| Al-Ma'idah (The Table Spread): (7) And remember the favor of Allah...

It is known that after mentioning this obligation, the Almighty followed it up with what necessitates acceptance and submission from them, which is in two ways:

The First: The abundance of Allah's favor upon them, which is intended by His saying: {And remember the favor of Allah upon you}. It is known that the abundance of favors necessitates that the recipient be occupied with serving the Bestower of favors and submitting to His commands and prohibitions. In this, there are two issues:

He only said: {And remember the favor of Allah upon you} and did not say "favors of Allah upon you" because the intent is not contemplation of the enumeration of Allah's favors, but rather contemplation of the genus (type) of Allah's favor. This is because this genus is a type that no one other than Allah can bring about. Who else can grant the favor of life, health, intellect, guidance, protection from calamities, and attainment of all good in this world and the Hereafter? Thus, the genus of Allah's favor is a type that no one other than Allah can bring about. Therefore, His saying, {And remember the favor of Allah} means contemplating this type in terms of its distinction from the favor of others, and that distinction is that no one else can bring it about. It is known that whenever a favor is of this nature, the obligation to be grateful for it is more complete and perfect.

His saying: {And remember the favor of Allah} implies prior forgetfulness. How can forgetfulness be conceived when these favors are continuous and successive upon us at every hour and moment? The answer is that due to their abundance and succession, they have become like a habitual matter, so the overwhelming manifestation and abundance of them become a cause for them to fall into the realm of forgetfulness. For this reason, the scholars have said that Allah, the Exalted, is hidden precisely because of His intense manifestation, and He is hidden from the intellects by the intensity of His manifestation and concealed from them by the perfection of His Light.

The Second Way: One of the reasons that necessitates their submission to the commands of Allah, the Exalted, is the Covenant (Mithāq) that He established with them, and the covenant is a solemn agreement established by a binding contract upon oneself. This verse is similar to His saying at the beginning of the Surah: {O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts} (Al-Ma'idah: 1).

The commentators have several views regarding the interpretation of this Covenant:

1. The Covenants with the Prophet (PBUH): That it refers to the covenants made between the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and them regarding obedience and submission in what is liked and disliked, such as the pledge of allegiance with the Ansar at the beginning, and the pledge of allegiance with the general believers under the tree, and others. Then, the Almighty attributed the covenant issued by the Messenger to Himself, as He said: {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] - they are indeed pledging allegiance to Allah} (Al-Fath: 10), and {Whoever obeys the Messenger has certainly obeyed Allah} (An-Nisa: 80). Then, the Almighty emphasized this by mentioning that they committed to this and accepted these obligations, saying: "We heard and we obeyed." Then He warned them against breaking these oaths and covenants, saying: {And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Knowing of what is within the breasts}, meaning: Do not break these covenants, nor resolve in your hearts to break them, for if that crosses your mind, Allah knows it, and that is sufficient for recompense.
2. The Covenant with the Children of Israel: Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It is the covenant that Allah the Exalted took from the Children of Israel when they said, "We believe in the Torah and everything in it." Since part of what was in the Torah was the glad tidings of the coming of Muhammad (PBUH), it became incumbent upon them to acknowledge Muhammad (PBUH).
3. The Primordial Covenant: Mujahid, Al-Kalbi, and Muqatil said: It is the covenant that Allah the Exalted took from them when He brought them forth from the loins of Adam (PBUH) and made them testify concerning themselves: "Am I not your Lord?"

If it is asked: According to this view, the children of Adam do not remember this covenant, so how are they commanded to uphold it? We reply: Since Allah the Exalted informed that this occurred, certainty about its occurrence is established. At that point, it is appropriate to command them to fulfill that covenant.

4. The Intellectual and Legal Proofs: Al-Sayyid (the Master) said: The intent of the Covenant is the intellectual and legal proofs that Allah the Exalted established concerning Monotheism and the religious laws, and this is the preferred view of most theologians.

| { O you who have believed, be persistently firm in standing for Allah, witnesses in justice, and let not the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just: that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. } (Al-Ma'idah: 8)