Allah Almighty says: {And fulfill the covenant. Surely you will be questioned about it.} [Al-Isrā’: 34] He also says: {And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have taken it} [Al-Nahl: 91] He also says: {O you who believe, fulfill the contracts} [Al-Mā’idah: 1] He also says: {O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? Greatly hateful in the sight of Allah is that you say what you do not do.} [Al-Saff: 2-3]
A covenant is what a person pledges to others. It is of two types:
- A covenant with Allah Almighty concerning the fulfillment of Tawhīd (monotheism), which is the right of Allah upon His servants. He took covenant from His servants to worship Him alone and associate no partners with Him.
- A covenant with people concerning the fulfillment of rights. This includes the contracts concluded among people, like sales, marriages, mortgages, deposits, etc.
1) Fulfillment of covenants is one of the trusts for which one is held accountable on the Day of Judgment.
2) If a person promises someone that he will do something and does not fulfill his promise, he has thus said what he does not do, and Allah Almighty hates such people and loves those who fulfill their promises.
689/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays the trust.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
The version by Muslim has this addition: “Even if he fasts, prays, and claims to be a Muslim.”
690/2 - ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever has the following four (characteristics) is a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of them has one characteristic of hypocrisy, until he gives it up: whenever he is entrusted, he betrays; whenever he speaks, he tells a lie; whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous; and whenever he quarrels, he behaves in an imprudent immoral manner.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) Lying, breaking promises, breach of trust, non-fulfillment of covenants, and immorality in disputes are all signs of hypocrisy about which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) informed and warned us.
2) A believer should be punctual, for an appointment is like a promise to be fulfilled, and non-fulfillment of promises is a trait of hypocrites. How often people break their promises, and this ruins interests and yields evils.
691/3 - Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: “When the revenues of Bahrain arrive, I shall give you this much and this much and this much.” He passed away before the revenues were received. When they arrived during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), he called out: “Anyone whom the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) promised or owed anything should come to me.” I went to him and said: “The Prophet said to me such-and-such.” So he took a double handful out of the money and gave it to me. I counted it and found that it was five hundred. Then, he said to me: “Take twice as much.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Bahrain refers to Al-Ihsā’ and the surrounding area in the Arabian Peninsula. It was called Bahrain at the time.
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1) It is permissible to allocate something from the treasury to some Muslims, provided this is not based on personal whims; rather, for public or private interests.
2) It highlights the merit of Abu Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him), who fulfilled the Prophet’s promise.