The second sign of a Munafiq (duplicitous person) that Rasool Allah SAW described in the Hadith (which was mentioned in full in the previous post) is that:
"When he makes a promise, he doesn't keep it". When a true Muslim makes a promise he fulfils it. The rule of Sharia is that if a person made a commitment or a promise, but subsequently circumstances changed and he was unable to keep that promise, then he must let the other person know that he can not fulfil his promise. For example, if a person promised someone that he will give him a certain amount of money on a certain date, but nearer the time some unforeseen circumstances happened and he doesn't have that much money to give, he must let the other person know immediately. But in the absence of a genuine reason he must keep his promise and fulfil his commitment.
Rasool Allah SAW kept his promises in such dire circumstances that it is difficult to come up with such examples in the present day. Hazrat Huzaifa Bin Yama'an RAA was a famous companion (Sahabi) of Rasool Allah SAW. When he and his father Hazrat Yama'an RAA converted to Islam they set out for Medinah to meet Rasool Allah SAW. On the way they were caught by Abu Jehel and his army who were going to fight Rasool Allah SAW and his companions at the venue of Badar. Abu Jehel asked them where they were going. They told honestly that they were going to Medinah to meet Rasool Allah SAW. Abu Jehel said that in that case he wouldn't let them go because they would join in the battle against his army. Hazrat Huzaifa RAA and his father said that their sole purpose of going to Medinah was to visit Rasool Allah SAW and that they had no intention of joining the battle against Abu Jehel and his army. Abu Jehel made them promise to it and then let them go.
By that time Rasool Allah SAW had left Medinah for the Ghazva (battle in which Rasool Allah SAW personally took part) of Badar and met them on the way. Hazrat Huzaifa RAA told him the story of how Abu Jehel's army had caught them and only let them go after he made them promise that they wouldn't participate in the war against his army. Hazrat Huzaifa RAA then asked for Rasool Allah's (SAW) permission to join the battle of Badar saying that Abu Jehel had extracted the promise from them with a knife against their throats, and that they had made the promise not to join the battle under duress because otherwise he wouldn't have let them go.
Had it been any other commander at that time he probably would have rationalised that he had 313 people with 8 swords between them against a fully equipped army of a 1000 warriors so they needed every body they could get, and that because the promise had been extracted under duress so it was okay to break it under the circumstances. But Rasool Allah SAW said that because you gave your word that you would not fight against them so you must keep your word, and you are not permitted to join the fight.
Why did Rasool Allah SAW refuse to let them join the battle when they desperately needed people to fight? Because he was not fighting to occupy a country, or to spread his kingdom, he was fighting the battle to please Allah SWT and one can not please Allah SWT by committing a sin which in this case would have meant breaking a promise. That is why Hazrat Huzaifa RAA and his father weren't allowed to join Ghazva of Badar because they were not allowed to break their promise to not joining the battle against Abu Jehel's army. This is what keeping a promise truly means.
Adapted from the talk "Not keeping promises" by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB
"و اذا وعد اخلف"
"When he makes a promise, he doesn't keep it". When a true Muslim makes a promise he fulfils it. The rule of Sharia is that if a person made a commitment or a promise, but subsequently circumstances changed and he was unable to keep that promise, then he must let the other person know that he can not fulfil his promise. For example, if a person promised someone that he will give him a certain amount of money on a certain date, but nearer the time some unforeseen circumstances happened and he doesn't have that much money to give, he must let the other person know immediately. But in the absence of a genuine reason he must keep his promise and fulfil his commitment.
Rasool Allah SAW kept his promises in such dire circumstances that it is difficult to come up with such examples in the present day. Hazrat Huzaifa Bin Yama'an RAA was a famous companion (Sahabi) of Rasool Allah SAW. When he and his father Hazrat Yama'an RAA converted to Islam they set out for Medinah to meet Rasool Allah SAW. On the way they were caught by Abu Jehel and his army who were going to fight Rasool Allah SAW and his companions at the venue of Badar. Abu Jehel asked them where they were going. They told honestly that they were going to Medinah to meet Rasool Allah SAW. Abu Jehel said that in that case he wouldn't let them go because they would join in the battle against his army. Hazrat Huzaifa RAA and his father said that their sole purpose of going to Medinah was to visit Rasool Allah SAW and that they had no intention of joining the battle against Abu Jehel and his army. Abu Jehel made them promise to it and then let them go.
By that time Rasool Allah SAW had left Medinah for the Ghazva (battle in which Rasool Allah SAW personally took part) of Badar and met them on the way. Hazrat Huzaifa RAA told him the story of how Abu Jehel's army had caught them and only let them go after he made them promise that they wouldn't participate in the war against his army. Hazrat Huzaifa RAA then asked for Rasool Allah's (SAW) permission to join the battle of Badar saying that Abu Jehel had extracted the promise from them with a knife against their throats, and that they had made the promise not to join the battle under duress because otherwise he wouldn't have let them go.
Had it been any other commander at that time he probably would have rationalised that he had 313 people with 8 swords between them against a fully equipped army of a 1000 warriors so they needed every body they could get, and that because the promise had been extracted under duress so it was okay to break it under the circumstances. But Rasool Allah SAW said that because you gave your word that you would not fight against them so you must keep your word, and you are not permitted to join the fight.
Why did Rasool Allah SAW refuse to let them join the battle when they desperately needed people to fight? Because he was not fighting to occupy a country, or to spread his kingdom, he was fighting the battle to please Allah SWT and one can not please Allah SWT by committing a sin which in this case would have meant breaking a promise. That is why Hazrat Huzaifa RAA and his father weren't allowed to join Ghazva of Badar because they were not allowed to break their promise to not joining the battle against Abu Jehel's army. This is what keeping a promise truly means.
Adapted from the talk "Not keeping promises" by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB
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