Quranic Verse 83 of Surah Al-Baqarah, like a comprehensive and radiant charter, depicts the fundamental principles of Islamic religiosity in the form of a divine covenant with the Children of Israel. This verse, by elucidating divine commands in eight essential dimensionsfrom monotheism and benevolence towards parents to speaking kindly to people and performing acts of worshipoutlines a value system that attends both to ritualistic aspects and social ethics. This exegesis, employing a scientific and systematic approach, analyses the theological, sociological, and ethical dimensions of this verse, utilising elevated metaphors and solemn language to recast the lecture content for learned audiences and academic settings. The aim is to present a coherent perspective that not only interprets the verses meanings but also clarifies its connection to contemporary issues, including the necessity of social ethics and the critique of simplistic views on worship.
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ
And when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel: You shall worship none but Allah, and show kindness to parents, relatives, orphans, and the needy, and speak kindly to the people, and establish prayer, and give alms. Then you turned away, except a few of you, while you were averse.
Verse 83 of Surah Al-Baqarah employs a descriptive and declarative style (لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ), which, instead of direct commands and prohibitions, describes the characteristics of the worthy. This style, known in jurisprudential principles as nafy ublagh (expressive negation) rather than a direct prohibition, prevents potential contradiction in the addressee and, through direct address, evokes reverence and commitment. The variation between direct address and absence in the covenant-taking further enhances the rhetorical beauty of the verse.
Verse 83 elaborates on the concept of عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ in verse 82, which states:
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
And those who believe and perform righteous deedsthose are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.
The word أُولَٰئِكَ in verse 82 refers to a specific group of believers, not every believer, but those who perform righteous deeds with comprehensiveness and continuity. Verse 83 specifies these righteous deeds in eight particular instances, as if delineating a guiding map clarifying the path of worthiness.
عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ, by virtue of its generality, plurality, and comprehensiveness, differs from عَمِلَ صَالِحًا. The definite article ال in الصَّالِحَاتِ indicates inclusion and universality, while the plural form denotes multiplicity and continuity. A person who performs only one righteous deed or whose conduct contains faults alongside good deeds falls outside this comprehensiveness. This principle, like a precise scale, regards moral coherence as a prerequisite for worthiness.
In jurisprudential logic, positive generality (performing all good deeds) aligns with negative negation (not performing evil deeds). If an individual abstains from sin for years but commits an error once, they fall outside the generality of the term. A notable example is the rule لَا تَشْرَبِ الْخَمْرَ: a person who has abstained from wine for years but commits the act once is excluded from the rules generality. This principle emphasises the necessity of continuity in ethical commitment.
Verse 83 presents eight instances of righteous deeds arranged in a logical and philosophical order: monotheism, benevolence towards parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, speaking kindly to people, establishing prayer, and giving alms. This order, like a ladder toward perfection, begins with the relationship with the Creator and culminates in social and ritual responsibilities.
لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ, as the first instance, places monotheism at the pinnacle of values. This principle, like a steadfast pillar, forms the foundation of religiosity since God is the Creator of existence and worship is only worthy of Him. The descriptive style of this command (declarative rather than imperative) implants commitment to monotheism naturally and deeply within the believers soul.
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا positions parents as the second rank, being corporeal creators. Benevolence to parents is an unconditional duty encompassing kind behaviour, courteous speech, and preservation of their dignity. Command and prohibition concerning parents are not permissible without overriding evidence, even if they are non-believers. This principle, like a pure spring, embeds parental sanctity within the heart of religiosity.
وَذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ includes relatives, neighbours, friends, and colleagues, encompassing a broad spectrum of social relations. This instance, like branches of a mighty tree, strengthens a network of human connections.
وَالْيَتَامَىٰ points to the communitys responsibility toward orphans. An orphan, due to paternal disconnection, requires support, and society must embrace them like a compassionate father. This duty acts as a bridge connecting the orphan to society.
وَالْمَسَاكِينِ imposes the obligation to alleviate the needs of the destitute. Unlike orphans, whose status is permanent, poverty is remediable; this instance, like an outreached hand, eradicates poverty from society.
وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا refers to kind behaviour towards all humans, whether believers or non-believers. This command encompasses speech and conduct, reflecting the individuals character in social interactions like a mirror.
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ occupy the seventh and eighth ranks, since worship gains meaning after the fulfilment of social ethics. Prayer, as a worldly act, has no place in the Hereafter, but divine knowledge and worship endure. This position, like a summit attained after ascending the ethical path, is accessible.
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ refers to the divine covenant with the Children of Israel, which was common in revealed religions to strengthen religious adherence. In Islam, pledges such as the Bayah under the tree reinforce this commitment. This covenant, like an unbreakable bond, calls religious adherents to uphold values.
Religiosity involves covenant reception from the general populace and presentation from scholars and saints. The greater the individual's perfection, the more sensitive the presentation becomes. In the past, even at an individual level, commitments such as reciting a specific Surah in prayer were taken, but nowadays this tradition has faded, leading to negligence in religious behaviour.
Focusing solely on worship acts such as prayer, without regard to social ethics, diminishes their value. Prayer becomes valuable only after the realisation of benevolence to parents, kind speech to people, and other righteous deeds. This critique, like an alarm bell, invites the devout to comprehensiveness in religiosity.
Contemporary Islamic society suffers shortcomings in social ethics, including benevolence towards parents and kind speech to people. This weakness, like a shadow over religiosity, highlights the necessity of ethical reform.
Do not look at the prolonged bowing and prostration of a person, but rather consider his deeds and behaviour, for deceit and hypocrisy may exist in apparent worship.
This narration, like a torch, guides the truth of religiosity from superficiality to the authenticity of conduct.
Among the eight instances of righteous deeds, three (monotheism, prayer, almsgiving) pertain to worship, and five relate to social ethics. This balance, like a scale, equilibrates religiosity between worship and morality. These instances hold value even for non-believers, as human ethics do not require faith.
The Qurans descriptive style, as opposed to direct command and prohibition, reduces resistance. This style is effective in family education and even in medical practice, as it guides behaviour rather than orders. This principle, like a gentle stream, directs behaviour toward perfection.
In sociology, authoritarian management, like a strong wind, generates resistance, whereas the Qurans descriptive style, like a gentle breeze, evokes commitment. This critique indicates the necessity to reconsider educational and managerial methods in religious sciences.
Verse 83 of Surah Al-Baqarah, like a brilliant jewel in the treasury of the Holy Quran, presents a comprehensive charter of Islamic religiosity that philosophically intertwines monotheism, social ethics, and worship. This verse, with its descriptive style and covenant-taking, reinforces religious commitment and, by emphasising social ethics, cautions against simplistic approaches to
