Qur'an 2:83, like a radiant gem within the constellation of Qur'anic verses, unfolds a comprehensive prism of the principles of religiosity and Islamic ethics before the believers. This verse, revealed as a divine covenant with the Children of Israel, encompasses a collection of heavenly commandments ranging from the worship of the One God to benevolence towards parents, support for orphans and the needy, speaking kindly to people, and establishing prayer and almsgiving. These principles, intertwined like connected threads, delineate a multidimensional and value-based system that attends not only to theological dimensions but also to the ethical and sociological aspects of religiosity. The present exegesis, with a scientific and systematic approach, elucidates this verse in light of the content of the delivered lectures and, by employing refined analogies and references, endeavours to clarify its profound concepts for specialist audiences and academic environments.
Qur'an 2:83 presents the principles of religiosity in the form of a divine covenant with an eloquent and precise expression. This eloquence, like a clear flowing river, springs from the depths of Qur'anic meanings and encompasses scientific, social, spiritual, and psychological dimensions. The divine speech in this verse, employing a descriptive rather than imperative structure, invites the believer to contemplate the essence of servitude and righteous deeds.
This verse, like a fruitful garden, provides the groundwork for the flourishing of the believers character. Emphasising tawhid, benevolence to parents, support for the disadvantaged, and good speech, it presents an educational system that liberates the human being from self-centredness and hypocrisy and directs them towards self-esteem and elevated ethics.
The eloquence and human development aspects of Qur'an 2:83, like two wings of flight, guide the believer towards perfection. This verse, with a refined style and cohesive structure, not only explicates the principles of religiosity but also provides a foundation for theological and ethical research.
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
Translation: And when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel: You shall worship none but Allah and be good to parents, relatives, orphans, and the needy, and speak kindly to people, and establish prayer and give alms. Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you were averse.
The phrase لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ (You shall worship none but Allah) appears, contrary to expectation, in a declarative and descriptive form rather than an imperative one (e.g. اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ). This style avoids direct address and, through the negation of worship of other than God and restriction of worship to the Divine Essence, presents tawhid in a deep and epistemological manner. This expression, like a clear mirror, reflects the truth of tawhid and invites the believer to contemplate the nature of servitude.
لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ reduces the likelihood of disobedience by avoiding a direct command and introduces tawhid as an intrinsic attribute of the believer.
The phrase لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ, by negating worship of others and restricting it to the Divine Essence, delineates absolute and exclusive worshipful tawhid. This restriction acts like a fortified citadel, protecting the believer from polytheism and hypocrisy in worship.
Worship in this verse transcends outward acts such as prayer and fasting and implies complete servitude that cannot be actualised without knowledge (يَعْرِفُونَ) and faith (يُؤْمِنُونَ). This linkage, like an unbreakable chain, connects servitude to divine cognition and belief.
If one worships Allah but also worships others besides Him, they fall outside the circle of believers referred to in the verse. This principle, like a sharp sword, excludes all forms of shirk and hypocrisy from the domain of tawhid.
Hypocrisy, dissembling, deceit, and ostentation act like dark shadows incompatible with the principle لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ and obstruct the realisation of righteous deeds. The true believer, like an unsetting sun, is free from these afflictions.
Accepting humiliation and servitude to others besides Allah, such as flattery and ostentation, contradicts divine servitude. The believer, like a steadfast mountain, bows only before God.
Non-servitude to others besides God does not mean bullying or confrontation with people. The verse, by emphasising وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا (and speak kindly to people), calls the believer to humility and peacefulness. This principle, like a cool breeze, prevents harshness and arrogance.
Worshipful tawhid in Qur'an 2:83, like a firm pillar, supports the other principles of righteous deeds. This tawhid, by negating worship of others, avoiding hypocrisy, and preserving self-respect, guides the believer towards perfection. The analysis of this section provides a foundation for deeper understanding of the nexus between tawhid and ethics.
The examples of righteous deeds in the verse, including benevolence to parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, and kind speech to people, fall under general categories with only God specifically mentioned. This comprehensiveness, like a boundless sea, embraces all individuals, whether believers or non-believers.
The phrase وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا (and be good to parents) includes kindness to every father and mother, not only ones own. This breadth, like the branches of a mighty tree, encompasses all parents and mandates respect towards them.
The terms وَالْيَتَامَىٰ (orphans) and وَالْمَسَاكِينِ (the needy) include every orphan and impoverished person, whether believer or non-believer. 'Orphan' denotes severance from a father, and 'needy' signifies destitution, without limitation on specification.
The phrase وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا (and speak kindly to people) invites the believer to good conduct and kind speech towards all people, even sinners. This principle, like a solid bridge, directs social relations towards peace and friendship.
The phrase و