Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 122
عَن أبي بن كَعْب فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ (وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورهمْ ذرياتهم وأشهدهم على أنفسهم) الْآيَة قَالَ جمعهم فجعلهم أرواحا ثُمَّ صَوَّرَهُمْ فَاسْتَنْطَقَهُمْ فَتَكَلَّمُوا ثُمَّ أَخَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعَهْدَ وَالْمِيثَاقَ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالَ فَإِنِّي أشهد عَلَيْكُم السَّمَوَات السَّبْعَ وَالْأَرَضِينَ السَّبْعَ وَأُشْهِدُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَبَاكُمْ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لَمْ نَعْلَمْ بِهَذَا اعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ غَيْرِي وَلَا رَبَّ غَيْرِي فَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِي شَيْئا وَإِنِّي سَأُرْسِلُ إِلَيْكُمْ رُسُلِي يُذَكِّرُونَكُمْ عَهْدِي وَمِيثَاقِي وَأُنْزِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ كُتُبِي قَالُوا شَهِدْنَا بِأَنَّكَ رَبُّنَا وَإِلَهُنَا لَا رب لَنَا غَيْرُكَ فَأَقَرُّوا بِذَلِكَ وَرُفِعَ عَلَيْهِمْ آدَمُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ فَرَأَى الْغَنِيَّ وَالْفَقِيرَ وَحَسَنَ الصُّورَةِ وَدُونَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا سَوَّيْتَ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ وَرَأَى الْأَنْبِيَاءَ فِيهِمْ مِثْلَ السُّرُجِ عَلَيْهِمُ النُّورُ خُصُّوا بِمِيثَاقٍ آخَرَ فِي الرِّسَالَةِ وَالنُّبُوَّةِ وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى (وَإِذ أَخذنَا من النَّبِيين ميثاقهم) إِلَى قَوْله (عِيسَى ابْن مَرْيَم) كَانَ فِي تِلْكَ الْأَرْوَاحِ فَأَرْسَلَهُ إِلَى مَرْيَمَ فَحُدِّثَ عَنْ أُبَيٍّ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ مِنْ فِيهَا. رَوَاهُ أَحْمد
Regarding God’s words, ‘When your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them testify about themselves’—to the end of the verse—Ubayy ibn Kaʿb said: He gathered them and made them spirits, then formed them and enabled them to speak, and they spoke. Then He took from them a covenant and pledge and made them testify about themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ He said, ‘I call the seven heavens and the seven earths to witness against you, and I call your father Adam to witness, lest you say on the Day of Resurrection, “We knew nothing of this.” Know that there is no deity other than Me and no lord other than Me, so do not associate anything with Me. I will send messengers to you to remind you of My covenant and pledge, and I will send down books to you.’ They said, ‘We bear witness that You are our Lord and our deity; we have no lord other than You.’ They affirmed this. Adam was raised above them and looked at them. He saw the rich and the poor, the beautiful and those less so, and said, ‘My Lord, why did You not make Your servants equal?’ He replied, ‘I wanted to be thanked.’ He saw among them the prophets, like lamps with light upon them. They were singled out with another covenant concerning messengership and prophethood; this is His saying, exalted be He, ‘And when We took from the prophets their covenant,’ through His words, ‘Jesus son of Mary.’ He was among those spirits, and He sent him to Mary. It is related from Ubayy that he entered through her mouth. Aḥmad transmitted it.