Every saying of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has a correlation with verses of Qur'an and is thus a prophetly explanation of what is contained in Qur'an. Sometime back we shared a Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on Fitrah. "Fitra or fitrah (Arabic: فطرة) is an Arabic word that means 'original disposition', 'natural constitution' or 'innate nature'. In Islam, fitrah is the innate human nature that recognizes the oneness of God (tawhid). It may entail either the state of purity and innocence in which Muslims believe all humans to be born, or the ability to choose or reject God's guidance."
The Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ narrated by Abu Huraira states:
"No child is born but upon Fitrah. It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Polytheist." A person said: Allah's Messenger, what is your opinion if they were to die before that (before reaching the age of adolescence when they can distinguish between right and wrong)? He said: It is Allah alone Who knows what they would be doing.
we have already written a detailed post on this Hadith: Every child is born in a state of Fitrah (Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), which may be referred to for better understanding of the Hadith.
This Hadith of Fitrah is deeply to Qur’an 7:172 in Islamic theology. Both refer to the idea of an inherent, primordial recognition of God placed within human beings. Let's explore their meanings and how they correlate.
The Hadith of Fitrah
Fitrah in this according to many Islamic scholars, this Fitrah includes a basic recognition of Tawhid (the Oneness of God). It implies that belief in Allah is embedded in the human soul from birth.
Qur’an 7:172
Now let us find a correlation between the above quoted Hadith with the 172nd verse of Surah 7. Al A'raf given herein under:
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ
And ˹remember˺ when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and had them testify regarding themselves. ˹Allah asked,˺ “Am I not your Lord?” They replied, “Yes, You are! We testify.” ˹He cautioned,˺ “Now you have no right to say on Judgment Day, ‘We were not aware of this.’
Eminent Muslim scholar Imam Ahmad bin Humbal in his book explains:
God gathered all human beings, divided them into different groups, granted them human form and the faculty of speech, made them enter into a covenant, and then making them witnesses against themselves He asked them: 'Am I not your Lord?' They replied: 'Assuredly you are Our Lord.' Then God told them: 'I call upon the sky and the earth and your own progenitor, Adam, to be witness against you lest you should say on the Day of Judgement that you were ignorant of this. Know well that no one other than Me deserves to he worshipped and no one other than Me is your Lord. So do not ascribe any partner to Me. I shall send to you My Messengers who will remind you of this covenant which you made with Me. I shall send down to you My Books.' In reply all said: 'We witness that You are Our Lord and our Deity. We have no lord or deity other than You.' (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, p. 135 - Ed.)
This verse thus describes that:
- The "Primordial Covenant" (Mithaq) that Allah took from all human souls before their earthly existence.
- All souls affirmed God’s Lordship with the response "Bala" (Yes!).
- This testimony serves as a foundational awareness that humans are accountable to recognize and worship Allah.
Now let us try to find a correlation between the Hadith and the Verse of Surah Al A'raf:
Innate Knowledge of God
- Hadith of Fitrah: Every child is born with a natural inclination toward belief in One God.
- Qur'an 7:172: Every soul testified to God's Lordship before birth.
Accountability
- Hadith of Fitrah: People deviate due to external influences (e.g., parents, society).
- Qur'an 7:172: Humans cannot claim ignorance of God’s existence on Judgment Day.
Divine Imprint
- Hadith of Fitrah: God instills Fitrah as part of human nature.
- Qur'an 7:172: God extracted a testimony from human souls, forming a spiritual imprint.
Original Purity
- Hadith of Fitrah: Fitrah is a symbol of original spiritual purity.
- Qur'an 7:172: The Primordial Covenant reflects pre-earthly spiritual awareness.
Conclusion
The Hadith of Fitrah and Qur’an 7:172 complement each other by reinforcing the idea that human beings have an inborn awareness of God. While the Hadith highlights the role of nurture and external influences, the Qur'anic verse focuses on a pre-temporal, spiritual event that binds all souls to divine accountability.
Together, the Hadith and the Qur'anic verse underpin a major Islamic theological point: belief in God is natural and intrinsic, not acquired, and deviation from it is due to external, worldly influences.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Photo: Pixabay| Qur'an and Hadith References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | Source of Hadith
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