۞ وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ ٱثْنَىْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ ۖ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَيْتُمُ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَءَامَنتُم بِرُسُلِى وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ فَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ 12
Translations
And Allāh had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We delegated from among them twelve leaders. And Allāh said, "I am with you. If you establish prayer and give zakāh and believe in My messengers and support them and loan Allāh a goodly loan, I will surely remove from you your misdeeds and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. But whoever of you disbelieves after that has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way."
Transliteration
Wa laqad akhaza Allahu mithāqa banī Isrāʾīla wa baʿathnā minhum ithnay ʿashara naqībā. Wa qāla Allahu innī maʿakum. La-in aqamtumu al-salāta wa ātaytumu al-zakāta wa āmantum bi-rusulī wa ʿazzartumūhum wa aqraḍtumu Allāha qarḍan ḥasanan la-ukaffiranna ʿankum sayyiʾātikum wa la-udkhilannakum jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā al-anhār. Fa-man kafara baʿda dhālik minkum fa-qad ḍalla sawāʾa al-sabīl.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah took a covenant (mīthāq) with the Children of Israel and appointed twelve representatives (naqībs) from among them as leaders and witnesses to this agreement. Allah promised that if they established prayer, gave zakah, believed in His messengers, honored and supported them, and made righteous loans to Allah (spent in His cause), He would forgive their sins and admit them to gardens with rivers flowing beneath. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this covenant represented a binding obligation of obedience and righteousness, with the condition that those who rejected it afterward would stray from the straight path.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the Medinan period and addresses the historical covenant taken from Bani Israel through their leaders (the twelve naqībs). It is presented in the context of reminding the Children of Israel of their obligations and the consequences of breaking their covenant, serving as both a historical reminder and a warning to the Muslim community about fulfilling their own obligations to Allah.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best charity is like a loan given in the way of Allah' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, the concept of the twelve naqībs reflects the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet appointed twelve leaders from among the Ansar as representatives of their people.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah's favor is conditional upon both internal faith and external righteous actions, while highlighting that those entrusted with leadership must exemplify these qualities. For believers today, it emphasizes that sincere commitment to Islam's pillars—prayer, charity, faith in all prophets, and support of religious leaders—combined with genuine devotion, leads to Allah's mercy and eternal reward.
Related Ayahs
فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُۥ كَيْفَ يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَةَ أَخِيهِ ۚ قَالَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْغُرَابِ فَأُوَٰرِىَ سَوْءَةَ أَخِى ۖ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ ٱلنَّـٰدِمِينَ
Then Allāh sent a crow searching [i.e., scratching] in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the disgrace [i.e., body] of my brother?" And he became of the regretful.
إِذْ قَالَ ٱلْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَـٰعِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۖ قَالَ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
[And remember] when the disciples said, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven?" [Jesus] said, "Fear Allāh, if you should be believers."
۞ يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرُّسُلَ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَآ أُجِبْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّـٰمُ ٱلْغُيُوبِ
[Be warned of] the Day when Allāh will assemble the messengers and say, "What was the response you received?" They will say, "We have no knowledge. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen" -
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.