“O You who believe I Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor; for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your heart), lest you swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted -with all that you do.” (Nissa: 135) Hazrat Abu Bakr narrates Allah has stated: “May I not tell you the major sins ?” Three times he repeated the same thing. We requested: “Why not O Messenger of Allah ?” He replied: “To associate some one else with Allah, to disobey the parents and to murder some one unjustly.” He was leaning. Then he got up and said: “And to tell lies and to give false evidence.” He went on repeating it till we said to ourselves it would be better if he were silent then.” (Bukhari)
Trickery and deception is a falsehood which has layers and layers of darkness. It does not only involve the concealment of truth but it also tries to prove that the falsehood is truth. In some special matters it harms only a few individuals but in public matters it becomes a severe and deadly danger against the whole nation. For this reason the Prophet has very bluntly and emphatically counselled to keep away from it and bas warned against it.
Do not break your Promises The traders and the industrialists particularly should take special care to see that they keep their promises, that they are true to their words and that they do not change their stand. It is a very sad state of affairs that among the Muslims the tendency of breaking promises and crossing the limits has become very common, when their religion has termed the false promises as symbols of disruption.
The Messenger of Allah considered the words coming out from the mouth as holy and the words that fell on his ears as respectable. Before attaining prophet hood, these qualities of decency and manliness were found in his character. Abdullah bin Abi Hama says that he entered into a contract for the sale of a commodity with the Prophet before he was blessed with prophet-hood, and some commodities had remained to be sold. He promised to the prophet that he would hand over a certain thing to him at a certain place. Then he forgot all about this. After three days he remembered his promise and went to the appointed place. He saw that the Prophet was present at the spot. He only said this: “O young man! You worried me. I am waiting here for you for the last three days .” (Abu Daud) It is narrated that the Prophet had promised Jabir bin Abdullah that he would give him some gifts from the stock of articles coming from Bahrain, but before fulfilling this promise he died. When the stock from Bahrain arrived at the place of the First Caliph, he caused an announcement to be made in the public that anyone whom the Prophet might have promised to give something from this stock or anyone who had lent something to the Prophet should come to him and take away his due” (Bukhari) It is worth noting how the words are appraised and they are enforced, so that they may not become worthless if left uncared for. False promises do untold harm to the interests of the society. They cause inconvenience to the people and waste time, Redeeming your pledges is a commendable quality. Allah considers fulfilling of promises as one of the attributes of prophet-hood : “Also mention in the Book (the story of) Ismail; he was true to what he promised and he was a Messenger, Prophet. He used to enjoin on his people prayer and charity and he was most acceptable in sight of the Lord “ (Maryam.. 54-55) In these verses the order of the good qualities show what position the quality of fulfilling of promises enjoys; and Ismail showed that he was true to his word when his father told him that he saw a dream in which he was slaughtering his son, Ismail, and asked him what he thought about it. The son, who was true to his word, replied: “God willing, you will find me patient and steadfast.” Sometimes man relies on falsehood when he commits a mistake, and he wants to save himself from the bad consequences of that mistake. This is very unwise and brings a bad name. It amounts to going from one evil to another, which is worse than the first evil. It is necessary that man should own his mistakes. It is likely that his truthfulness and his sense of sorrow over his mistake may save him from the bad consequences and he may be pardoned. When a Muslim senses some danger or is afraid to speak the truth, it is proper that he should show courage and try to avoid getting ensnared in the net of falsehood. Allah's Messenger has said: “ Adopt truth, even if you see your destruction in it, for the (final) salvation is in it.” (Ibn Abi-duniya) In another hadith it is mentioned: “When a person tells a lie, the bad odour that emanates from it keeps the angels one mile away.” (Tirmizi)
Truth of Speech leads to Truth of Action If a man is truthful and straight in his speech and dealings, then inevitably there will be truthfulness and sincerity in his actions and goodness and reform in his conditions. By adopting truthful and straight methods in dealing with others, this light of truth also illuminates man's heart and mind and their darkness also vanish: “O you who believe ! Fear Allah and (always) say a word directed to the right;. that He may make your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your sins ;. He that obeys Allah and His Messenger has already attained the highest achievement.” (Ahzab.. 70-71) Right action is the desired actions about which there is no misgiving, because it is the creation of certainty. There is no idea of defect in that, because it is the companion of sincerity. There is no curve in it, because its source is truth. The success of the communities and nations in the matter of conveying their message depends on the fact that the bearers of the message must be performers of right action, If they have an abundant record of right and truthful action, then they can reach the zenith of success and glory, otherwise they swerve from their destination in the way, for mere idleness, senseless activities, slogan shouting and self-praise would not be of any use. Allah's Messenger has said: “Adopt truth, for truth shows the path of righteousness, and righteousness shows the path to Paradise. A man speaks the truth regularly and adopts truthful ways till he is recorded as a truthful person before Allah; and keep away from falsehood, for falsehood leads to wickedness, and wickedness throws in the Hell, A person tells lies regularly and attaches himself to falsehood till he is recorded as a liar before Allah,” (Fathul Bari)
