God’s Covenant with Bani Isra’il regarding Faith and Good Deeds
These are acts that Muslims, Like the Bani Isra’il have been commanded to do.
God says in the Quran: “(Remember) when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel, you shall worship none except Allah. Show kindness to your parents, to kinsmen, to the orphans, and to the needy, and speak of goodness to people. Establish your prayers and pay the obligatory charity. But, except for a few, you all turned your backs and gave no heed.” (Verse 83 of Surah Al-Baqarah)
What a covenant in which there is nothing but goodness and mercy. It invites people to get to the mercy of God, the Almighty, and live together with kindness, justice and goodness.
The content of this covenant can be summarized into two points: Worshipping the one God and doing good deeds.
Worshipping God, who is the absolute truth, will unite the human society and bring every human to unity from within.
German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe has said that in order to get free from anxieties and reach health of the soul there is nothing better than faith in the one God.
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As for good deeds, some of the top ones include helping and respecting parents, helping relatives, orphans and the poor, performing Salah and paying Zakat.
That Muslims have been commanded to do these like the Bani Isra’il were shows that such deeds are not just for a certain people.
God says in this verse that except for a few individuals, the Bani Isra’il broke the covenant and elsewhere God says that Muslims did it too, which shows that peoples in different times and religions may refuse to follow divine prophets due to selfishness and pursuing worldly desires.
Remaining committed to the covenant of God, the most important social and moral needs of Muslims and non-Muslims can be secured. If faith in God is in people’s hearts, everyone honor their parents and help their relatives, orphans, and the poor, speak well of one another, pay Zakat and establish an uninterrupted bond with God through Salah, we would witness such a beautiful world.
This covenant can be regarded as one that guarantees happiness in this world and the next.
