3:81 And when God took the compact of the prophets, “I have given you of the Book and wisdom. Then a messenger will come to you confirming what is with you. You shall surely have faith in him and you shall surely help him.”
In the whole Qur’an, there is no verse more complete in explaining the excellence of Muṣṭafā, to whom this verse is devoted without the association of anyone else. The Lord of the Worlds made two covenants with His creatures and took two compacts from them. One was the compact He took from the creatures concerning His Godhood and Enactorship, as He said: “When your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their offspring and made them bear witness concerning themselves. ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes indeed’” [7:172]. The other is the compact He took with the angels and the prophets concerning Muḥammad’s prophethood and helping him, as He says, “And when God took the compact of the prophets.” This is an utmost bestowal of eminence and a perfect acknowledgment of excellence, for He made his name great with His own name and lifted up his measure with His measure.
Several thousand years before the existence of Muḥammad, a command came, “O Gabriel! I will have a friend whose name is Muḥammad. He will be praised and caressed by Me, his name will be placed next to My name, his measure will be lifted up by My bounty, his being obeyed will be obedience to Me, his words will be My revelation, and following him will be friendship with Me. O Gabriel! You make a covenant with Me to have faith in him and help him.” This was when He said, “You shall surely have faith in him and you shall surely help him.” Gabriel said, “O Lord, I make a covenant that my hand will be one with his hand, I will help, and I will have faith in him.”
God said, “O Gabriel! Keep to this covenant and do not oppose it.”
He said, “O Lord, who would have the gall to oppose You?!”
Then He said, “O Michael! You be a witness to Gabriel’s covenant.” Then in the same way He made a covenant with Michael, and He told Gabriel to be witness to Michael’s covenant. He made the same covenant with Seraphiel and Azrael. After He created Adam, He made the same covenant with Adam, and Adam accepted it. After Adam, He spoke to Seth, and Seth accepted—and so on and so forth, generation after generation. Here you have nobility and excellence! Here you have level and rank! Who else has bounty so complete? Who else has his work so well arranged? This is heavenly exaltedness.
