Establishing Trust and keeping Promises

Allah SWT has described those who are trustworthy and keep their promises in the Glorious Quran. In today’s reminder the imam referenced some of these ayats and one of those is the 27^th ayat of Sura Al-Anfal which is translated to say:

Believers! Do not be unfaithful to Allah and the Messenger, nor be knowingly unfaithful to your trusts.

Dear brothers and sisters, the idea of being someone who trust can be placed in is actually something that first originated in the Heavens. As Allah SWT speaks of it in the 72^nd ayat of Sura Al-Ahzab, it is translated to say:

We indeed offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused it and were afraid of it – and man accepted it; indeed he is one who puts himself into hardship, is extremely unwise.

From this Allah SWT is telling us that we were the ones who accepted the trust of Allah SWT to begin with. It is mankind who is trusted to worship Allah SWT alone and carry out the test of this dunya.

And so, the concept of trust falls upon each and every one of us. And what does that mean exactly? The imam reminded us again from the Glorious Quran that Allah SWT has associated success of this life with the way in which we handle our trusts. This is conveyed in ayat 8 of Sura Al-Muminoon which is translated to say:

and (success is attained) by those who honestly look after their trusts and covenant,

Dear brothers and sisters, the concept of trust comes back to the integrity that we show as Muslims. From the way we deal with our neighbours, to the way we are with our families and friends. From the way in which we conduct business and to the way in which we keep our promises, the concept of trust is all about the integrity that we hold in the eyes of others.

We belong to an ummah that was known for it’s integrity. Our word is meant to be our honour and our honour and reputation is meant to be the defining principle of who we are. In a time and a place where deception and corruption is supposedly seen everywhere, the integrity of the Muslim should stand out amongst our own and especially amongst the wider community of the country we live in.

As mentioned in previous reminders, this is part of the manners that we uphold as Muslims and it is directly from the Sunnah of the Prophet SAWS that we are people who can be trusted.

We know from the life of the Prophet SAWS that he was a man that was both trusted by Muslims and non-Muslims alike and so this is something that we must make as the cornerstone of our personas and what we are known for amongst other people.

And so, this reminder concludes with 3 practical tips as to how we can achieve this, how we can avoid being untrustworthy and how to identify if we are achieving this.

1. First is the acute understanding on both our purpose and of the presence of Allah SWT. By adhering to this point, we begin adopting the mannerisms that promote a trusting and honest behaviour. From making all prayers, to not purposely disobeying Allah SWT and his Messenger SAWS, there is a process to follow and it begins with following the Quran and the Sunnah.
2. One of the signs that we are untrustworthy is our manners in relation to telling the truth. Lying breeds untrustworthiness and so we need to make sure that we stand out as people who speak the truth. This is especially important in the place we live. Living amongst the majority of non-Muslims, we are in a special position of being ambassadors to Islam. People don’t become Muslim just by learning about Islam but they do so when they see other Muslims. Therefore, how we conduct ourselves has a direct impact on their perception of the ultimate truth and that is our faith. If we claim to follow the truth but are practicing hypocrisy by being untrustworthy then what message are we sending to others?
3. If we find ourselves lacking in integrity then once we have understood we need to work on this then the next step is to actively work on changing how we conduct ourselves. Our heart and mind governs our behaviours and so the heart needs to be repaired through the first point and through the remembrance of Allah SWT. The mind follows and we do this by actively making an effort to refrain from lying, even as a joke. It is never too late to change your character from being known as untrustworthy to someone who is known as transforming to a person of integrity and trust. It’s within us all to do and we begin by asking Allah SWT to help us make that change.

Dear brothers and sisters, integrity is a key characteristic of any good human but it is even more important as Muslims that we show integrity, not only for our own sakes in front of Allah SWT but also for the sake of the people around us so that our community is known by all as people of integrity and those who maintain trusts.