Promises are to be kept
Sufaya Yousf
Do not quarrel with your brother. Do not ridicule him. You should refrain from making a promise and then going back on it (Hadith of Tirmidhi)
According to the definition of Merriam Webster “Promise” is a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.
A promise is a declaration of assuring that one will do or not do something. It is a commitment and its witness and guarantor is God itself. Mostly promises have been made in order to establish strong relationships and build a strong trust.
Some promises need legal documentation while some are simple and verbal. When a person makes a promise it shows his faith in God and his ethics. If that person fulfills his promise then he will be considered a true believer and people easily trust on him and he get respect both in the eyes of people and also in front of his Lord.
If a person breaks a promise, it not only disappoints the person he has promised, but it also erodes bits of his self esteem too. It breaks all the trust and expectation of that person and it is very difficult for that person to trust and expect anything from the same person or other persons again.
He is not only breaking the promise he also breaks the trust of that person and this gives the victim a strong mental pain which is more painful than physical pain. Brain research shows that breaking promises actually register in our brain activity, showing up as emotional conflict for the promise beaker as a result of suppressing their honesty.
In present society lying, broken promises any vows are common, it becomes easy for a person to make a promise and then break it. But there are also some good people who still value morals and whose belief system holds them to highest ethical standards.
Our religion Islam has highly stressed about the importance of fulfilling ones promise, and also warns it’s believers of the serious consequences they will face if they were not to fulfill them.
….” And fulfill the promises; surely (every) promise shall be questioned about”. ( 17:34)
It has become a habit for people to make a promise and then easily break it. Why don’t they think that they were to be questioned about their every single promise they have ever made. If they will remember this thing before breaking a promise then they will never break a single promise in their life and they will think hundred times before breaking a promise.
“He who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment must fulfill his promises.” The Prophet (PBUH) further states: “He who has these three things should be considered a hypocrite, even if he performs the daily prayers, observes fasting and thinks that he is a Muslim: breach of trust, lying and breach of promise.”
A promise breaker is considered as hypocrite by our beloved Prophet(SAW) and according to the holy book of Allah the hypocrite holds the lowest rank in hell. Allah also mentions that those who fear Allah and fulfill their promises are loved by Allah and rewarded by Him.
Islam takes the issue of keeping ones promises extremely serious. While those who break their promises and making fun of them are considered the worst kind of people. Fulfilling a promise is the most valued trait of a pious believer.
Mostly a person make a promise when he is happy but he never thinks before making a promise, he makes a random promise and when he thinks later about it then he comes to know that he can’t fulfill it and he becomes a big sinner, but he never apologize for it because he takes it a random thing as he never takes it serious.
Making a promise and then breaking it has become quite easier now a days and people usually don’t take it serious. Though it is a serious issue and being a Muslim we must think about it because it converts a pious believer into hypocrite and we all know the place of hypocrite.
We must think before making a promise so that we can’t lose our firm faith and before making a promise we should always remember this thing that Our Lord is the witness of our promise and we will be questioned for every single promise.
May Allah increase our faith and make us among the pious Muslims…..Ameen
(The author is a student)
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