Breaking Promises Against Spiritual Ethics - God Hates Those Who Do Not Keep Their Word
By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
12 August 2021
Allah The Creator Has Created His People
With All The Divine Ethics Of Spiritualism And Keeping One’s Words Is One Of
The Most Prominent Among Them
Main Points:
1.
Do
not let your words go empty.
2.
Promising
just to earn a momentary pleasure or a small gesture of goodwill is not worth
getting the Creator’s wrath in the life hereafter.
3.
Going
against the spiritual essence of our being is going against the tide of divine
life.
4.
The
human being needs to keep its promises for God’s rewards.
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Do not let your words go empty. Promise
only that is within your reach. There is a possibility of losing your worth
even in the eyes of your family members, wife and kids if you regularly promise
never to fulfil. Being a man of words doesn’t require any additional
qualification except that you know your limits. Promising something to someone
just to earn a momentary pleasure or a small gesture of goodwill is not worth
getting a bad name for the entire life and the Creator’s wrath in the life
hereafter. Once you promised and could not fulfil, it is forgotten and forgiven
but if you think you are successfully befooling someone you are at the wrong
end. Remember you can befool someone sometimes but you cannot befool everyone
every time. Be logical, will you forget and forgive someone who never keeps his
words to you? If you cannot, how can others?
Breaking Promises: Against the Spiritual
Ethics
It is against the essence of our divine
being that we break our promises without any valid reason. Allah the Creator
has created His people with all the divine ethics of spiritualism. Keeping
one’s words is one of the most prominent among them. Therefore, going against
the spiritual essence of our being is going against the tide of divine life.
Allah the Most Gracious has commanded human beings to fulfil the promises that
we make, from time to time, to our Creator otherwise one is going to face His
wrath, if not sincerely asked to be forgiven. Allah the Most Gracious says in
the Holy Quran:
“And be true to every promise, for verily you
will be called to account for every promise which you have made.” (17:34)
“And fulfil (every) covenant. Verily! The
covenant will be questioned about” - (Al-Isra’
17:34)
“…and fulfil
the Covenant of Allah” - (Al-An ‘am 6:152)
“Yes, whoever
fulfils his pledge and fears Allah much; verily, then Allah loves those who are
Al-Muttaqûn (the pious)” - (Aal ‘Imran 3:76)
“and fulfil
(your obligations to) My Covenant (with you) so that I fulfil (My Obligations
to) your covenant (with Me)”- (Al-Baqarah 2:40)
“O you who
believe! Fulfil (your) obligations.” (Surah Maeda:
1)
“O you who
believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? It is most hateful to Allah
that you should say that which you do not do.”
(As-Saff: 2-3)
It is mentioned in the above verse that one
who does not keep his words will be harshly punished. Making false promises for
the sake of worldly gains is not worth the displeasure of God. The human being
does not mind the spiritual teachings that he keeps receiving all through his
life from one source or the other. For a spiritual lesson, one does not
necessarily need to have a spiritual Guru as the Allah-created animals, birds
and the environment all keep singing the Creator’s spiritual lyrics of
divinity. One just needs to be natural with himself to understand nature and
how everything there in it are strictly following the promises they made to
Allah the Most Merciful.
Divinity Lies in Every Religion
Be it polytheistic or monotheistic
religions or beliefs, all are based on the divine virtues of spiritual ethics.
Is there any religion that advocates the negative side of human life? None. We,
therefore, cannot hide under the umbrella of any faith if we do not keep our
promises made to our family or friends or the nation at large.
The Holy Quran is full of the promises
Allah, the Almighty has made to His people. Consider what Allah the Most
Gracious says in the following verses of the Holy Quran:
“Indeed,
Allah loves those who act justly. (Quran 49:9)
“So remember
Me, I will remember you.” - (Quran 2:152)
“Those who
believe, and work righteousness, their Lord will guide them because of their
faith, beneath them will flow rivers in gardens of bliss.” - (Quran, 10:9)
“If you are
grateful, I will surely increase you.” (Surah
Ibrahim: 7)
This is the
Paradise that We will give as inheritance to those of our servants who are
God-conscious - (Quran19:63)
“To those who
believe and do deeds of righteousness has Allah promised forgiveness and a
great reward” - (Quran, 5:9)
“Whoever
works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a
new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward
according to the best of their actions.” - (Quran
16:97)
Following are the Prophetic traditions
that highlight the importance of keeping a promise:
Abd-Allah ibn Amr (RA) said: The Messenger
of Allah (Pbuh) said: “There are four characteristics, whoever has them all is
a pure hypocrite: when he speaks he lies when he makes a promise he breaks it
when he makes a covenant he betrays it, and when he disputes he resorts to obscene
speech. Whoever has one of them has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy,
until he gives it up.” - (Al-Bukhari,
3178; Muslim, 58)
Ali ibn Abi Taalib (RA) narrated: The
Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Whoever breaks the covenant of a Muslim, upon
him be the curse of Allah, the angels and all the people, and Allah will not
accept any obligatory or Nafil act of worship from him.” - (Al-Bukhari, 1870;
Muslim, 1370)
‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (RA) said that the
Messenger of Allah (SAW said: “Allah will set up a banner for the betrayer on
the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said: This is the betrayer of So and
so.” - (Al-Bukhari, 6178; Muslim, 1735)
The Holy Bible also has various verses
declaring the importance of keeping a promise and the promises made by God to
His people. Consider the following Biblical verses:
“And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his
purpose” - (Romans 8:28)
“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future” - (Jeremiah 29:11)
…now, will not God bring about justice for
His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? -
Luke 18:7
But I am afflicted and needy; Hasten to me,
O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay - Psalm 70:5
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord,
listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your
city and Your people are called by Your name.” - Daniel 9:19
Now as for the repeating of the dream to
Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will
quickly bring it about. - Genesis 41:32
Ramayan – A Tale of Keeping Promise
Ramayana is based on the words given to
Kaikeyi by her husband King Dashrath. We all know how many and how many
sacrifices were given by Maryada Purushottam Ram, Sita, Laxman and King
Dashrath in due course of keeping the promise made to Rani Kaikeyi.
The human being, therefore, needs to keep
its promises for God’s rewards. In addition to the common people, the world is
facing the wrath of politician’s breaking of promises. Politicians the world
over have made it a habit to promise the sky in their manifestoes. These
promises expectedly never see the light of the day. How much do their
countrymen perish because of this is not the topic of discussion at the moment
but what is needed is that they also, being our fellow beings, must be reminded
of the virtues of keeping the promise and the rewards of it in life hereafter.
And Allah Knows the Best.
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Arman Neyazi is a columnist with
NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/promise-spiritual-ethics-/d/125212
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