وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَـٰقَكُمْ لَا تَسْفِكُونَ دِمَآءَكُمْ وَلَا تُخْرِجُونَ أَنفُسَكُم مِّن دِيَـٰرِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ 84
Translations
And [recall] when We took your covenant, [saying], "Do not shed your [i.e., each other's] blood or evict one another from your homes." Then you acknowledged [this] while you were witnessing.
Transliteration
Wa-idh akhdhana mithaqakum la tasfikun dima'akum wa la tukhrijun anfusakum min diyarikum thumma aqrartum wa-antum tashhadun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the covenant Allah took from the Children of Israel on Mount Sinai, commanding them not to shed one another's blood and not to expel each other from their homes. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the Israelites explicitly acknowledged and witnessed this covenant, making their subsequent violations of these commands all the more grave. The ayah emphasizes the binding nature of this oath and their conscious acceptance of it, establishing their responsibility before Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Baqarah's discussion of the Children of Israel's covenant with Allah and their subsequent transgressions. It follows the theme of reminding the Jews of their sacred obligations and serves as a rebuke for their breaking of covenants, including their violation of the Sabbath and other divine commands. The surah addresses both historical violations and those contemporary to the Prophet's time in Medina.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The blood of a Muslim is sacred—his wealth, honor, and reputation are sacred.' (Sunan Ibn Majah) Additionally, the command to preserve life and avoid bloodshed is reinforced in the hadith: 'Whoever kills a soul without justification, it is as if he has killed all of humanity.' (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:32, referenced alongside prophetic traditions in Sahih Muslim and Sunan Ibn Majah)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that sacred covenants with Allah carry immense weight and responsibility, and that the preservation of life and community stability are fundamental Islamic principles. It serves as a powerful reminder that explicit agreements made before Allah demand strict adherence, and that breaking them incurs severe accountability in the Hereafter.