Al-Baqarah: (63-64) And [recall] when We took your covenant...

Know that this is the tenth favor, because Allah Almighty took their covenant for their own benefit, thus it became one of His favors upon them.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {And [recall] when We took your covenant}, there are two points of discussion:

The First: Know that the covenant (Mithaq) is only established by performing actions that necessitate submission and obedience. The commentators have mentioned several interpretations for the meaning of the covenant:

1. The Innate Intellect: What Allah placed in the intellects as proofs indicating the existence of the Creator and His wisdom, and proofs indicating the truthfulness of His prophets and messengers. This type of covenant is the strongest of covenants and pledges because it is absolutely incapable of being broken or changed. This is the view of Al-Asamm.
2. The Raising of Mount Sinai: What is narrated from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam: When Moses (peace be upon him) returned from his Lord with the Tablets, he told them, "In them is the Book of Allah." They replied, "We will not accept your word until we see Allah openly." Then He would say, "This is my Book, so take it." Then the thunderbolt struck them and they died. Then He revived them. Afterward, He told them, "Take the Book of Allah," but they refused. So, the Mount (Sinai) was raised above them, and it was said to them, "Take the Book, or We will cast it upon you." So they took it. The raising of the Mount was the covenant because the raising of the Mount was a dazzling, wondrous sign that overwhelmed the intellects and brought the denier to affirmation and the doubter to certainty. When they saw that, and knew it was from Allah, it added knowledge to what Moses (peace be upon him) already had from the other signs. They acknowledged the truthfulness of what he brought, showed repentance, and gave the pledge and covenant that they would not return to what they had done (worshipping the calf) and that they would uphold the Torah. Thus, this became a confirmed covenant they made upon themselves to Allah. This is the choice of Abu Muslim.
3. Two Covenants: That Allah has two covenants. The first was when He brought them forth from the loins of Adam and made them testify concerning themselves. The second is that He obligated people to follow the prophets. What is intended here is this second covenant. This is the view of Ibn 'Abbas, but it is weak.

The Second: Al-Qaffal (may Allah have mercy on him) said that He said {your covenant} (singular, mithaqakum) and not {your covenants} (plural, mawathiqakum) for two reasons:

1. It indicates that each one of them individually took that covenant, just as He said: {Then He brings you out as a child} (Ghafir: 67), meaning each one of you.
2. It was a single matter taken from each one of them, just as it was taken from others, so it was necessarily a single covenant. If it were said "your covenants," it would seem as if there were multiple covenants taken from them, not just one. And Allah knows best.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {and We raised the Mount beside it}, its parallel is His saying, the Exalted: {And when We shook the mountain above them as if it were a canopy} (Al-A'raf: 171). There are discussions concerning this:

Discussion One: The conjunction waw (and) in His saying {and We raised} is a waw of conjunction according to Ibn 'Abbas's interpretation. The meaning is that taking the covenant preceded the raising of the Mount. When they broke it by refusing to accept the Book, the Mount was raised over them. However, according to Abu Muslim's interpretation, it is not a waw of conjunction but a waw of circumstance (hal), as one says, "I did that while it was that time." So, it is as if He said: "And [recall] when We took your covenant while We were raising the Mount above you."

Discussion Two: It is said that al-Tur refers to any mountain. Al-'Ujaj said:

Danying its wings from the Tur, it passed, Like a falcon when the falcon is broken.

However, Al-Khalil said in his book that al-Tur is the specific name of a known mountain. This is closer to the truth because the definite article (al-) implies it refers to a known mountain designated by this name. The known one is the mountain upon which the confidential discourse (Munajat) took place. It is also possible that Allah Almighty transported it to where they were and placed it above them, even if it was far from them, because the One capable of suspending a mountain in the air is also capable of uprooting it and transporting it to them from a distant place. Ibn 'Abbas said: Allah commanded a mountain from the mountains of Palestine, and it was uprooted from its base until it stood above them like a canopy. The encampment was a league by a league. Allah revealed to them, "Accept the Torah, or the mountain will be thrown upon you." When they saw there was no escape, they accepted the Torah with all that was in it and prostrated out of terror—a prostration where they kept their eyes on the mountain. This is why the Jews prostrate on half their faces.

Discussion Three: Some atheists deny the possibility of a heavy object remaining suspended in the air without support. As for the earth, they claim it stands because its nature seeks the center, so it naturally rests at the center. Our proof against their claim is that He, the Pure, is capable of all possibilities, and the suspension of a heavy object in the air is among the possibilities; therefore, Allah must be capable of it. The full establishment of these two premises is known in the books of Usul (Principles of Jurisprudence).

