The word “Promise” or “Ahd” has been used forty-two times
in the Glorious Qur’an. It means covenant, agreement, and promise. Being
truthful to promise is a sign of devotion in Allah, “And mention
Isma’eel in the Book; surely he was truthful in (his) promise, and he
was an apostle and a prophet.” (19:54). Allah promised Prophet Ibrahim
to make him an Imam for mankind. (2:124) He wished the station of Imamate for
his children. Allah made a conditional Promise saying, “My covenant does not
include the unjust.” (2:124) This is the greatest proof of showing the prophets
and their successors must be infallible. At another place, Allah describes
the righteousness saying, “It is not righteousness that you turn your face
towards East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in
Allah and the Last Day, and the angels and the Book and the prophets……and the
performers of their promise when they make a promise.” (2:177)
In “Safinat al-Bihar” v.2 page 675, the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) said, “The closest of you to me on the Day of Judgement is the
most truthful ones in speaking, giving the trusts (back to their owners), the
keepers of promise, and the closest to the people in good temperament.”
The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) once promised a man that he
will remain sitting until the man returned. The man went away, and the sun
rose. Soon it became extremely hot but he Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) never
changed his place. One of his companions said, “What difference does it make if
you come and sit in the shade?” The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) said, “I
promised to meet him here and not change the place till he comes, in order to
fulfill my promise to him.”
The Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.) said, “Breach
of promise brings the hatred of Allah and of people. Allah says, “It is most
hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do.” (61:3)
To perpetuate the habit of keeping promises and abiding by covenants
in the society, it is imperative to train the people from their very childhood to
be true to their words. The child emulates the actions and words of their
parents. The parents can set an example for their children. By nature, the
child expects that promises will be kept. When the parents fulfil their
small promises, the child gets trained in this important aspect of life. But if
they take small promises lightly and neglect them, the child takes the negative
example and develops the habit of breaking his word. They start believing
that promises are meant to be broken. The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) said,
“Love the children. Treat them with kindness and if you make a promise to them,
fulfill it without fail.”
Sources: The Glorious Qur’an
Piety (Taqwa) by Sayyed Hussain Shaikh al-Islam
Tooysarkani
characteristics of A Muslim by AL-Balagh
Foundation
Living the Right Way by Jawad Tehrani
Principles of Upbringing Children by Ayatullah
Ibrahim Amini
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