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
قَالَ فَٱهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَٱخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰغِرِينَ
[Allāh] said, "Descend from it [i.e., Paradise], for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased."
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ يُغْشِى ٱلَّيْلَ ٱلنَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُۥ حَثِيثًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۭ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْخَلْقُ وَٱلْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Indeed, your Lord is Allāh, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allāh, Lord of the worlds.
تِلْكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآئِهَا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَمَا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِمَا كَذَّبُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
Those cities - We relate to you, [O Muḥammad], some of their news. And certainly did their messengers come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe in that which they had denied before. Thus does Allāh seal over the hearts of the disbelievers.
۞ وَوَٰعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَـٰثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَـٰهَا بِعَشْرٍ فَتَمَّ مِيقَـٰتُ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ۚ وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِأَخِيهِ هَـٰرُونَ ٱخْلُفْنِى فِى قَوْمِى وَأَصْلِحْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
And We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights and perfected them by [the addition of] ten; so the term of his Lord was completed as forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron, "Take my place among my people, do right [by them], and do not follow the way of the corrupters."