وَمَا وَجَدْنَا لِأَكْثَرِهِم مِّنْ عَهْدٍ ۖ وَإِن وَجَدْنَآ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفَـٰسِقِينَ 102
Translations
And We did not find for most of them any covenant; but indeed, We found most of them defiantly disobedient.
Transliteration
Wa mā wajadnā li-aktharihin min 'ahdun wa in wajadnā akthara-hum la-fāsiqīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that Allah found most of the Children of Israel to be covenant-breakers and transgressors. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain this in the context of the Bani Isra'il's repeated violations of their covenant with Allah—breaking their promises regarding the Torah, rejecting the prophets, and deviating from the straight path. The ayah emphasizes that despite Allah's patience and repeated sending of messengers, the majority persisted in their disobedience and wickedness (fasq).
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the latter section of Surah Al-A'raf, which chronicles the history of the Children of Israel and their transgressions. It follows the account of various covenants Allah made with them and their repeated breaches, serving as a reminder of their historical pattern of disobedience and the consequences thereof.
Related Hadiths
The principle reflected here connects to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet ﷺ warned against breaking covenants and trusts. Additionally, Surah Al-A'raf (7:102) relates thematically to the hadith in Jami' At-Tirmidhi about the severity of breaking oaths and covenants with Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that making a covenant with Allah is a serious matter that demands sincere fulfillment; breaking promises to Allah—whether through neglecting Islamic duties, abandoning the Quran, or moral transgressions—places one among those who have deviated from the straight path. For modern readers, it serves as a cautionary reminder to honor commitments made to Allah and to remain steadfast in faith despite temptations to transgress.
Related Ayahs
فَمَا كَانَ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ إِذْ جَآءَهُم بَأْسُنَآ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And their declaration when Our punishment came to them was only that they said, "Indeed, we were wrongdoers!"
فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا۟ عَن مَّا نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِـِٔينَ
So when they were insolent about that which they had been forbidden, We said to them, "Be apes, despised."
وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى هَدَىٰنَا لِهَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِىَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ ۖ لَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَنُودُوٓا۟ أَن تِلْكُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلْأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْخَبَـٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَٱلْأَغْلَـٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ ۙ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written [i.e., described] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and prohibits them from what is wrong and makes lawful for them what is good and forbids them from what is evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.