The Eternal Covenant

In the beginning, long before humans walked the earth as we know it, Allah, exalted and mighty, gathered all the souls of Adam’s descendants in the heart of Mecca, at the Valley of Na'maan. There, He took from them a covenant, an eternal promise inscribed upon the core of their being. “Am I not your Lord?” He asked, and with one voice, every soul answered, “Yes, we testify.” (Surah Al-A'raf, 7:172). This moment sealed the innate fitrah—the pure, natural inclination toward faith in the Creator—within every human heart.

It was reported that the Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings be Upon Him said, "God made the covenant from Adam’s back in Na‘man, i.e. ‘Arafa, and brought forth from his loins all his offspring whom He created and scattered before Him like small ants."

This divine imprint is the silent call within each soul, urging it toward belief, even if buried by doubt or obscured by disbelief. It is why, in moments of crisis, even those who claim to reject faith find themselves reaching out to something greater, an echo of that ancient promise. As the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “Every child is born in a state of fitrah,” reflecting this sacred covenant taken long before their earthly life.

The fitrah is not seen with the eyes but felt deeply, a testament that allows belief in the unseen to flourish. If that initial covenant had been visible to all, the very test of life would have lost its meaning, for faith must arise from choice, nurtured by guidance and tested by trials.

Islamic scholars throughout the ages explained that every soul was created with an inherent acknowledgment that Allah is their Lord. The fitrah is the essence that ties humanity to that declaration in the Valley of Na'maan—a bond that may be clouded but never erased. This natural disposition leads one toward the oneness of God, even if the influences of the world attempt to pull the heart astray.

Yet, belief remains a choice, a journey that each soul must navigate. The fitrah acts as a compass, whispering reminders of that ancient covenant. It stands as proof that Allah, in His wisdom, endowed every human with the capacity for faith, so that on the Day of Judgment, none can say, “I did not know.”