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Promise Keeping

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Ethics

Moral Verses
Ifk Verses • Al-Ukhuwwa Verse • Al-It'am Verse • Al-Naba' Verse • Najwa Verse • Verse of Trusts • Al-Sulh Verse

Moral Hadiths
Hadith of qurb al-nawafil • Hadith Makarim al-akhlaq • Hadith of Mi'raj • Hadith Junud al-'Aql wa l-Jahl

Moral Virtues
Humility • Contentment • Generosity • Controlling Anger • Truthfulness • Hilm (forbearance) • Asceticism • Bravery • Chastity • Insaf (Equity) • Silat al-Rahim • Wara' • Islah dhat al-bayn

Moral Vices
Hubris • Greed • Envy • Lie • Backbiting • Namima (Talebearing) • Miserliness • Disobedience to Parents • 'Ujb (self-conceit) • Sum'a • Cutting blood relation • Spreading grave sins • Ingratitude • Hypocrisy • Tabdhir

Moral Terminologies
Jihad with the self • Self-critical soul • Commanding Soul • Soul at peace • Self-reckoning • Muraqaba • Musharata • Sin • Morality lessons • Istidraj

Scholars of Ethics
Muhammad Mahdi Naraqi • Ahmad al-Naraqi • Sayyid 'Ali Qadi Tabataba'i • Sayyid Rida Baha' al-Dini • Sayyid 'Abd al-Husayn Dastghayb • Muhammad Taqi Bahjat

References of Ethics

Qur'an • Nahj al-balagha • Misbah al-shari'a wa miftah al-haqiqa • Makarim al-Akhlaq • Al-Mahajjat al-bayda' • Tanbih al-khawatir wa nuzhat al-nawazir • Jami' al-sa'adat • Mi'raj al-sa'ada • Al-Muraqabat

Promise keeping (wafāʾ bi-l-ʿahd) (Arabic: الوفاء بالعهد) is a moral virtue emphasized in the Qur'an and hadiths. According to hadiths within the Islamic tradition, fulfilling one's commitments is the essence of faith, a sign of certainty, and the core of all religions. In the Quran, God is praised for this attribute, and in hadiths, it is highlighted as a defining characteristic of Shiite Imams.

According to Quranic exegetes, God in the Quran has praised promise-keeping individuals, placing them among the believers, the truthful, those who pray, those who attained salvation, and the dwellers of paradise. Based on Quranic verses, keeping promises leads to being in the company of the Prophet (s) on the Day of Judgment.

Significance

Keeping a promise is defined as fully carrying out an obligation that a person has committed to undertake.[1] Fulfilling promises and covenants is considered one of the highest moral virtues, while breaking promises is regarded as one of the worst moral vices.[2]

According to Makarim Shirazi, the issue of keeping promises is extensively addressed in the Quran and hadiths. It is emphasized with the strongest expressions and statements, underscoring the necessity of fulfilling commitments, while those who break their promises are severely condemned.[3]

In hadiths, keeping promises is described as the essence of religion and a sign of certainty,[4] a hallmark of faith in God and the Day of Judgment,[5] while breaking promises is equated with irreligion.[6] According to a hadith from Imam al-Sajjad (a), fulfilling commitments is one of the three essences of all religions.[7] In Nahj al-Balagha, it is also regarded as one of the most important divine obligations.[8]

Fulfilling the Promises as a Characteristic of God, Prophets, and Imams

According to some Quranic exegetes, God in the Quran has praised Himself with the attribute of promise keeping.[9] In the Quran, Prophet Ishmael (a) is described as "true to his promise" (Sadiq al-Wa'd).[10] Keeping promises is also one of the qualities attributed to Shiite Imams, particularly Imam al-Husayn (a).[11]

The Necessity of Keeping Promises as a Quranic Ruling

Based on the Quranic verse "Keep your agreements" (Awfu bi-l-'uqud),[12] jurists have ruled that fulfilling all contracts or agreements is obligatory, and this topic has been extensively discussed in Islamic jurisprudential literature.[13] In his book Farhang-i Qur'an, Hashimi Rafsanjani, citing Quranic verses,[14] states that keeping promises is among the obligations[15] that God has explicitly commanded in several verses.[16][17]

Quranic researcher Rida'i Isfahani, citing certain Quranic verses,[18] has written that humans are responsible for their commitments and will be held accountable for breaking their promises.[19]

Outcomes of Promise Keeping in the Quran

Quranic scholars, based on verses from the Quran, have outlined several outcomes of keeping promises, including: being in the company of the Prophet (s) on the Day of Resurrection,[20] assurance of paradise,[21] attaining a great reward,[22] and being worthy of salvation.[23]