Evil and wickedness towards which the habit of telling lies leads is the last stage of the destruction of self and the lowness of faith. Imam Malik has reported about the hadith narrated by Ibn Masood: ” A person regularly tells lies and adopts falsehood (as his policy), till a black point is imprinted in his heart, and slowly and slowly the whole heart becomes black. At that time his name is entered in the list of liars before Allah.” Allah has stated in Quran : “It is those who believe not in the Signs of Allah that forge falsehood, it is they who lie.” (Nahl: 105) Righteousness whose path is shown by truth is the highest peak of goodness to which only men of high determination can reach. In this connection the following verses of the holy Quran would suffice: “It is no virtue that you turn your face to the East and the West, but virtue is that one should believe in Allah, and the Last Day and the angels and the prophets; and spend out of love for Him his wealth on relatives and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and on those who ask and for ransom of the slaves and establish salat and pay zakat. And those who fulfil the pledges they make and steadfast in adversity and affliction and in times of struggle, such are the people as are truthful and God fearing.” (Baqarah: 177) CHAPTER 8
The Broader Sense of Trust Islam expects of its followers that they will be masters of live hearts and wakeful conscience, which would ensure the protection of the rights of God and humanity and which would also protect their action: from the commitment of excesses. Therefore it is necessary that every Muslim should be Ameen, ”trustworthy”. In the eyes of the Shariah, Trust has a very broad sense. This word contains an ocean of meaning, but underneath it all is the sense of responsibility, the sense of having to appear before Allah and to account for one's actions, the details of which are given in the Hadith : “Every one of you is a guardian and everyone will be asked about his subjects. Imam is a guardian. He will be asked about his subjects. A man is the guardian of the persons in his household. He is answerable about them. A woman is the guardian of her husband's house. She will be asked about her responsibility. The servant is the guardian of the articles of his master. He is answerable about this responsibility of his, “ (Bukhari)
The narrator of the hadith Ibn Umar says that he heard these things from the Prophet and he thinks that the Prophet also said: “A man is a guardian of the stock of his father and is answerable about that.” The people take trust in a very limited, sense and consider it to mean the protection of others' deposits, although in Allah's religion this has a very broad and unlimited sense. This is a duty for safeguarding which a Muslim advises another Muslim and in this connection seeks the help of Allah, When a Muslim prepares to go on a journeys his brother prays for him in this way: “I pray to Allah for your religion, your trust and for the happy ending of your work,” (Tirmizi)
Hazrat Anas narrates that whenever Allah's Messenger addressed a sermon to us, he invariably repeated this sentence: “The man has no faith who cannot keep trust and the man who does not respect his promises has no religion.” Since the zenith of achievement and the highest limit of success is to be protected against the hardships of this world and the bad consequences in the Hereafter, the Prophet prays for safety from both the conditions. He has said:
“O Allah! I seek your shelter from the pangs of hunger, because it is a very bad companion, and I seek your shelter from dishonesty because it is the worst friend.” (Abu Daud)
Hunger is the name of deprivation in the world and dishonesty is the name of destruction of religion, therefore the Prophet had prayed for being spared from both. Before attaining prophet-hood he was known among the people as AL-Ameen (The Trustworthy). Similarly the trustworthiness of Moosa (Moses) was observed when he fetched water for the flock of the two daughters of the good old man, had helped them, had respected their womanhood, and had treated them in a decent and gentlemanly way: “So he watered (their flocks) for them; then he turned back to the shade, and said: “O my Lord I truly am I in (desperate) need of any good that you do send me !”. Afterwards one of the (damsels) came (back) to him, walking bashfully. She said: “My father invites you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us.” So when he came to him and narrated the story, he said: “Do not fear; (well) have you escaped from unjust people.” Said one of the (damsels) :“O my (dear) father I engage him on wages; truly the best of men for you to employ is the (man) who is strong and trusty.” {Qasas.. 24-26}
This event took place when Moosa had not been made Prophet, and was not sent to Pharaohs. And this is not at all surprising because Allah chose only those individuals for being appointed as His Messengers who were the most decent, most honest and righteous, among the people. The self which continues to be attached to the high moral character even after undergoing the extremes of the hardship of poverty and helplessness must be belonging to a very powerful and trustworthy man; and the protection of the rights of God and His slaves demands such character only as does not change in good or bad conditions, and this is the spirit of trustworthiness.
