The Importance of Keeping Promises

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
And may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of messengers, our master Muhammad, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgement.”

Chapter: Keeping the covenant and fulfilling the promise.

This chapter is about fulfilling promises and keeping the covenant.
This is also among the highest morals: that a person keeps the covenant he makes.

In this chapter, the author has mentioned four verses:
In the first verse, Allah the Almighty says:

¹وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ ۖ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا
And fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned.

In the second verse, Allah the Almighty says:

²وَأَوْفُوا۟ بِعَهْدِ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا عَـٰهَدتُّمْ
And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have taken it.

In the third verse, Allah the Almighty says:

³يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ
O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts.

In the fourth verse, Allah the Almighty says:

⁴يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَاتَفْعَلُونَ
O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? (2) Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.

The connection of the last verse with the chapter is this: when a person makes a promise to someone and does not fulfill it, it’s as if they are saying something with their mouth but not acting on it. This is a form of breaking one’s word.

The first hadith mentioned here is narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“There are three signs of a hypocrite:
1.When he speaks, he lies.
2.When he makes a promise, he breaks it.
3.When he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim)
In another version of this hadith, these words are also mentioned:
“Even if he prays and fasts and claims to be a Muslim.”⁵

This means that even if someone outwardly performs religious acts like praying and fasting and considers themselves a Muslim, if they have these bad traits, it is a sign of hypocrisy.

Second Hadith: Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) is the narrator that Prophet (Peace be upon him) said that:

⁶أَرْبَعٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا خَالِصًا، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فِيهِ خَصْلَةٌ مِنْهُنَّ كَانَتْ فِيهِ خَصْلَةٌ مِنَ النِّفَاقِ حَتَّى يَدَعَهَا: إِذَا اؤْتُمِنَ خَانَ، وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ، وَإِذَا عَاهَدَ غَدَرَ، وَإِذَا خَاصَمَ فَجَرَ

The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite, and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.

1.Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.
2.Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.
3.Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil, and insulting manner.
4.Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays.

Another hadith is mentioned here, narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). He relates an event regarding the fulfillment of a promise, in which the Prophet (ﷺ) once said to him during his lifetime:

لَوْ قَدْ جَاءَ مَالُ الْبَحْرَيْنِ قَدْ أَعْطَيْتُكَ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا فَلَمْ يَجِئْ مَالُ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَتَّى قُبِضَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ مَالُ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَمَرَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَنَادَى مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عِدَةٌ أَوْ دَيْنٌ فَلْيَأْتِنَا فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ
إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِي كَذَا وَكَذَا فَحَثَى لِي حَثْيَةً فَعَدَدْتُهَا فَإِذَا هِيَ خَمْسُ مِائَةٍ وَقَالَ خُذْ مِثْلَيْهَا

Once the Prophet (ﷺ) said (to me), “If the money of Bahrain comes, I will give you a certain amount of it.” The Prophet (ﷺ) had breathed his last before the money of Bahrain arrived. When the money of Bahrain reached, Abu Bakr announced, “Whoever was promised by the Prophet (ﷺ) should come to us.” I went to Abu Bakr and said, “The Prophet (ﷺ) promised me so and so.” Abu Bakr gave me a handful of coins and when I counted them, they were five hundred in number. Abu Bakr then said, “Take twice the amount you have taken (besides).⁷

This means he gave 500, then another 500, and then another 500 — so approximately 1500 dirhams were given to him. This is an example of a promise made by the Prophet (ﷺ), which was fulfilled by Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him).

So, the author has chosen the following title for this chapter:

الوفاء بالعهد وإنجاز الوعد

Which means: “Fulfilling Promises and Honoring Commitments.”

In Urdu, fulfilling a promise is called “Ifa-e-Ahd”. This concept is broad and applies in many areas of life. In simple words: “Any responsibility or obligation that applies to a person is considered a promise or commitment” – whether the person verbally agreed to it or not.
This commitment could be based on Islamic teachings, moral values, common sense, social norms, or legal rules. Fulfilling any such responsibility is considered fulfilling a promise.
For example, if a person enters a mosque, he is automatically expected to respect the sanctity and peace of the mosque, even if he doesn’t say it out loud. The moment he steps in, the duty of behaving respectfully becomes binding.
In the same way, if someone makes a promise to another person, like saying “I’ll do this for you” or “I’ll come to you at this time,” keeping that promise is also part of fulfilling one’s commitments.
Returning a trust is another example. If someone leaves something with you for safekeeping, returning it honestly is also fulfilling a promise.
There are many such responsibilities in Islam. For example, choosing what is lawful (halal) and avoiding what is forbidden (haram) is also part of honoring our commitment to Allah.
On a social level, if a person works at an organization, following its rules is also a form of commitment. Similarly, any rights and duties in relationships must be fulfilled, like in marriage. When someone gets married, they are responsible for their spouse’s rights, whether they said it out loud or not. That responsibility is part of the promise.
So, the word “Ahd” (promise or commitment) has a very wide meaning. It includes all types of responsibilities, whether religious, moral, social, or legal. Respecting them all is part of fulfilling one’s promises.
Now, the word “Wa’da” (promise) refers specifically to when a person verbally commits to someone. Fulfilling such promises is extremely important.
What we learn from this chapter is that a true believer is very careful about their words. Whatever they say carries weight, and they don’t speak thoughtlessly. If a believer makes a promise, they honor it. A hypocrite, on the other hand, is the opposite – they say one thing but mean something else. For example, a hypocrite might say, “I’ll do this for you,” while having no intention of doing it. This kind of behavior is a sign of hypocrisy.
In conclusion, the biggest benefit of fulfilling promises is that it builds trust and reliability within society. When people do what they say, trust grows. This strengthens brotherhood and unity among Muslims. But when people stop keeping their promises, trust is lost. People begin to doubt each other, and many social problems arise, like not knowing who to trust with your money or where to invest. This breakdown of trust is a serious issue in society today.

So, we pray to Allah that He grants us the ability to adopt the quality of fulfilling our promises and commitments. Ameen. Ameen.