Musnad Ahmad Hadith 21232

It is narrated from Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the interpretation of this verse: "When your Lord brought forth from the loins of Adam (peace be upon him) his progeny and made them bear witness against themselves," that Allah Almighty gathered all the progeny of Adam (peace be upon him), transferred them into spirits, then gave them forms, and granted them the power of speech, so they began to speak. Then Allah Almighty took a covenant from them and made them testify about themselves, saying: "Am I not your Lord?" And He said: "I make the seven heavens and the seven earths witnesses over you, and I make your father Adam a witness over you, so that on the Day of Resurrection you may not say, 'We had no knowledge of this.' Remember! There is no deity besides Me, there is no Lord besides Me, so do not associate anyone with Me. And I will continue to send My messengers to you, who will remind you of the covenant you made with Me, and I will send down My books upon you." All of them said in one voice: "We bear witness that You alone are our Lord and our God; there is no Lord for us besides You, and there is no deity for us besides You." Thus, they acknowledged this. Then Adam (peace be upon him) was raised above them so that he could see them all. He saw that among his progeny were the rich and the poor, the beautiful and the ugly. So he said: "O Lord! Why did You not make Your servants all alike?" Allah Almighty said: "I like that I should be thanked." Then Adam (peace be upon him) saw among them the Prophets (peace be upon them) shining like lamps, upon whom light was radiating, and from whom, in particular, a separate covenant regarding the office of Prophethood and Messengership was also taken. This is indicated in the verse: "And when We took from the Prophets their covenant". All this happened in the realm of spirits. Isa (peace be upon him) was also among them, and his spirit entered Maryam (peace be upon her) through her mouth.