Appointment to High Offices and Posts is a Trust There is also another sense of trust, and that is: everything should be placed at its proper and deserving place. An office or a post should be offered only to the deserving person; and responsibility should be given only to that person who is able to shoulder it and who has the capability to do justice to the trust placed in him. Governorship, responsibilities of the party, nation or country, which are granted placing confidence in the persons concerned, are trusts, about which they are answerable. A number of proofs can be advanced in support of this statement. Hazrat Abu Zar reports that he asked the Prophet whether he would not make him a governor somewhere. Hearing this the Prophet tapped his shoulder and said: “O Abu Zar ! you are weak, and this responsibility is a trust. On the Day of Judgment it will be a cause of loss of honour and ignominy. However, those people will be spared who will have accepted it with all its responsibilities and would have fulfilled whatever responsibilities they had in this connection.” (Muslim)
It is a fact that mere excellence of education or experience does not make a person most suitable for some office. It is also possible that a man may have good moral character and a righteous person, but he may not have the capabilities to fulfil the responsibilities of a certain office. Hazrat Yusuf (Joseph) was a Prophet. He was the living example of righteousness and virtuousness, but he had not offered his services to shoulder the responsibilities of the country on the basis of his righteousness and prophet-hood. He had taken the reins of office in his hand on account of his learning and memory. “(Yusuf) Said.. 'Entrust to me the treasures of the country. Verily, I am protector and learned.” (Yusuf.. 55) Trust demands that we should entrust such responsibilities and posts to such individuals as would be able to run them properly. If through bribery, nepotism and for some other reason we deviate from this principle and we select an unfit person for some office, then since we have ignored a fit person and have appointed an unfit and undeserving person, we have committed open misappropriation. Allah's Messenger has said that whoever has appointed an administrator through nepotism although there was among the people an individual who was more desirable before Allah than that person, then he has committed misappropriation against Allah, His Messenger and all the Muslims.”
(Hakim) Yazid bin Abi Sufyan reports that when Hazrat Abu Bakr sent him to Syria, he advised him thus: “O Yazid ! You have many relationships. It is likely that you may be influenced by them in making important appointments. I am very much afraid about you since the time the Prophet has said: 'Anyone who has been made responsible for some affair of the Muslims and he has entrusted some responsible job to some ones influenced by his relatives, then Allah's curse on him. No virtue or justice from him will be accepted before Allah, so much so that he will be thrown in the Hell. (Hakim) The community from which the quality of keeping trust is vanished, can be recognised thus: the distribution of posts and offices in that community become a game and play of favours. The value of able men goes down and in their place unfit and undeserving men are appointed. The tradition has it that this forms part of those manifestations of corruption which will appear in the last period. A man came to the Prophet and asked when the Doomsday would occur. The Prophet answered: “When deposits in trust would start being lost, then wait for the Doomsday.” He was again asked: “What is the meaning of loss of trusts ?” He replied: “When responsibilities are entrusted to unfit persons, then wait for the Doomsday.'s (Bukhari) Performance of Duty is also a Trust This sense is also included in the meaning of trust that the man to whom the responsibility has been entrusted should have the sincere inclination of satisfactorily fulfilling those responsibilities and that he should devote all his energies for doing justice to fulfil it. Undoubtedly it is a trust. Islam considers it worthy of honour that a man should be sincere in his work, should be keen on doing his job in a better way, and should be alive to safeguard the right of the people that are in his charge, for however ordinary that responsibility may be, a slight negligence is likely to cause undue harm to the whole community and society; and the germs of corruption and mischief enter the entire body politic. Dishonesty in performing official duties causes various moral disease in the society. It causes great harm to the religion, to the Muslim public and to the country. This sin, its punishment and its evil appear in different forms. The Messenger of Allah has said: “On the Day of Judgment when Allah will gather all the people, past and present, a flag will be fixed for every deceiver, by which he will be recognised. So it will be said that this is the group of such and such deceivers.” (Bukhari)
In another tradition it is stated: “There will be a flag near the head of every deceiver which he will raise in proportion to his deceit. Listen, there is none worse deceiver than the Amir who deceives the public.” (Muslim)
In other words there will be none more deceitful and deserving of bad consequences than the person who is made responsible for the affairs of men and he sleeps peacefully while the public is undergoing hardships and facing destruction.
