Chapter 3 verse 82
“And remember the time when Allah took a covenant from the people through the Prophets, saying: ‘Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom and then there comes to you a Messenger, fulfilling that which is with you, you shall believe in him and help him.’ And He said: ‘Do you agree, and do you accept the responsibility which I lay upon you in this matter?’ They said, ‘We agree;’ He said, ‘Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.” (Chapter 3 Verse 82)
This is such a beautiful verse and outlines the covenant that whenever a Messenger comes to you fulfilling what is with you, you should believe in him and also help him. This shows that as the Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) did bring a book, The Holy Qur’an, a messenger had to come for his ummah and under his shariah. Some Non Ahmadis have firstly tried claiming that this ayah was for the prophets before the Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) and the promise referred to them having to accept the Prophet(saw) if they saw him. This is totally flawed as no prophet saw the Prophet(saw) and all had died before him. Some raise the allegation that no, Isa(as) is alive which is also a false belief but then I humbly ask them that if this refers to Isa(as) then where was he when the Prophet Muhammad(saw) was being persecuted? Him not coming to help the Prophet(saw) from the heavens as the Non Ahmadis believe he is there, itself proves that Isa(as) has died. However, Allah has made it clear that this covenant was indeed also taken from the Prophet Muhammad(saw). Allah states:
“And remember when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from thee, and from Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus, son of Mary, and We indeed took from them a solemn covenant” (Chapter 33 Verse 8)
Allah has clearly stated that he Has taken the Covenant from the Prophet Muhammad(saw) as well as from the other Prophets.
These verses are beautifully explained by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra. He states:
“This verse is considered to apply to other Prophets in general and to the Holy Prophet in particular. Both applications are correct. The verse lays own a general rule. The advent of every Prophet takes place in fulfillment of certain prophecies made by a previous Prophet in which he enjoins his followers to accept the next Prophet when he makes his appearance. If the Prophet comes n fulfillment of the prophecies contained in the scriptures of one people only, as was the case with Jesus and other Israelite Prophets, then only that people are bound to accept and help him; but if the scriptures of all religions predict the coming of a Prophet, as in the case of the Holy Prophet, then all nations are bound to accept him.
The Holy Prophet appeared in fulfillment of the Prophecies not only of the Israelite Prophets (Isa. 21L13-15, Deut 18:18, 33:2, John 14:25-26, 16:7-13) but also of the Aryan Seers and Buddhist and Zoroastrian Sages. We have the following prophecy in Dasatir, the sacred scripture of the Parsis: “When the people of Iran will begin to do such (i.e evil) deeds, there shall appear from among the Arabs a man whose followers shall abolish the crown, the throne, the kingdom, and the religion of Iran. The headstrong shall become humble and a house without idols shall take the place of idol-houses and fire temples and to it shall they turn their faces in worship” (Safrang Dasatir, Page 18, Siraji Press, Delhi). The words are too clear to need comment. A similar prophecy is found in Jamaspi, a work of Jamasp, the first successor of Zoroaster (Jamaspi, published by Nizam al Masha’ikh Delhi, 130 A.H) (Five Volume Commentary of the Holy Qur’an Page 423)
Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadra States:
“Here is another verse dealing with the covenant Allah had taken from the Prophets and, through them, from their peoples. The gist of the covenant was if future prophets come supporting what is contained in the Book and the Wisdom bestowed on them then the people should not oppose him but support him and assist him and believe in him. The Prophets are being placed under obligation to enjoin their people not to reject a claimant to prophethood in the future who meets these criteria. What a remarkable covenant. Having said this, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is addressed directly in this verse: “And remember when we took from the prophets their covenant, and from thee…“.
That is to say the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was pointedly charged with the responsibility to place his Ummah under obligation to believe in the Prophet appearing after him with the condition that this prophet would support the Book and Wisdom previously bestowed on the people and would devote himself to the service of the Faith. This covenant was taken from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) even when the Teaching and prophethood had achieved perfection.
Commenting on this verse, Allama Fakhruddin Razi says in Al Tafseer Al Kabir Vol. 8, page 114 (printed in Tehran): “The only meaning of this verse is to clearly state that Allah had made it incumbent on all prophets (and their followers) to believe in every prophet who comes ‘fulfilling that which is with them’.”
Allama Razi has made a very subtle point. It means that as long as a Divine Dispensation remains operative and it is not abrogated by God, a false prophet would not come and work towards the fulfillment and completion of the Divine Dispensation. A false prophet would come to work against the truth. A claimant to prophethood who works in the service of the Faith must be fully supported by the people. The covenant is addressed to the prophets since they are the leaders of the people. The prophets themselves would never oppose the truth.
About the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), the Holy Quran says so great was his submission to the Will of Allah that if there were ever to be a real son of God, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) would be the first to accept him. He loved God and would submit readily to any commandments from Him. In the presence of all these verses from the Holy Quran, our opponents still oppose the truth.”(The True Meaning of Khatme Nabuwwat, Page 59)