Discussion Four: Some said that shading them with the mountain is not permissible because if that happened, it would constitute coercion into faith, which contradicts accountability (Taklif). The Judge responded by saying it does not coerce because the most that could happen is the fear of it falling upon them. If it remained in place for a period, and they had already witnessed the heavens suspended above them without support, it is possible that the fear would dissipate, thus removing the coercion, while the accountability remains.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {Take what We have given you with strength}, meaning with complete seriousness, resolve, and turning away from negligence and laziness. Al-Jubba'i said this indicates that the ability (Istita'ah) precedes the action, because it is not permissible to say, "Take this with strength," when strength is not yet present, just as one cannot say, "Write with a pen," if there is no pen. Our companions responded that what is meant is: "Take what We have given you with seriousness and resolve," and we hold that resolve can precede the action.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {and remember what is in it}, meaning preserve what is in the Book, study it, do not forget it, and do not neglect it. If it is asked: Why did you not interpret it as mere remembrance (the opposite of forgetting)? We reply: Because remembrance, which is the opposite of forgetting, is an act of Allah Almighty; how can one be commanded to do it? However, if we interpret it as studying and reviewing, there is no issue.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {that you may become righteous} (tattaqun), meaning so that you may become righteous. Al-Jubba'i used this as proof that Allah Almighty intended for all of them to perform obedience. The response to this is what has already been mentioned.

Know that what is understood from His saying, the Exalted: {And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised the Mount above you, [and said], "Take what We have given you with strength"} is that they did act upon it; otherwise, it would not have been taking a covenant, nor would the subsequent statement {Then you turned away} be correct. This indicates their acceptance and commitment.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {Then you turned away after that}, meaning then you turned away from the covenant and fulfilling it. Al-Qaffal (may Allah have mercy on him) said that it is known generally that after accepting the Torah and the raising of the Mount, they turned away from the Torah in many ways: they distorted the Torah, abandoned acting upon it, killed the prophets, disbelieved in them, and disobeyed their commands. Perhaps some of this was specific to some of them and not others, some done by their early generations and some by their later ones. They remained in the wilderness despite witnessing wonders day and night, opposing Moses, objecting to him, inflicting every harm upon him, and openly committing sins in their very camp. Some of them were swallowed by the earth, and fire burned some of them, and they were afflicted with the plague—all of this is mentioned in the accounts of the Torah that they acknowledge. Then their later generations did what is not hidden, until they were punished by the destruction of the Holy House, disbelieved in the Messiah, and intended to kill him. Although the Qur'an does not detail how they turned away from the Torah, the general fact is known. This is a report from Allah Almighty about the obstinacy of their ancestors. Thus, it is not strange that they denied what Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought—the Book—and rejected his right, given their state in their own Book and regarding their Prophet, as mentioned. And Allah knows best.

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {And were it not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have been among the losers}, there are two points of discussion:

The First: Al-Qaffal mentioned two views in his exegesis:

1. Were it not for the favor Allah bestowed upon you by granting you respite and delaying the punishment from you, you would have been among the losers, meaning the doomed ones who sold their souls for the fire of Hell. This view indicates that they were saved from this loss only because Allah favored them with respite until they repented.
2. That the statement might have ended at His saying {Then you turned away after that}. Then His saying {And were it not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy} returns the discourse to the beginning, meaning: Were it not for Allah's kindness to you by raising the Mount above you, you would have persisted in rejecting the Book. But He favored you and had mercy on you, dealing kindly with you through that until you repented.

The Second Discussion: One might object by saying that the word lawla (were it not for) implies the negation of one thing due to the affirmation of another. This necessitates that the negation of loss is a consequence of the attainment of Allah's favor. Since loss occurred, it must be that Allah's kindness did not occur there. This implies that Allah Almighty did not perform any religious kindnesses for the disbelievers, which contradicts the view of the Mu'tazila. Al-Ka'bi responded by saying that Allah made the favor equal for everyone, but some benefited while others did not. Thus, it is correct to say this, just as a speaker says to a man whose father was equal in giving gifts to all his children, and some benefited: "Were it not for your father favoring you, you would be poor." This response is weak because the linguists stated that lawla implies the negation of one thing due to the affirmation of another. Once this premise is established, Al-Ka'bi's argument falls completely.

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