Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:102
And We did not find for most of them any covenant; but indeed, We found most of them defiantly disobedient.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His word: وَمَا وَجَدْنَا لأَكْثَرِهِمْ مِنْ عَهْدٍ وَإِنْ وَجَدْنَا أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفَاسِقِينَ (102) (And We found no covenant with most of them, but indeed We found most of them to be defiantly disobedient.) (7:102)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: And We found with most of the inhabitants of these cities which We destroyed and whose account We related to you, O Muḥammad — "no covenant," that is to say: no faithfulness to that which We had commanded them, namely the oneness of Allah, the following of His messengers, acting in obedience to Him, avoiding disobedience to Him, and abandoning the worship of the idols and false deities.
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And "the covenant" (al-ʿahd) is the command; we have already explained that previously in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary. — "but indeed We found most of them," that is to say: and We found most of them to be nothing but defiantly disobedient (fasaqa) with regard to obedience to their Lord, abandoning His covenant and His command. And we have already explained the meaning of "defiance" (al-fisq) previously.
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And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes of the Qurʾān have spoken.
* Mention of who said this:
14905 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning Allah's word, the Blessed and Exalted: "but indeed We found most of them defiantly disobedient," he said: the bygone generations.
14906 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: "And We found no covenant with most of them," the verse; he said: the bygone generations. And "His covenant" is that which He took from the children of Ādam in the loins of Ādam, and they did not fulfill it.
14907 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya, on the authority of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb: "And We found no covenant with most of them," he said: concerning the covenant (mīthāq) which He took in the loins of Ādam — peace be upon him.
14908 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "And We found no covenant with most of them, but indeed We found most of them defiantly disobedient" — and that is because Allah destroyed the cities only because they had not preserved what He had commanded them.