Misuse of Office is Betrayal of Trust Trust demands that if a man is appointed to a certain high office he should not use it for self-aggrandisement or for the benefit of his relatives, for the use of public funds for personal purposes is a crime. It is a common thing that the governments and the firms give fixed salaries to their employees. Then to find out extra sources of income is disrespectful, ignominious and mean. Allah's Messenger has said: “Whomsoever we will entrust with service, the provision of his needs is also our responsibility, If he takes more than this then he is committing misappropriation,”
(Abu Daud) It is misappropriation because he has used that property of the organisation for himself, which was to be given to the weak and the needy, and it was to be spent for a greater cause and purpose: “If any person is so false, he shall on the Day of Judgment, restore what he misappropriated; then shall every soul receive its due, whatever it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.” (Ale Imran ..161) But a man who takes care of the commands of Allah in fulfilling his responsibility and he is averse to indulge in dishonest practices in performing his duties, then he is considered by Allah one among the fighters for the supremacy of the religion The Prophet bas laid : “When the Administrator is given a job, he should receive his due and should pay the dues of others, then he is like a fighter in the cause of Allah till he returns home.” (Tibrani)
Islam has forbidden the exploitation of one's office and taking undue advantage from it. It has been very severe in closing all the avenues of earning illegal wealth. Adi bin Umaira narrates that he has heard the Prophet as saying:
“Whomsoever we have given some post and he has concealed a needle or a thing smaller than that, then it will be a misappropriated thing with which he will have to appear on the Day of Judgement.” Thereupon a dark-skinned Ansari got up and said: “O Messenger of Allah ! take away my governorship.” The Prophet inquired what was the matter. He replied: “I have heard all your talk just now.” The Prophet said: “I still say that whomsoever we may make a governor, he should place everything before us. He should take whatever is given to him, and should keep away from whatever he is asked to desist.” (Muslim) It is said that a man from the tribe of Uzd, called Ibn Labith, was sent as an administrator by the Prophet to collect charity and donations. When he returned with the collection he said: “These are your things and these have been lifted to me.” The narrator of the hadith says that hearing this the Prophet stood up and after the praise of God said: “I appoint, from amongst you, an administrator for these affairs for which Allah has made me responsible. When that man comes back, he says this is for us and this has been gifted to him. If he tells the truth, then why does he not sit in his parents' house, Let us then see from where the gifts come to him? By God, if anyone of you receives even an ordinary thing without it being due, he will have to appear before Allah carrying that thing. I do not want to see anyone of you meeting Allah in this condition that he is carrying a camel on his; head or a cow which is bellowing or a goat that is bleating .” Then he raised his two hands till the whiteness of the armpits was visible and said: “O Allah! I have conveyed your message.” (Muslim)
Wealth and Ability given by Allah are also a Trust Trust also means that you should take a survey of your powers of perception with which God has blessed you. You should have a look at those special ability which God has given you. If you look at your property and your children, who are very dear to you, you will feel that all these are God's trust which has been deposited with you. Therefore it is necessary that they should be sacrificed in His cause, and they should be utilised for seeking His pleasure. If you suffer a loss in them, you should not start crying and wailing and you should not consider that it was your personal property that has been taken away from you, because compared to you Allah is the more rightful owner and He has the right to use it in any way He likes. If you are tested by an increase in them, then you should not hesitate to undertake jihad when called upon to do so, and you should not turn away from obedience to Allah on account of them, Or you should not feel conceited on their strength. “O you who believe ! betray not the trust of Allah and the Messenger, nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to you. And know that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial, and that it is Allah with whom lies your highest reward.” ( Anfal.. 27-28)
