According to the Islamic worldview, people are created to know and worship their Creator, Almighty Allah. This fundamental truth manifested itself even before our physical existence.

When Allah sent Prophet Adam, the father of humanity, to earth, He took from the loins of either Adam himself or his children their descendants and made them testify about themselves, asking: 'Am I not your Lord?' They replied: 'Yes, we have testified' (al-A’raf 172).

This testimony was taken after Allah had made people aware of Him as their Creator and Lord, and of themselves as His creation and servants. He also revealed the meaning and purpose of life, which centers on humanity's mission as His vicegerents.

Additionally, He informed them that He would send His Prophets with His Books and guidance to remind them of their duties towards the Creator. Hence, the covenant included both immediate awareness (knowledge) and subsequent action.

The evidence of the covenant

The everlasting evidence of the covenant is the fitrah, or inborn human nature, which constantly acknowledges, yearns for, and seeks its Creator. No one of sound mind would claim that there is nothing beyond the physical dimension of life and that man is thrust into life's dynamics by himself and on his own.

Human nature’s endless restlessness and curiosity prove that the mentioned covenant has neither been erased from our collective memory nor forgotten by any son of Adam. The covenant's unnecessary details, as required by Allah's will and wisdom, have been allowed to be blanked out, but its essence and intended impact remain.

Each soul strives to enrich its capacities and reconnect with the terms of the covenant. However, some people succeed while others fail. This is where the supportive aspects of the covenant come in. To facilitate the remembrance, return to, and execution of the covenant, Allah kept sending Prophets and revealing His Books through them. He also spread His countless signs throughout all of creation, from the grandest to the most ordinary aspects.

Those who are willing to listen can perceive a harmonious blend of voices that validate the truth and invite others to embrace it. This way, people are presented with everything they need to be properly enlightened and guided to the foundation of Allah’s servitude and worship.

If they reject this proposition, they will have no justification on the Day of Judgment for their failure. Excuses such as being unaware or ignorant of the covenant (al-A’raf 172), or being influenced or misled by the wrongs of their forefathers (al-A’raf 173), will not be acceptable.

One might say that the onus is placed on each and every individual, indicating that it is their duty to make informed and wise choices. By doing so, they are empowered to steer their lives in the direction they desire, thereby determining their own ultimate fates It is certainly because of this that the Qur’anic verse featuring this personal covenant (al-A’raf 172) comes immediately after a series of verses highlighting the failure of the Children of Israel to uphold their collective national covenant with Allah.

This can be interpreted in the sense that failing to fulfill the stipulations of covenants with Allah, whether individual or collective, leads to serious repercussions. If the Children of Israel, instead of becoming shining examples of human civilization due to Allah’s many blessings, represented by the collective Abrahamic covenant, had instead become the degenerates of history and civilization, then every individual can face the same fate on a personal level if they fail to heed the reminders of their covenant with Allah.

Ramadan and the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad

By virtue of being the last Prophet who brought the final Testament to humanity (the Holy Qur’an), Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) mission serves as the crucial reminder of people’s covenant with Allah and the final guidance towards fulfilling it. The first revelation given to him during the Night of Qadr in the month of Ramadan encapsulates this message.

The Prophet has been instructed to read in the name of his Lord, Allah, who is the only Creator. He created man—and everything else—and is also the most Generous Lord, who taught the use of the pen and taught man what he did not know (al-‘Alaq 1-5).

It is easy to discern that the content of this first revelation to Prophet Muhammad reflects the substance of the covenant undertaken between Allah as the Lord and people as His servants. They have been reminded thereby for the last time. Owing to that, the Prophet and the Qur’an are often called “reminders”, the Prophet is asked to “remind”, people are invited to “remember” and their spiritual accomplishments are simply equated with “remembrance.” 

When the Prophet was instructed to read in the name of “his Lord,” he did not ask who his Lord was. He knew it very well because of the internal realizations generated by the fitrah, which could not be contaminated by any external influences. The fitrah is a person’s innermost treasure, a bond so profound that nothing can intervene between it and the person.

The manifestations and workings of the fitrah outside the self are different and can be influenced by external elements. Which is what the Prophet meant when he said: “Every child is born in a state of fitrah, then his parents make him into a Jew or a Christian or a Zoroastrian” (Sahih al-Bukhari). What can be changed is a person, not his fitrah, whose urges can only be disregarded and, to some extent, repressed.

Thus, if the Prophet was clear about his Lord, he was puzzled about the meaning of the imperative 'read'. The reason for this is that, unlike the lordship of Allah, which is a direct connection between Him and one' inner self, knowledge involves both internal abilities and external influences. If the former is pure, originating from the fitrah, the latter is not always so. 

On account of a mix of internal and external factors, knowledge often becomes distorted and misused for inappropriate ends.

Having been surrounded by environments of godlessness and ignorance, and having yet to be admitted into the office of apostleship, the Prophet’s understanding of the practical aspects of “reading” was not initially aligned with his internal awareness.

Consequently, his repeated responses to the command “iqra’” (read!) indicated that he did not know how to read or that he was not capable of reading. The Prophet was still an ordinary human being, unaware of what Allah had in store for him regarding the shaping of human civilization. He therefore hesitated, even showing trepidation as a sign of his humanity and human limitations.