Fulfilling Commitments as a Universal Law

Makarim Shirazi has written that, according to hadiths, keeping promises is a universal law that encompasses both Muslims and non-Muslims.[24] He believes that the obligation to honor commitments is rooted in human innate nature, and thus, it is deemed necessary among all nations and peoples, whether they adhere to a religion or not.[25] Citing Quran 2:177, he states that the concept of fulfilling promises in the Quran is unconditional and applies to all divine covenants and human agreements, whether with Muslims or non-Muslims. As long as others remain faithful to their commitments, Muslims are also obligated to honor their pledges.[26]

In Imam Ali's (a) letter to Malik al-Ashtar, it is stated that all people worldwide, despite their differences in beliefs and inclinations, unanimously agree on the necessity of keeping promises; even the polytheists of the pre-Islamic era adhered to it. In this letter, Malik al-Ashtar is instructed to remain faithful to his commitments, even with non-Muslims.[27]

Characteristics of Promise Keepers

According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, in the Quran and hadiths, those who keep their promises are described with certain characteristics, including: being among the people of intellect and wisdom, establishing divine bonds, being God-fearing and patient, and being prayerful individuals who combat misdeeds with good deeds.[28] Quranic researcher Rida'i Isfahani has also written that, in certain Quranic verses, promise keepers are characterized by attributes such as righteousness[29] and faith.[30][31]

Notes

  1. ↑ Qurashī Bunābī, Qāmūs-i Qurān, vol. 7, p. 230.
  2. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 244.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 244.
  4. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 257.
  5. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 2, p. 364.
  6. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 81, p. 252.
  7. ↑ Ṣadūq, al-Khiṣāl, vol. 1, p. 113.
  8. ↑ Sayyid Raḍī, Nahj al-balāgha, letter 53.
  9. ↑ Thaqafī Tihrānī, Rawān-i jāwīd, vol. 2, p. 626.
  10. ↑ Quran 19:54.
  11. ↑ See: Sayyid b. Ṭāwūs, Jamāl al-usbūʿ, p. 32, 422, 490, 512; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 1, p. 2; Ṭabarī, Dalāʾil al-imāma, p. 73.
  12. ↑ Quran 5:1.
  13. ↑ Khomeinī, kitāb al-bayʿ, vol. 1, p. 185.
  14. ↑ Quran 5:1; Quran 17:34.
  15. ↑ Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Farhang-i Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 316.
  16. ↑ Quran 1:40; Quran 6:152.
  17. ↑ Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Farhang-i Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 304.
  18. ↑ Quran 17:34.
  19. ↑ Riḍāʾī Iṣfahānī, Qurʾān wa ʿulūm-i Insānī, p. 173,174.
  20. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 257.
  21. ↑ Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Farhang-i Qurʾān, vol. 6, p. 514.
  22. ↑ Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Farhang-i Qurʾān, vol. 21, p. 304.
  23. ↑ Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Farhang-i Qurʾān, vol. 14, p. 538.
  24. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 257.
  25. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 244.
  26. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 245.
  27. ↑ Sayyid Raḍī, Nahj al-balāgha, letter 53.
  28. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 11, p. 342-351.
  29. ↑ Quran 1:177.
  30. ↑ Quran 23:8; Quran 70:32.
  31. ↑ Riḍāʾī Iṣfahānī, Qurʾān wa ʿulūm-i Insānī, p. 173,174.

References

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  • Thaqafī Tihrānī, Muḥammad. Rawān-i jāwīd dar tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i majīd. Tehran: Burhān, 1398 AH.
  • Khomeinī, Sayyid Rūḥ Allāh. kitāb al-bayʿ. Tehran: Muʾassisah-yi Tanẓīm wa Nashr-i Āthār-i Imām Khomeini, 1421 AH.
  • Riḍāʾī Iṣfahānī, Muḥammad ʿAli. Qurʾān wa ʿulūm-i Insānī. Qom: Nasīm-i Ḥayāt, 1391 Sh.
  • Sayyid b. Ṭāwūs, ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-. Jamāl al-usbūʿ bi-kamāl al-ʿamāl al-mashrūʿ. Qom: al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, [n.d].
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  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1410 AH.
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  • Qurashī Bunābī, Sayyīd ʿAlī Akbar. Qāmūs-i Qurān. [n.p]: [n.n], 1412 AH.
  • Sayyid Raḍī, Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Nahj al-balāgha. Edited by Ṣubḥī Ṣaliḥ. Qom: Hijrat, 1414 AH.
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