We will reflect on this verse carefully because it raises a logical question: How did Allah (swt) take the descendants of the children of Adam from their loins, bear witness over them, speak to them, and how did they respond? Let us analyze this matter:

( وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ ) (And [mention] when your Lord took): Allah (swt) is the Taker.

( مِن بَنِي آدَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ ) (from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants): The children of Adam had something that was taken from them.

Before each one of our mothers became pregnant with us, we were seeds in our father’s loins; and our fathers were seeds in their father’s loins and so on, all the way back to our father Adam (PBUH). Thus, Adam (PBUH) was the first one from whom all the people were taken. Allah (swt) gathered all these seeds in the world of Al-Thar.

( وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ) (and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?”): Allah (swt) addressed all of mankind in the world of Al-Thar.

( قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَا ) (They said, “Yes, we have testified.”): This is the testimony in the world of Al-Thar. There is also the testimony of the Self for the Self:

 شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

(Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge – [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.) (Aal-Imraan: 18)

Here, Allah (swt) addresses them, but how? Allah (swt) is Able to address His creatures with words, signs, inspiration, and revelation, addresses in a manner befitting His (swt) Majesty and Greatness. Allah (swt) addresses the mountains in the following verse:

يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ

(“O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him) (Saba: 10)

Allah (swt) also addresses the heavens and the earth:

 ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ

(Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, “Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion.” They said, “We have come willingly.”) (Fussilat: 11)

Thus, Allah (swt) here speaks to the souls in the world of Al-Thar in a language understood by them, and they answered with: (“Yes, we have testified.”). This testimony is a representation of the innate disposition placed in the human soul. As the Prophet (saws) said:

“Every child is born upon the fitrah.”[1]

There is an innate disposition within every person, manifesting the belief in Allah (swt) in the world of Al-Thar.

[1] Sahih Al-Bukhari, the Book of Funerals, no. 1292.