Tafsir of Ar-Ra'd 13:20

"Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah"—meaning that which they bound upon themselves—the acknowledgment of His Lordship, the Exalted, when they said: "Yes [we testify]"; or that which Allah, the Exalted, covenanted upon them in His Books regarding [His] rulings. Thus, those meant by it include all nations. The attribution of the "covenant" to the Majestic Name [Allah] is, in the first case, an instance of attributing a verbal noun to its object, and in the second, an instance of attributing a verbal noun to its agent. If the "covenant" is intended as that which Allah, the Exalted, bound upon them on the day He, the Glorified, said: "Am I not your Lord?", then the attribution is, in absolute terms, an instance of attributing a verbal noun to its agent, and this is the apparent meaning, as stated in al-Bahr. Carrying the "covenant" to mean the covenant of "Am I not..." is narrated from Qatadah, while others have carried it to mean what was covenanted in the Books. It is narrated from al-Suddi that it refers to what was covenanted to them in the Quran, and from al-Qaffal that it refers to what is in their innate disposition, their words, and the evidences of monotheism and the prophecies, among others. The preferred view is to carry it to its general meaning.

"And they do not break the trust"—that is, the binding agreements they have made between Allah, the Exalted, and themselves, such as belief in Him, the Exalted, the rulings, and vows; as well as what exists between them and the servants, such as contracts and the like. This is a generalization after a specification, and it contains an emphasis on the continuity implied by the future tense form.

Abu Hayyan said: The apparent meaning is that this clause is an emphasis of the one before it, for the covenant is the trust, and fulfilling the covenant necessitates the negation of its breaking. Ibn Atiyyah said: The intent of the first clause is that they fulfill all of Allah's covenants, which are His commands and prohibitions that Allah, the Exalted, has enjoined upon His servants; this includes committing to all obligatory duties and avoiding all acts of disobedience. The intent of the second clause is that when they make a pact in the obedience of Allah, the Exalted, they do not break it. According to this view, the discussion regarding "generalization after specification" does not apply, as is not hidden. Allah, the Glorified, has warned His servants against breaking the trust and has forbidden it in more than twenty verses of His Book, as narrated from Qatadah.

Among the greatest of trusts, as Ibn al-Arabi said, is that the servant should not ask of anyone other than his Master, the Glorified. In the story of Abu Hamzah al-Khurasani is a testament to its great significance; for he covenanted with his Lord never to ask anyone but Him. It happened that he fell into a well, yet he did not ask any of the people passing by to pull him out until someone came and pulled him out without him asking, and he did not see who had pulled him out. Then a caller shouted to him: "How did you find the fruit of tawakkul (trust in Allah)?" Thus, it is fitting to follow his example in fulfilling the covenant, according to what he [Ibn al-Arabi] also said.

However, Ibn al-Jawzi denied the act of this man and explained his error, stating that tawakkul does not negate the seeking of aid in such a circumstance. He mentioned that Sufyan al-Thawri and others said: "If a person were hungry and did not ask [for help] until he died, he would enter the Fire." It is not denied that Allah, the Exalted, may have been gentle with the ignorant Abu Hamzah. Yes, it is not fitting to seek aid from other than Allah, the Exalted, in the manner that people do today with the inhabitants of the graves, regarding whom they imagine what they imagine. Ah, and again ah, for what they do!