The Day of “Am I Not Your Lord?”

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Would you please tell me what is ‘ruz-e-alast’?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that you are well, insha’Allah.

The day of “Am I not your Lord?” (Alastu bi Rabbikum) is the day when all of the children of our father Adam were made to acknowledge the oneness of their Lord and Creator.

This is the day mentioned in the words of Allah Most High, “When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?”- They said: “Yea! We do testify!” (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: “Of this we were never mindful”” [7:172]

Imam al-Haddad mentions in his work The Lives of Man (Sabil al-Iddikar wa al-`Itibar) that this event occurred at Nu`man, a valley near `Arafat. Though, as Qurtubi mentions in his tafsir, there are a number of narrations as to where and when this covenant took place, some said that it was after Adam’s descent to earth, others said that it happened just before or after, and others said it happened in Heaven. The upshot however, is that all of mankind was brought to life, testified, and returned to the loins of their father Adam (Allah bless him and give him peace).

Itfaysh relates in his Taysir al-Tafsir that Allah Most High said to them, “Realize that there is no god but I, there is no Lord for you but Me, and I will take vengeance from he who associates partners with Me, and I will send to you those who will remind you of this covenant, and I will send down scriptures.”

They affirmed this (Bala) and testified against themselves, lest they should say on the day of reckoning that they were unaware of such a covenant, “Of this we were never mindful.”

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani