And they had already promised Allah before not to turn their backs and flee. And ever is the promise to Allah [that about which one will be] questioned.
وَلَقَدْ كَانُوا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ لا يُوَلُّونَ الأَدْبَارَ وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولًا
[Al-Ahzab: 15]
And indeed, they had
وَلَقَدْ كَانُوا
How many confirmers are there in this sentence?
The student: The waw.
The Shaykh : The waw is not a confirmer.
The student: By the lam and qad.
The Shaykh : By the lam and qad, what comes after? We said there are three.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And a third is implied. Whenever this expression appears in the Qur'an, it is confirmed by the three confirmers, meaning: By Allah, indeed they had covenanted with Allah before. The oath has been mentioned to us; Allah the Exalted swears by a thing not in the aspect of denial, but in the aspect of importance. He may also swear by it in the aspect of denial, such as
Those who disbelieve have claimed that they will never be resurrected. Say, "Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected
زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُبْعَثُوا قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ
[Al-Taghabun: 7]. Here, Allah the Exalted confirmed this covenant of theirs that they had covenanted with Allah before that they would not turn their backs. This covenant was between them and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and a covenant with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a covenant with Allah, as Allah the Exalted said:
Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] - they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ
[Al-Fath: 10]. So they covenanted with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) not to flee or turn their backs, but they broke the covenant. For breaking the covenant, betrayal, and lying are among the characteristics of whom? They are among the characteristics of the hypocrites. That is a trait in them. We ask Allah for safety.
they had already promised Allah before not to turn their backs and flee
عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ لا يُوَلُّونَ الأَدْبَارَ
What is the grammatical status of the word:
They would not turn
لا يُوَلُّونَ
? Some said it has no grammatical status because it is the answer to the word “covenanted.” Others said it is an explanation of the covenant, meaning that the covenant that took place was that they would not turn their backs. The word
not to turn their backs and flee
لا يُوَلُّونَ الأَدْبَارَ
requires two objects. The first object is “backs” and the second object is omitted, and the implied meaning is “they do not turn their backs to their enemy.” Turning one's back means retreating and deviating. So instead of their faces being toward the enemy, their backs are toward the enemy. They swore an oath first and covenanted that they would not turn their backs when meeting the enemies, but they broke the covenant. Allah the Exalted said:
And the covenant of Allah is to be asked about.
وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولًا
The author said
And the covenant of Allah is to be asked about.
وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولًا
regarding the fulfillment of it. So on this basis, the accountability is not for the covenant itself, but for the fulfillment of it. The covenant is to be asked about, meaning asked about regarding its fulfillment. And asking about the fulfillment of it is also asking about its occurrence. So it is said, for example, “Is there not a covenant between you and me? Did you not break the covenant?” So the question is about the covenant itself and about its fulfillment. When does this accountability take place, in this world or in the Hereafter? As for the accountability between a person and his Lord, it is in the Hereafter. And as for the accountability that is between him and people, it is in this world, where he is demanded to fulfill the covenant.
And the covenant of Allah is to be asked about.
وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولًا
