Covenant With Allah

seekerofpeace

From a search, I notice there are not many topics related to the Mithaq (covenant) specifically. I would like to discuss this point.
The covenant with Allah ref Q7:172, 2:27 and other verses with Mithaq.

The Mithaq i.e. the covenant with Allah is synonymous as a divine contract.
To qualify as a Muslim a believer would have entered into a contract with Allah in fulfilment with the principles of contract, i.e.
-Offer: Allah made the offer via Jibriel-Muhammad through the Quran.
-Acceptance: Believers accept (submit) via the shahada explicitly or implicitly in various means (practice).
-Consideration: Believer submit and surrender his total life to Allah.

For any contract, there must be two parties in agreement conditioned upon a specified terms of contract.
Like a S&P, the terms of contract are dictated by one party, i.e. Allah in the Quran for acceptance.
As with any contract no parties can change the terms of contract unilaterally without the consensus of the other party. As with Allah's contract 5:3 perfect and final, changes are not possible.
As such to qualify as a Muslim it has to be conditioned upon the Quran only.

The Hadiths that emerged >200 years after the contract (in the Quran) was presented cannot be part of the terms of contract; as best they are guides as far as they align with the terms of contract in the Quran.

Any insistence that the Hadiths are legitimate part of Islam is bi'dah, it also contravene the law of contract, i.e. no unilateral change is permissible or the original contract is void.

Those who enforce the Hadiths as law of Allah are Shirk i.e. implied to be partners of Allah.

The Mithaq is of central importance to Islam, i.e. without the Mithaq, a contract with Allah, there would be no Muslims and no Islam as practiced currently.

The so-claimed rituals of Islam, the 5 pillars of Islam, the 6 pillars of Iman are of secondary importance within a 7-tier Compliance Ladder in correspondence with a 7-tier reward system in Jannah. Performing the rituals perfectly may only be entitled to low merit of 2/7. Therefore, whether praying the minimal 3 times (per contract) or more to 5 times a day, make little significant and impact to one achievement as a Muslim.

What is critical for each Muslim is to comply (best of abilities) fully with the terms of the contract(Mithaq) and the critical driver is 56:10 i.e. Allah expects ALL Muslims to race (best of abilities) to be the foremost (sabiquns and al-albab) in striving for the cause of Allah where a Muslim will achieve level 6-7.7.

I believe nearly ALL if not ALL Muslims has not given serious attention to the Mithaq and its obligatory terms of contract. The common translation of Mithaq as the word 'covenant' did not draw attention to its significance.

I think the 'Mithaq' and the imperative 'terms of contract' is the most significant justification for reliance on Quran-only.

Btw, I am not a Muslim nor religious - just spiritual and a peace-seeker.

Please comment on the above.

good logic

@seekerofpeace said in Covenant With Allah:

-Offer: Allah made the offer via Jibriel-Muhammad through the Quran.
-Acceptance: Believers accept (submit) via the shahada explicitly or implicitly in various means (practice).
-Consideration: Believer submit and surrender his total life to Allah.

@seekerofpeace,where in Qoran does it mention the offer,Acceptance or Consideration that you say?
7:172 does not say that:
وَإِذ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنى ءادَمَ مِن ظُهورِهِم ذُرِّيَّتَهُم وَأَشهَدَهُم عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم قالوا بَلىٰ شَهِدنا أَن تَقولوا يَومَ القِيٰمَةِ إِنّا كُنّا عَن هٰذا غٰفِلينَ

The covenant was acceptance of "GOD Alone"أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم and not to commit "Shirk".
In other words follow /Ubud GOD Alone and follow His message.
The basic of it , is to be righteous ,do good and practice the straight path in our life.
Following GOD Alone means "do not follow others"and do not take any other entity/being as lords. Follow GOD s book /His message and do not follow any other book/message from others for our salvation/redemption.
Shirk if putting a partner with GOD as far as GOD s religion is concerned.
The contract is accepting GOD Alone as authority/Master and Lord.
GOD bless you.
Peace.

Wakas

I wrote an article on it
https://mypercept.co.uk/articles/covenant-quran.html

seekerofpeace

@good-logic

You make a great point regarding the core focus of 7:172—it is strictly about Tawhid (affirming God’s Lordship Alone) and rejecting Shirk (associating partners with Him). We fully agree on what the content of this Primordial covenant is: accepting God Alone as Master, following His revealed message, and walking the straight path.
However, there are many other verses (~30) related to Mithaq which refer and imply a direct contractual agreement between God and the believer. There are ~700 verses related to agreement, treaty, pact, contract within the Quran.

