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
قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
They said, "We have believed in the Lord of the worlds,
وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ أَن قَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّا فَهَلْ وَجَدتُّم مَّا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا ۖ قَالُوا۟ نَعَمْ ۚ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌۢ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن لَّعْنَةُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And the companions of Paradise will call out to the companions of the Fire, "We have already found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?" They will say, "Yes." Then an announcer will announce among them, "The curse of Allāh shall be upon the wrongdoers
فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ وَيَقُولُونَ سَيُغْفَرُ لَنَا وَإِن يَأْتِهِمْ عَرَضٌ مِّثْلُهُۥ يَأْخُذُوهُ ۚ أَلَمْ يُؤْخَذْ عَلَيْهِم مِّيثَـٰقُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن لَّا يَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْحَقَّ وَدَرَسُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ ۗ وَٱلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And there followed them successors who inherited the Scripture [while] taking the commodities of this lower life and saying, "It will be forgiven for us." And if an offer like it comes to them, they will [again] take it. Was not the covenant of the Scripture [i.e., the Torah] taken from them that they would not say about Allāh except the truth, and they studied what was in it? And the home of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allāh, so will you not use reason?
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُۥ لِيُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءَالِهَتَكَ ۚ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَـٰهِرُونَ
And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."