Quran Universe
33:7

وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِيثَٰقَهُمۡ وَمِنكَ وَمِن نُّوحٖ وَإِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى ٱبۡنِ مَرۡيَمَۖ وَأَخَذۡنَا مِنۡهُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظٗا

Waith akhathna mina alnnabiyyeena meethaqahum waminka wamin noohin waibraheema wamoosa waAAeesa ibni maryama waakhathna minhum meethaqan ghaleethan

And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant.

Word by word
  1. وَإِذۡAnd when
  2. أَخَذۡنَاWe took
  3. مِنَfrom
  4. ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَthe Prophets
  5. مِيثَٰقَهُمۡtheir Covenant
  6. وَمِنكَand from you
  7. وَمِنand from
  8. نُّوحٖNuh
  9. وَإِبۡرَٰهِيمَand Ibrahim
  10. وَمُوسَىٰand Musa
  11. وَعِيسَىand Isa
  12. ٱبۡنِson
  13. مَرۡيَمَۖ(of) Maryam
  14. وَأَخَذۡنَاAnd We took
  15. مِنۡهُمfrom them
  16. مِّيثَٰقًاa covenant
  17. غَلِيظٗاstrong
Al-Ahzab · 33:7Madinah

A solemn covenant taken from the greatest Messengers.

Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and the Prophet ﷺ

Those named
the Prophet ﷺnamed first, in honour
Nuh, Ibrahimstrong resolve
Musa, Isastrong resolve
gave
a strong covenantconvey and support
What they promised
establish the religionconvey the message
support one anotherno divisions

Ibn Kathir says Allah took a covenant from the Prophets to establish His religion, convey the message and support one another. The verse names the five of strongest resolve and begins with the last Prophet ﷺ as a mark of respect.

You made promises too: at your nikah, when you took the job, when your child was born. A covenant is heavier than a mood. The Prophets kept theirs through rejection and hardship.

Promises bend when life gets hard.

A serious promise is kept through hardship, as the Prophets kept theirs.

Try this

Recall one serious promise you made, and do one thing today to honour it.

Related3:8142:13
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and 'Isa son of Maryam. We took from them a strong covenant (7)That He may ask the truthful about their truth. And He has prepared for the disbelievers a painful torment (8)

The Covenant of the Prophets

Allah tells us about the five Mighty Messengers with strong resolve and the other Prophets, how He took a covenant from them to establish the religion of Allah and convey His Message, and to cooperate and support one another, as Allah says:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ ۚ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِي ۖ قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

(And when Allah took the covenant of the Prophets, saying: "Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah, and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him." Allah said: "Do you agree, and will you take up My covenant?" They said: "We agree." He said: "Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses.")(3:81)

This covenant was taken from them after their missions started. Elsewhere in the Qur'an, Allah mentions five by name, and these are the Mighty Messengers with strong resolve. They are also mentioned by name in this Ayah and in the Ayah:

شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ ۖ أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ ۚ 

(He (Allah) has ordained for you the same religion which He ordained for Nuh, and that which We have revealed to you, and that which We ordained for Ibrahim, Musa and 'Isa saying you should establish religion and make no divisions in it.)(42:13) This is the covenant which Allah took from them, as He says:

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ وَمِنْكَ وَمِنْ نُوحٍ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ۖ 

(And when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and 'Isa son of Maryam.) This Ayah begins with the last Prophet, as a token of respect, may the blessings of Allah be upon him, then the names of the other Prophets are given in order, may the blessings of Allah be upon them.

Ibn 'Abbas said: "The strong covenant is Al-'Ahd (the covenant).

لِيَسْأَلَ الصَّادِقِينَ عَنْ صِدْقِهِمْ ۚ 

(That He may ask the truthful about their truth.) Mujahid said: "This refers to, those who convey the Message from the Messengers."

وَأَعَدَّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ 

(And He has prepared for the disbelievers) i.e., among their nations,

عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

(a painful torment.) i.e., agonizing. We bear witness that the Messengers did indeed convey the Message of their Lord and advised their nations, and that they clearly showed them the truth in which there is no confusion, doubt or ambiguity, even though they were rejected by the ignorant, stubborn and rebellious wrongdoers. What the Messengers brought is the truth, and whoever opposes them is misguided. As the people of Paradise will say:

لَقَدْ جَاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ ۖ 

(Indeed, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth.)(7:43)