلْأَدْبَـٰرَ ۚ وَكَانَ عَهْدُ ٱللَّهِ مَسْـُٔولًا 15
Translations
And they had already promised Allāh before not to turn their backs [i.e., flee]. And ever is the promise to Allāh [that about which one will be] questioned.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad kanu AAahadoo Allaha min qablu la yuwalloona al-adbara wa-kana AAahdu Allahi masulah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the hypocrites and their broken covenant with Allah to stand firm and not turn their backs during the Battle of the Confederates (Ahzab). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that the hypocrites had previously pledged to Allah that they would not flee from battle, yet they violated this covenant when tested. The ayah emphasizes that the covenant made with Allah is a serious matter for which one will be held accountable (masulah—questioned/asked about).
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed during or shortly after the Battle of the Confederates (Ghazwat al-Ahzab), which occurred in 5 AH when the pagan Arabs and Jews united to attack Madinah. The surah addresses the behavior of hypocrites who abandoned the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the believers during this critical moment of crisis.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim record accounts of the Battle of the Confederates where the hypocrites are described as those who 'turned back with permission' (Quran 33:13), refusing to participate in the defense of Madinah. Additionally, hadiths about the covenant with Allah appear in Sunan Ibn Majah regarding the seriousness of pledges made to Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Every promise made to Allah, whether explicit or implicit through our faith, carries immense spiritual weight and requires sincere commitment. We should reflect on our own covenants with Allah—in prayer, obedience, and moral conduct—and strive to fulfill them steadfastly rather than abandon them when facing difficulties.
Related Ayahs
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لِيَسُـۥٓـُٔوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا۟ مَا عَلَوْا۟ تَتْبِيرًا
[And said], "If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, [you do it] to them [i.e., yourselves]." Then when the final [i.e., second] promise came, [We sent your enemies] to sadden your faces and to enter the masjid [i.e., the temple in Jerusalem], as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had taken over with [total] destruction.
وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
And be not like those who forgot Allāh, so He made them forget themselves. Those are the defiantly disobedient.
فَرَجَعَ مُوسَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ غَضْبَـٰنَ أَسِفًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ أَلَمْ يَعِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ وَعْدًا حَسَنًا ۚ أَفَطَالَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْعَهْدُ أَمْ أَرَدتُّمْ أَن يَحِلَّ عَلَيْكُمْ غَضَبٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُم مَّوْعِدِى
So Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved. He said, "O my people, did your Lord not make you a good promise? Then, was the time [of its fulfillment] too long for you, or did you wish that wrath from your Lord descend upon you, so you broke your promise [of obedience] to me?"
مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا۟ مَا عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُۥ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ ۖ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا۟ تَبْدِيلًا
Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allāh. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration -