Fulfillment of Promises
The imam referenced the 111 ayat from Sura Tawba in which it is translated to say:
And who is more true in fulfilling his promise than Allah?
As well as ayat 152 from Sura Al-Anam which says:
And always observe your bond with Allah this He enjoined upon you, so that you might keep it in mind.
Scholars state that the “bond with God” (conventionally translated as “God’s covenant”) apparently refers here to man’s moral obligation to use his inborn gifts – intellectual as well as physical – in the way intended for them by God.
What this means is that we have a responsibility to use our speech and actions for the tasks that have been set by us by Allah SWT, his Messenger SAWS, and the roles we have been given in life.
And so, this reminder outlines 5 areas that we should focus on in order to establish that bond with Allah SWT.
- To fulfil the promise with Allah SWT. This one is a given as it is simply saying to follow the obligations as outlined by our Creator and to avoid those actions that are impermissible. By doing these actions and avoiding the wrong actions, we are considered of the people who have fulfilled their promises to Allah SWT.
The imam referenced ayat 23 from Sura Al-Ahzab in which Allah SWT describes the believers that fulfil their promise to Him. It is translated as:
Among the believers there are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah: of them some have completed their vow through sacrificing their lives, and some others are waiting for it, and have not changed their determination in the least.
- To fulfil the promise with the Prophet SAWS who put all his effort to pass the message on to the people. There existed no good for man that he did not direct us towards it and there existed no bad for man that he did not direct us away from it. We honour that by following in his path through the sunnah acts in Islam.
- To fulfil the promise with the parents. Dear brothers and sisters, parents have a great importance upon us and their rights on their children is great. It is easy for us to focus on what we need to do as children but maybe it is only truly when we become parents ourselves that we see what our parents did for us and are still doing for us for those who are still blessed to have them in our lives. The parent is that relationship where there is no hardship that is too much to bear for the sake of upbringing and teaching the offspring. We need to honour that by listening, being patient, being tolerant, being respectful and being humble in front of them.
The imam referenced a passage from the Quran in which Allah SWT speaks of the parents and our responsibilities to them. He mentioned ayat 23 of Sura Al-Isra which is translated to say:
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment.
- To fulfil the responsibilities within the sanctity of marriage. This is for both the husband and the wife as each has responsibilities that they must fulfil.
This point can be a talk all by itself and so just for the purposes of this reminder, the imam summarized it by saying that the husband must be respectful to his wife, to value her and ensure that all her rights are met.
Remember, that she is not held ransom in a marriage and any injustices will be accountable and so be generous towards them. Often a husband may not understand the view presented by his wife, this is an example of generosity where the husband goes along with the view for the sake of the wife.
For the wife it is about respect too and that comes practically through listening to the husband as he has been given that status and honour, supporting him through times when he may be down as men are subject to emotional dips normally associated only with women and to remember that for all that you may not like in him, there is something good that he does which ought not to be forgotten.
- Lastly it’s about the general fulfilment of responsibilities towards people. This is about general conduct in society, about manners, about attitude towards others. We live in a time and a place where selfishness is rife and so it is the best of times to be that beacon for Islam and demonstrate what is means to be a Muslim.
The imam mentioned the following hadith in which the Prophet SAWS said:
“if anyone does you a kindness, recompense him; but if you have not the means to do so, pray for him until you feel that you have compensated him.”
Therefore it is good to give dua to the person that gives you dua for example, and to do good to whoever that does good to them, and to be thankful and return the favours. This contributes to a better community, better society and a fulfilment towards the people.
Dear brothers and sisters, Allah SWT has given us this life to enjoy and it is a great blessing to have the life we have. However, life is about living in accordance with the guidelines set by Allah SWT and by the path outlined by the Prophet SAWS. We need to establish that bond with Allah SWT by living our life whilst being mindful of the responsibilities we have towards one another. By doing this we can be of the people spoken by Allah SWT as being true to their covenant with their Lord.
May Allah SWT enable us to establish that bond with Him. May Allah SWT enable us to carry out our responsibilities in this life and may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in doing so.