Others' Secrets with you are a Trust Trust also means that you should protect the rights of the gatherings which you attend. You should not disclose their information and their secrets to others. A number of relationships are severed, rifts are created in friendships and interests are endangered when the information about or the secrets of the gatherings are disclosed by someone by correctly or incorrectly quoting the source, thus jeopardising all the plans. Allah's Messenger has said: “When a man says something to someone and then turns to you, then it is a trust,” The confidential talk of the meetings should be guarded, provided it conform to the moral laws and the principles of religion, otherwise its sanctity vanishes, If a Muslim is present in such a meeting where criminals, are conspiring among themselves, so that they may indict some loss on others, then it is his responsibility that he should try to prevent this evil to the best of his ability. Allah's Messenger has said: “The secrets of the gatherings are a trust, but three kinds of gatherings are exceptions: one in which haram (illegal) blood is being shed, one in which haram (illegal) sex is being indulged into, or in which property is being illegally usurped. “ (Abu Daud) The conjugal relations are sacred in the eyes of Islam. The domestic relationship between a husband and wife and their mutual affairs should be fully protected. The closest man should also not be informed about them. But foolish people relate their private matters and domestic affairs here and there to outsiders. This is a very bad habit and Allah has declared it haram. Asma binte Yazid reports that she was with the Prophet and a husband and a wife were sitting there. The Prophet said: “Is there a man who narrates the acts performed with the wife? And is there a wife who relates her relation with her husband to others?' People did not say anything from fear. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! By God, husbands also do this and wives also do likewise, He said: “Do not say like this, Its example is like a devil-man meeting a devil-woman, and he covers her and performs the sexual act and people are watching. “ (Ahmed) The Prophet said : “On the Day of Judgment before Allah the greatest act of misappropriation will be that a man may love his wife and the wife may also be inclined towards her husband and then he may disclose his wife's secrets to others. “ (Muslim) The deposits which are given to us in trust are for being protected for a fixed period, and then to be returned on demand. We are answerable for these trusts. While migrating to Medina, the Prophet left behind his cousin so that he may return to the polytheists the deposits kept with him in trust, although these polytheists were the members of the same community which was driving him out of his native place, He was being compelled to leave his home in the cause of his belief, but how can a decent man behave indecently even with indecent and infamous people? Maimoon bin Mehran says that three kinds of treatment be always meted out to good and bad man alike: keeping trust, fulfilling promise and kindness, To consider trust as personal property is a wicked act, theft. Abdullah Ibn Masood says that fighting in the cause of Allah vanishes all the sins except the misappropriation in trust. He says that on the Day of Judgment a person will be brought who had fought in the cause of Allah, would reply: “O Our Lord! how is it possible when the world has ended” Then it would be said: “Take him to Hell.” And in his presence the amounts of trust will be presented in the same form in which they were handed over to him in the world. He would see them and recognise them. He would go after them and seize them and carry them on his shoulders, till he would be under the impression that he has come out, when the trusts would slip from his shoulders, He would again run after them. This act would continue with him forever. Then he said that Salat (prayer) is a trust, Wuzu (ablutions) is a trust, to weigh a thing is a trust, to measure a thing is a trusts and he listed many things and said the greatest trust is that wealth or articles which are deposited or handed over,
The narrator of the hadith says that he went to Bara bin A 'azib and asked him what he thought about What Ibn Masood said, Bara bin A 'azib replied: “He spoke the truth, Did you not hear this command of Allah: “Allah commands you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due; and when you judge between man and man that you judge with justice.” ( An-Nissa.. 58) Keeping trust protects the rights of Allah and those of His slaves. It keeps away men from lowliness and meanness. It reaches the desired heights only when this quality is absorbed by men in their natures and consciousness when it reaches the depths of their hearts and when it is guarded against the influences of close and distant relationships.