The Principles of contract of agreement between parties is universal and 'offer', 'acceptance' and 'consideration' apply or is invoke either explicitly or implied (note the principles of implied contract):

"Offer, Acceptance, and Consideration" are Analytical Frameworks, Not Literal Terms
The Quran uses rich, natural language—such as Mithaq (covenant/binding pledge), 'Ahd (promise/contract), and Baya'a (pledge of allegiance). Terms like "Offer," "Acceptance," and "Consideration" are modern legal heuristics used by scholars and writers to explain how a contract functions conceptually, but the underlying principles are the same as in any agreement between parties.
The "Offer" and "Acceptance" Are Dynamic Steps in 7:172
Even without using the modern legal jargon, the dynamic in 7:172 inherently contains these elements:

The "Offer" (The Divine Question): ألست بربكم ("Am I not your Lord?") — God presents His authority and invites the response.

The "Acceptance" (The Affirmation/Shahada): قالوا بلى شهدنا ("They said: Yes, we testify!") — The soul’s active submission and agreement to that reality.

The "Consideration" (The Mutual Terms):

Our Obligation: Uncompromising obedience, righteousness, and avoiding Shirk (as you correctly pointed out).

God’s Promise: Salvation, divine guidance, protection from declaring "ignorance" on the Day of Judgment, and ultimate success in the Hereafter (e.g., Surah At-Tawbah 9:111 explicitly describes this exchange: "Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and properties in exchange for Paradise...").

Why 7:172 IS the Ultimate Template
When Surah 7:172 establishes أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ("Am I not your Lord?"), it isn't a passive statement; it is a proposal of reality. The moment we say بَلَىٰ ("Yes!"), we enter into a binding, two-way commitment (Mithaq).

So while the Quran doesn't use the English courtroom words "offer" or "consideration", the structural essence of a binding agreement (Mithaq)—where a proposition is put forth, accepted, and carries obligations/outcomes—is precisely what 7:172 demonstrates.

Not sure if you are Quran-Only.
The Mithaq is the most effective and strongest feature to support 'why Quran is the only authorized doctrine of Islam'.

Note:
The common feature of an embedded implied contract is implicit in a long term cohabitation agreement between partners without a marriage certificate. A court will extract the 'offer' 'acceptance' and 'consideration' --as in the USA - each partner will have to split their assets 50/50 based on the implied contract.
There is no deliberation of the contract element of 'offer' 'acceptance' and 'consideration' when two cohabitating partners get together.

seekerofpeace

@Wakas
Thanks and noted your article re covenant. I understand there are some articles related to the mithaq but they do not take it far enough to deliberate on its essence.

You mentioned covenant = agreement
If you are familiar with 'law' and 'legal matters' you would sense the familiarity of the concept of 'contract' which meaning is more easily understood than 'covenant' or 'agreement'.
see: https://qurancovenantresearchcenter.com/

The fact is, to qualify as a Muslim or submitter, one must be an agreed party to the contract with Allah.

When the term 'contract' is invoked where Allah made the offer and the believer accepted (shahada or otherwise), then the next question is where is the necessary terms of contract.
As such, each party Allah and Muslim must comply fully (best of abilities) with the terms of contract to gain what Allah promised, i.e. eternal life in paradise. Failure to comply fully with the contractual term will disqualify one as a Muslim in this world and punish in Hell on Judgment Day -Allah being omniscient and all activities recorded by Angels.

The terms of contract must be confined within the Quran only, i.e. within the 114 chapters, 6236 verses and ~77430 words.
So what are the terms of contract.
I think this point where ALL Muslims and academics has overlooked.

As such the task is to review the 114 chapters, 6236 verses and ~77430 words and extract the terms of contract.
Therefrom the terms of contract must be ranked in alignment with the 7-tier compliance ladder that is in correspondence to the 7-tier reward system in Jannah.
The critical contractual term is Allah exhort all Muslims (as obligated) to strive (best of abilities) to race (compete) to be the foremost (56:10) and be men-of-understanding (al-albab).

I am doing a research paper on this.
Wakas, appreciate if you comment on the above whether you agree/disagree with the above.
Will be of help to reinforce your Quran-Only claim?

https://qurancovenantresearchcenter.com/
The Quran Covenant Research Center (QCRC) intends to undertake work focused on understanding the Quran while drawing parallels with modern treaties and contemporary legal terminology. Since the Quran’s legal framework is covenant-based, specialized work is required to highlight this aspect. The Center plans various activities, seminars, training, workshops, and lectures to highlight this aspect through a team of dedicated researchers. The QCRC is registered with SECP and has a team co-opted from time to time.

If this QCRC is taken rigorously it will end up with Quran-Only.