Juz’ 8 – Al An’am 111 – Al A’raf 87, Topic: The Covenant

The Covenant

During a recent workshop I attended (with many of you), the idea of Bayah or a covenant was discussed. There are many examples of this concept of a covenant in the Quran. There is a phrase of  6:152 which has always been very compelling for me in thinking about living social justice as a mandate from Allah. ( And when you speak, be just, even if it be [against] a kinsman, and fulfill the pact of God.] In fact, this command of speaking up or stepping up, even against ones own material interests is all over the Quran. However, reading the ayah in its entirety along with the ayahs before and after frame this phrase as part of a larger covenant with Allah.

Ayah 151 immediately before discusses the covenant by focusing on trust in Allah, even in time of great hardship.

Say, "Come, I will recite that which your Lord has forbidden you: that you ascribe nothing as partner unto Him, and that you be virtuous toward parents, and that you slay not your children for fear of poverty--We will provide for you and for them---and approach not indecencies, whether outward of inward, and slay not the soul that God has made inviolable, save by right. This He has enjoined upon you, that haply you may understand" (6:151). 

Allah acknowledges hardships such as poverty and asks that the believer trust Him anyway. This is part of what the believer must do as part of the covenant. In return, Allah will provide for the believer, and this is part of Allah's contribution to the covenant. The idea of exchange is interesting, particularly when the parties involved are not on equal footing. I think there is more to reflect on here as to the relationship of both parties in this covenant- but for now we can think of it as an exchange or give and take.

Also interesting is the use of the word 'soul'. I might be constrained here by my understanding of the soul as a concept, as opposed to life in general, or the body. What strikes me is the connecting between the outward acts that Allah is forbidding and prescribing and its implications on the soul, which Allah has made "inviolable" and yet we have the potential to "slay" it (ahh, so beautiful!) . However, in the commentary the commentators who are discussed seem to indicate that the soul is synonymous with physical life.

Given this background, the phrase in ayah 152 of Surah al-An'am about being just when speaking continues the covenant and in fact highlights speaking justly as a way to "fulfill the pact of God". As in previous posts, this directive makes me reflect on where I am not speaking justice and where I might be falling short of fulfilling my end of this pact.