This is the meaning of the hadilh narrated by Huzaifa bin Yaman : “Keeping trust has been naturally ingrained in the depths of men's hearts, Then Quran came and people learned it from Quran and Sunnah.” (Muslim) The knowledge of Shariah cannot be indifferent to the righteous conduct, and keeping trust signifies the correct knowledge of Quran and Sunnah as well as a wakeful conscience. If the conscience dies, then the quality of keeping trust is taken away. At such a time the recitation of the Quranic verses and the study of hadith cannot be profitable, but the claimants of Islam think about others and also about themselves that they are the bearers of this quality, but one may ask how can the heart that rejects the truth be expected to keep trust? For this reason Hazrat Huzaifa has stated that the heart that has no belief loses the quality of keeping trusts. Accordingly he reports: “Then we started talking about vanishing the quality of keeping trusts and the Prophet said: 'When a man goes to one kind of sleep, the trust is squeezed from his heart till its effect remains equal to a point. Then he goes to another kind of sleep, then the trust shrinks from his heart in such a way as if it were merely a scar,' Then the Prophet said: 'Then people indulge in buying and selling, but no one can give a thing in trust, so much so that it is said that in a certain family there is a trustworthy man, and about him it is said how tolerant, well-behaved and wise he is! although there is not an iota of faith in his heart,” This hadith draws a horrible picture of vanishing the quality of keeping trust from the hearts of dishonest people, It is like finding sparks of goodness in the nature of some mischievous people sometimes, although they have no influence on their lives. And sometimes the good acts overshadow their evil deeds, but it is clear that these acts cannot revive the dead heart. This conscience-less person appraises men on the basis of his desires and preferences. He does not distinguish between faith and infidelity in them. Keeping trust is a very important quality, Men with weak faith cannot bear it, Allah has given an example of how its burden bears down man's whole existence, Therefore, it should not be considered an ordinary thing and no laxity should be shown in fulfilling its demands: “We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof, but man undertook it. he was indeed unjust and foolish.” (Ahzab.. 72)
Injustice and ignorance are two evils which beset man's nature, and man has to face the problem of fighting a jihad against them. His faith cannot be complete Without cleaning and purifying it from injustice. “If is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong-that are (truly) in security, for they are on (right) guidance,” (Ana'am.. 82)
“Verily, from among the slaves of Allah those who are learned fear Allah.”
( Fatir ..28) This is the reason why after mentioning man's bearing trust in the foregoing verses of Surah Ahzab, it is said that those who are unjust and ignorant indulge in misappropriation, they are hypocrites and are the deserving recipients of Allah's punishment; and security s granted to men of faith and keepers of trust: “(With the result) that Allah has to punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the unbelievers, men and women, and Allah turns in mercy to believers, men and women, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most merciful,”
(Ahzab.. 73) CHAPTER 9 FULFILLMENT OF PROMISE
Fulfillment of Promise-An essential part of a Muslim's Conduct .
When a Muslim undertakes a thing, he should respect the undertaking. When he enters into any contract he should honor it till the last. This is the demand of the faith that when a man talks of any enterprise, he should have the intention of taking it to completion, like the water which does not rest till it flows down to the lower level. He should be known among the people as a man of reliable promises, and there should be no fear of any breach of promises or of any dubious dealings from him.
Fulfillment of the promise is necessary. Similarly when an oath is taken, it should be redeemed. But this fulfillment of promise or the redeeming of the oath and pledges is necessary when the dealing is legitimate and concerns truth, otherwise honoring the promise in connection with something sinful and disobedience to Allah has no value, and there is no importance of oath in sin.
Allah's Messenger has said:
"If some one has taken an oath, but saw an aspect of goodness in another thing, he may break his oath and pay compensation (atonement), and should perform the act which is better and has goodness."
(Muslim)
It is not proper for a man to insist on redeeming the oath. On such occasions it is better to break the oath. In a hadith it is stated:
"It is sinful for a man among you to go to his wife with his oath (unredeemed) compared to his paying the compensation (atoning) which He has fixed for breaking the oath."
(Bukhari)
For this reasons no promise and covenant is proper and correct except in rightful matters. When a man has promised to do a certain good thing, then he should try his best to fulfill it, as long as it appears good to him. He should very well know that he should stick to manly talk, faith and belief. There is no room in this for breach of promises or doubts and hesitation.
Anas bin Malik says that his uncle Anas bin Nadar could not take part in the battle of Badr, and he said to the Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah! In the first battle that you fought with the polytheists I could not take part. If Allah kept me with the Prophet then they will definitely see my achievements in the second battle against the polytheists."
