وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَـٰقَهُ ٱلَّذِى وَاثَقَكُم بِهِۦٓ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ 7
Translations
And remember the favor of Allāh upon you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said, "We hear and we obey"; and fear Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of that within the breasts.
Transliteration
Wa-dhkurū ni'mata Allāhi 'alaykum wa-mīthāqahu alladhī wāthaqakum bihī idhā qultum sami'nā wa-ata'nā wa-ttaqū Allāh. Inna Allāha 'alīmun bi-dhāti as-sudūr.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the believers to remember Allah's blessings upon them and the covenant He made with them—referring to the primordial covenant (ahd al-fitrah) when all souls acknowledged Allah's lordship, as well as the covenant of obedience established at Mount Sinai and through the prophets. The phrase 'we have heard and obeyed' (sami'nā wa-ata'nā) recalls the believers' pledge to follow Allah's commands, and the ayah emphasizes that Allah is fully aware of what lies within hearts, making sincere intention and commitment essential. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note this serves as a reminder to fulfill covenants with sincerity and to maintain taqwa (God-consciousness), as external compliance without internal conviction is known to Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs in the Medinan section of Surah Al-Ma'idah, which addresses the Muslim community's responsibilities regarding covenants and commandments. The context follows discussions of halal sustenance and ritual purity, and the reference to the covenant relates to the obligations Allah placed upon the Children of Israel and, by extension, upon the Muslim ummah to uphold divine law and maintain their pledge of obedience.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself' (Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)—reflecting the spirit of honoring covenants and community bonds. Additionally, 'The best of you are those with the best character' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi) connects to the emphasis on sincere inner commitment beyond mere outward obedience.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must cultivate genuine commitment to their faith and covenants with Allah, recognizing that outward compliance without sincere hearts is futile since Allah knows the deepest secrets of all souls. This ayah encourages regular reflection on blessings received and conscious renewal of one's pledge to obedience, combined with continuous God-consciousness in both public and private conduct.
Related Ayahs
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."
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.
قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُم بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذَٰلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ مَن لَّعَنَهُ ٱللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ ٱلْقِرَدَةَ وَٱلْخَنَازِيرَ وَعَبَدَ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ عَن سَوَآءِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
Say, "Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as penalty from Allāh? [It is that of] those whom Allāh has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs and slaves of ṭāghūt. Those are worse in position and further astray from the sound way."
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.