The Islamic idea of reading

Even though he was outwardly unlettered and unable to read, the Prophet was still asked to read. This is due to the fact that Islamic views on reading and knowledge are closely tied to humanity’s covenant with Allah and their ontological purpose as well as destiny. These views go beyond the limits of time, space, and artificial social or cultural norms.

They focus on understanding the complexity of life, the self, and creation as a whole, in both physical and metaphysical ways. To achieve this understanding, a remarkable hierarchy of knowledge is required, with the conventional knowledge at the lowest level and the revealed knowledge at the highest.

The first revelation was given to the Prophet during Ramadan, the month of fasting. This was not by accident. The reason is that during Ramadan, believers reach the highest level of epistemological consciousness and spiritual advancement. Showing His deep love and care for His servants, Allah arranged everything for these achievements. This makes things easier, allowing many to perform almost like angels.

However, looking from another perspective, Ramadan is truly a gift and an opportunity for people to remember who they are, what they are meant to be, and how to draw closer to their Lord, living in accordance with the covenant they have undertaken.

The intensity of worship, the increase in piety, the improvement of ethical conduct, and the recitation, contemplation, memorization, and study of the Qur’an as the supreme source of knowledge and wisdom during Ramadan provide a perfect occasion to not only revive but also fully implement the essence of the covenant.

Thus, during Ramadan, instead of being like angels, believers are more like themselves, in line with the provisos of the covenant. Their situation exemplifies what could be described as human perfection.

After Ramadan

Needless to say, the challenge for every believer is how to maintain the spirit of Ramadan after Eid and how to remain steadfast in following the covenant's stipulations. Once the devils are set free, human desires are unleashed, and other 'lords' and forms of knowledge are given more freedom to surround us, those agents can invade our lives under the guise of work, study, leisure, entertainment, and shopping, often at the expense of our relationship with our true Lord and His revealed knowledge.

The question is how believers will cope with these assaults from all sides. The answer is simple. We must remember that the Lord of Ramadan is also the Lord of other months, and that the revealed knowledge (the Qur’an and Sunnah) is the source and purifier of all other knowledge and in all circumstances, not only during Ramadan but also outside it.

Positively, people can earn either Paradise or Hell as much during Ramadan as during other Months. Ramadan is not meant for us to be intermittently pious, switching our faith on when needed and off when it is not. This behavior teaches a form of hypocrisy.

Instead, Ramadan serves as a benchmark for a person's spiritual and intellectual growth. It is like a promotion exercise, where a believer progresses from one level to another, always moving forward and never stalling or regressing. Ramadan also provides an opportunity for self-assessment, allowing one to correct his ways and continue with greater dedication and confidence.

Moreover, believers should be creative and adopt a proactive approach. If during Ramadan they experienced absolute spiritual, ethical, and intellectual goodness, they should feel compelled to delight in and share it beyond Ramadan. If the main centers of Ramadan were mosques and homes, then the reach of the Islamic message, as represented by Ramadan and its outcomes, should extend far beyond these places to include all segments of society and life.

For example, reading, studying, reflecting on, and applying the Qur’an should not be limited to the blessed nights and days of the fasting month or confined to the sanctuary of the mosque institution. Instead, it should continue seamlessly after Ramadan and influence the rest of human activities and their contexts. Our covenant with Allah is a matter of existence, not just the season of Ramadan and fasting.

Similarly, people cannot worship Allah during Ramadan and in mosques, then idolize and exalt someone or something else afterwards and in other spheres of life. They also cannot allow their children to learn about Islam only during the fasting period in religious institutions and perhaps at home, while exposing them to and inviting them to something completely opposite afterwards and elsewhere.

The completion of the existential cycle

Allah is the Lord, Islam is the religion, the Prophet is the role model, and the Qur’an is the guidance for life, not just for a moment or an occasion. As a result, since everything began with the covenant referencing Allah and His lordship – and, in relation to Islam, with the Prophet’s first revelation in the Cave Hira’ during the month of Ramadan, which also referenced Allah and His lordship, the supreme role of the revealed knowledge, Islam as the only truth and path to self-fulfillment, and the Prophet himself as the Seal of prophets - everything is destined to conclude in a similar manner as well.

The way life commenced is to end. Such is the power of life’s spiritual paradigm that presides over its proceedings, whether people knew and liked it or not. The relationship between Allah and humankind lies at the heart of both life’s beginning and end.

Hence, once a person's life journey is over and he is laid to rest in his grave, he will face the first and most important exam of the afterlife. It is no surprise that he will first be asked about his Lord, then about his religion, prophet (guide and role model), and the nature and source of knowledge (the Qur'an). The first question (Who is your Lord?) will resonate perfectly with the one that marked the beginning of the terrestrial affair (Am I not your Lord?). For obvious reasons, believers will welcome this alignment, while nonbelievers will dread it.

And like so, the existential cycle will be completed. The entire story of human destiny began with the question: “Am I not your Lord? (al-A’raf 172)” and ended with the questions: “Who is your Lord?”, “What is your religion?”, “Who is your prophet (this man to whom the revelation was given)?” and “What made you know (all this and other consequential matters, the answer being the Qur’an)?” (Sunan Abi Dawud).

Blessed in the end will be those whose answers are consistent throughout, and doomed will be those whose answers are anything but.