When in the battle of Uhad, there was fierce fighting and the Muslims were retreating. He prayed to Allah: "O Allah! I ask your pardon for the mistake that they have committed, and I declare myself innocent of the transgression of the polytheists". Saying this he rushed into the battle. In the way he met Sa'ad bin Ma'az whom he said: "O Sa'ad bin Ma'az! By the God of Nadar, Proceed towards Paradise. I smell its fragrance , in the valley of Uhad."
Sa'ad said: "O Messenger of Allah! The love for rnartyrdom, which he showed, cannot be expressed. Then he advanced." Anas says that we found more than eighty wounds on his body, which were caused by swords, the points of lances and the shower of arrows. The polytheists had disfigured his body and it was difficult to identify him. With great difficulty his sister identified him with the help of a mole on his fingers.
Anas says that he thinks that the following verses were revealed about him or about persons like him:
"Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah " of them some have completed their vow to (the extreme), and some (still) wait; but they have never changed (their determination) in the least."
( Ahzab .. 23) Memory and Determination-essential for Fulfillment of Promise
Fulfillment of promises depends on two factors. With these two things, fulfilling one's promises would be easy. Allah had taken a promise from Adam that he would not go near the forbidden tree, but Adam forgot the promise within a few days. He became a prey to weakness and broke his promise:
"We had already beforehand taken the covenant of Adam, but he forgot,. and We found on his part no firm resolve."
(Taha: 115)
It shows that deficiency in memory and weakness of determination are two obstructions, which come in the way of performance of duty. And this is a strange thing that man, being overwhelmed by the hardships of the times, various difficulties and different pressing problems forgets the open and clear realities. To him the clear figures appear blurred, and the realities which are as striking as the light of the sun disappear from his sight.
There the necessity of a reminder becomes very pressing, to overcome the negligence and forgetfulness, and to keep this important thing before men's eyes. There are a number of verses of the Quran which were revealed for safeguarding the memory:
"Follow the revelation given to you from your Lord, and follow not, as friends or protectors, other than Him. Little it is you remember of admonition."
(A'araf: 3)
"This is the way of your Lord, leading straight; We have detailed the signs for those who receive admonition."
(Ana'am: 126)
"And the raiment of righteousness-that is the best. Such are among the signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition."
"Thus shall We raise up the dead; so that you may remember,"
(A'araf.. 57)
Alive and wakeful memory and remembrance is essential for fulfilling promises. A man who forgets his promises and covenants, how can he fulfill them? That is why the following verse has been ended on a note of admonition after giving command of fulfilling them:
"And fulfill the Covenant of Allah; thus does He command you, that you may remember” (Ana'am.. 152)
If a man has a strong memory in respect of fulfilling his promise, it is also necessary that he should have a determination to do so, a determination which should not have any laxity or slackness in this matter a determination which should be able to overcome all the rebellious desires, and which should lighten the coming burden of difficulties, It should be a determination which should be able to cross all the difficult valleys and blocks and should be able to set an example of selfless sacrifice for others.
The measures for weighing and appraising people are different with different people. The price one has to pay for remaining faithful sometimes is very high,
At times one requires to sacrifice all the wealth, property and the most desired thing in this respect.
But these difficulties, sacrifices and trials of determination prove in the end to be the steps for achieving greatness and honor, as the poet says:
"Why he, who considers his life and heart dear, should go to (seek) the beloved in her street."
The holy Quran . has severely criticized those who seek to achieve heights of success and glory In the shadow of comfortable living:
"Do you think that you will enter paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? They experienced suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the prophet and the faithful who were with him cried: 'When will Allah's help come ?' Ah ! Verily, Allah's help is near."
(Baqarah : 214)
When a man develops in himself the combined forces of a conscious and wakeful mind and a heart full of determination, then he can be considered to have been qualified to enter the group of the faithful people.
For a Muslim the most honorable and the holiest covenant is the one which he has made with his Lord, for Allah has created him with His Power. He has nourished him under the shadow of his favors and blessings, and has demanded of him that he should recognize what is the reality and admit it. No misguiding factors should cause him to deviate from the right path lest he may deny these realities or he may lose sight of them:
"Did I not enjoin on you, 0 you children of Adam! that you should not worship Satan.. for that he was to you an enemy avowed? And that you should worship Me, ( for that) this was the straight way?"
