Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:63

(And when We took your covenant) is a reminder of another blessing, for He, Glory be to Him, only did that for their own benefit. The apparent meaning of "covenant" here is the pact. It was not said "your covenants" (plural) because that which was taken from each individual among them was taken from the others as well, thus it was a single covenant. It may be that it was to submit to Moses, peace be upon him. There is a difference of opinion as to when this occurred: it is said it was before the raising of the Mount (Al-Tur), and then when they breached it, it was raised above them, due to the apparent meaning of His saying, Exalted is He, "And We raised the Mount above them by their covenant," etc. It is also said it occurred alongside the raising of the Mount over you; the waw (and) being for conjunction, or it is said to be for the circumstantial state.

As for "the Mount" (Al-Tur), it is said to be a mountain among the mountains, and it is a Syriac word that has been Arabized; it is also said to mean the specific mountain. It is narrated from Abu Hatim on the authority of Ibn Abbas that when Moses, peace be upon him, brought them the Torah and the burdensome duties contained therein, they found it heavy and refused to accept it. So Gabriel was ordered to uproot the Mount and overshadow them with it until they accepted. It was the size of their encampment, a parasang by a parasang, and it was raised above them to the height of a man’s stature.

This has been deemed problematic, as it follows the path of compelling (them) to faith, which is not appropriate in the context of religious duty. The Imam responded that there is no compulsion, as the predominant factor was the fear of it falling upon them. Since it remained in its place for a time, and they had witnessed the heavens raised without pillars, it is permissible that the fear subsided from them, the compulsion ceased, and the duty remained. The Allama said: It is as if, after this compulsion, they attained an optional acceptance; or perhaps such faith was sufficient for the bygone nations.

Regarding this, as Al-Siyalkuti said, the discussion is how religious duty can be valid with "take" etc., while under duress, when it has been established that its basis is on choice. The truth is that it is coercion (ikrah), for it is causing another to do what he does not consent to and would not choose if left to his own devices. Thus, it negates consent, not choice, as the act proceeds from his choice, as has been detailed in the fundamentals (Usul). This is like warfare with the disbelievers. As for His saying: "There is no compulsion in religion," and His saying, Exalted is He: "Would you compel the people until they become believers?" these were before the commandment to fight, and were then abrogated by it.

"Take what We have given you with strength" contains an implied verb, meaning: "We said" or "saying: Take." Some Kufis said: It does not need this implication because taking a covenant is a form of speech, and the meaning is: "And when We took your covenant [by instructing you] to take what We have given you." But this is not strong. The intent of "strength" here is seriousness and exertion, as Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said. It leads to the avoidance of laziness and negligence. Consequently, the verse cannot be used as evidence by those who claim that capability precedes the act, for one is not told "Take this with strength" unless the strength is already possessed; for strength in this sense is not denied as being a prerequisite for the act.

"And remember what is in it," meaning: study it, memorize it, and do not forget it; or reflect on its meaning; or act upon the rulings contained within it. "Remembering" may refer to remembrance of the tongue, of the heart, or that which is broader than both, or that which is a necessary consequence of them—and the objective of both, namely: action.

"That you may become righteous." The discussion on the concept of "hope" (tarajji) in the speech of Allah, Exalted is He, has already preceded. It is mentioned here that the word "la'alla" (that you may) relates to "take" and "remember," either as a metaphor—the meaning of which, after the metaphor, resolves into explaining the owner of the end-goal through his end-goal—or it is literal, referring to the hope of the addressee. The meaning is: "Take and remember, hoping that you may become righteous." What supports the metaphorical meaning is that there is no sense in their hoping for that which they find burdensome, namely righteousness, unless it is considered that they heard the virtues of the righteous and their ranks, and thus were hopeful of being included in their order.

The Mu'tazilah permitted that it relates to the implied "We said," and interpreted the hope as "will" (irada), meaning: "We said: Take and remember, willing that you may become righteous." This is based on their corrupt principle that the will of Allah, Exalted is He, for the actions of the servants does not necessitate their occurrence, as it is merely an expression of knowledge of the interest. The Allama permitted its relation—if hope is interpreted as will—to "take" as well, on the basis that it is a restriction upon the request, not upon the requested. Al-Shihab permitted that it relates to the "saying" by interpreting it as a "request," and neglect is permissible therein. But in this is the fact that the aforementioned saying, "Take what We have given you," is itself a request for righteousness, so it is not correct to say "Take what We have given you" as a request for righteousness except with a kind of affectation. So understand.