His saying, “Whatever I give you”: Nafiʿ and the people of Medina recited, “Whatever We give you,” using the majestic plural, as in His saying, “And We gave David the Psalms” (Sura al-Nisaʾ, verse 163), and, “And We gave him judgment while still a child” (Sura Maryam, verse 12). The others recited it with the first-person singular form, in accordance with the written text and with His saying, “And I am with you.”

They differed as to whom this verse concerns. One group held that Allah, exalted is He, took the covenant specifically from the prophets: that they should convey Allah’s Book and His messages to His servants, that they should confirm one another, and that He took from every prophet the pledge that he would believe in and support any prophet who came after him, if he lived to meet him. If he did not live to meet him, then he was to command his people to support him if they met him. Thus, He took the covenant from Moses that he would believe in Jesus, and from Jesus that he would believe in Muhammad.

Others said that it concerns the covenant Allah took from them regarding Muhammad. On this view, they differed. Some said that He took the covenant only from the People of the Book, from among whom He sent the prophets. This is the view of Mujahid and al-Rabiʿ. Do you not see His saying, “Then a messenger comes to you, confirming what is with you; you must surely believe in him and support him”? Muhammad was sent to the People of the Book, not to the prophets. Evidence for this is that the recitation of Abdullah ibn Masʿud and Ubayy ibn Kaʿb reads: “And when Allah took the covenant of those who were given the Scripture.” As for the well-known recitation, “And when Allah took the covenant of the prophets,” it means that Allah took the covenant from the prophets that they should take a covenant from their communities: that they would believe in Muhammad, affirm him as true, and support him if they lived to meet him.

Some of them said that Allah took the covenant from both the prophets and all their communities regarding Muhammad, mentioning the prophets alone because a covenant made with those who are followed is also a covenant binding upon their followers. This is the meaning of Ibn Abbas’s statement. Ali ibn Abi Talib said: “Allah did not send any prophet, from Adam onward, without taking from him a covenant regarding Muhammad, and taking a covenant from his people that they would surely believe in him and, if he were sent while they were alive, would surely support him.”

His saying, “Then a messenger comes to you, confirming what is with you,” refers to Muhammad. “You must surely believe in him and support him.” Allah, exalted is He, addressed the prophets when He brought forth the descendants from Adam’s loins—among whom the prophets were like lamps and lanterns—and took from them the covenant regarding Muhammad. “He said, ‘Do you affirm this and accept My binding covenant upon it?’” That is, “Have you accepted My covenant upon this?” The binding covenant is the weighty pledge. “They said, ‘We affirm it.’ He said”—that is, Allah, exalted is He—“Then bear witness”: bear witness against yourselves and against your followers. “And I am with you among the witnesses,” against both you and them. Ibn Abbas said: “Then bear witness” means, “Then know.” Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib ⦗62/b⦘ said: Allah, exalted is He, said to the angels, “Bear witness against them,” referring elliptically to an unmentioned party.

“Then whoever turns away after that, they are the defiantly disobedient. (82)”

“Whoever turns away after that”—that is, after this acknowledgment—“they are the defiantly disobedient”: those who disobey and depart from faith.