(Yasin: 60-61)
Those who do not listen to the prophets and do not follow their teachings, in their nature also there is a motivator which pricks them, shows them the path of their Lord, and tries to make them realize the greatness of the Creator, however corrupt and polluted the environment may be :
This is the meaning of this covenant which Allah has taken from all the humans:
"When your Lord drew forth from the children of Adam-from their loins-their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying).. . Am I not your Lord ( Who cherishes and sustains you)?' They said: .Yes, we do testify.' (This), lest you should say on the Day of Judgment: 'Of this we were never mindful.' Or lest you should say: 'Our fathers before us may have taken false gods but we are (their) descendants after them.. will you then destroy us because of the deeds of men who were futile?' Thus do We explain the signs in detail in order that they may turn (to Us)."
(A'araf: 172-174)
Here no regular dialogues had taken place as is clear from the apparent sense of these verses, but this is a picture of the right-natured people showing how they are mindful of Allah, how they recognize Him, how they discover His Oneness and Greatness from the proofs scattered in the universe, and shun from all the conventional customs and habits which keep men away from this Lord, and which associate some one with Allah. This style of speech and writing is common in the Arabic language.
With honoring this Covenant, a man's faithfulness is the foundation of his respect and honor in this world and of success and glory in the next world.
It is an undue misgiving and fear from Allah that we should fulfill the covenant made with Him and still be apprehensive that some disaster would befall us :
" Recall the favor, which I bestowed on you, and fulfill your Covenant with Me " I will fulfill My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me."
The Prophet used to give these instructions to the tribes which came to him, while conveying the Message of Islam, and used to place before them only a few aspects in the beginning according to the intellectual and physical capacities of the people instead of giving them the complete teachings.
Auf bin Malik says that he was with the Prophet when there were about seven, or eight or nine persons present. He asked us : "Will you not take a pledge on the hand of the Messenger of Allah ?" We stretched our hands and said: "We take a pledge on your hand, a Messenger of Allah !"
He said: "(Your pledge is) That you should worship Allah. Do not associate anybody with Him, and offer salat for five times and listen and obey." And he said in a low voice: "And do not ask for anything from the people."
Auf bin Malik says: "I saw some of these persons who had taken pledge that when their hunter fell on the ground, they did not ask anybody to pick it up and give it to them."
(Muslim)
How scrupulously the pledge is being observed and how severely and strictly it is being enforced! There was no special significance of this pledge. Every group used to be instructed according to its nature and circumstances. The ruler used to be advised not to be cruel. The trader used to be instructed not to indulge in adulteration and deceit, and the employees were admonished against accepting bribes. Otherwise every Muslim is bound to follow the entire religion, all its tenets and principles, and he will be asked on the Day of Judgment about the entire Shariah. However, in the Islamic world there have appeared a few sects which take a pledge of a special kind. They should not be entertained. They are like quacks who pose as physicians. They administer spurious drugs and complicate the disease and endanger the life of their patient.
Islamic teachings cannot be divided and distributed. All of them must be followed, and their enforcement is necessary in every place at every time. The Ideal Pledge of Ansar
Allah's Messenger took a pledge from the Ansar that they will support this Message with their lives and properties, and try their utmost in protecting the Prophethood, till the time the Message is conveyed to the Arabs and the Non-Arabs.
The Covenant entered into by the Ansar is considered as the most glorious pact in the annals of belief. In sincerity, selfless devotion and total submission to Truth. no other parallel can be found.
This covenant was completed in a glorious night of the season of Hajj. After this, people went their way and busied themselves in their affairs. But the people who had pledged their words busied themselves in fulfilling this historical covenant, and they accepted willingly all its demands and challenges.
In the Battle of Badr and in other battles of Islam against idolatry they shed their blood like water. The Prophet had great confidence in this covenant for the supremacy of the religion in times of difficulty and for raising the world of Allah. Accordingly when in the first assault in the Battle of Hunain Muslims were falling back, the Prophet did not look at the armies of the newcomer Muslims, but called his old faithful who had taken a pledge in the valley in the night of the season of Hajj, so that they may take the control of the situation.