The First Pledge of the Helpers (RA) –
During the pilgrimage season to Mecca, which used to occur before the coming of Islam even though the correct practices had become corrupted, the people of Medina, the Helpers, may Allah be pleased with them, visited the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and took a pledge with him. The pledge was that they would not associate anything with Allah, the Exalted, they would not steal, they would not commit fornication, they would not kill their children, they would not make false accusations and they would not disobey the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in anything good. This has been discussed in Imam Ibn Kathir’s, the Life of the Prophet, Volume 2, Page 120.
The first part of the pledge was that they would not associate anything with Allah, the Exalted.
The root of this is being sincere to Allah, the Exalted.
In a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim number 196, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, advised that Islam is sincerity towards Allah, the Exalted.
Sincerity towards Allah, the Exalted, includes fulfilling all the duties given by Him in the form of commands and prohibitions, solely for His pleasure. As confirmed in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 1, all will be judged by their intention. So if one is not sincere towards Allah, the Exalted, when performing good deeds they will gain no reward in this world or in the next. In fact, according to a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 3154, those who performed insincere deeds will be told on Judgement Day to seek their reward from those who they acted for, which will not be possible. Chapter 98 Al Bayyinah, verse 5.
“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion…..”
If one is lax in fulfilling their duties towards Allah, the Exalted, it proves a lack of sincerity. Therefore, they should sincerely repent and struggle to fulfil them all. It is important to bear in mind Allah, the Exalted, never burdens one with duties they cannot perform or handle. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 286.
“Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity….”
Being sincere towards Allah, the Exalted, means that one should always choose His pleasure over the pleasure of themself and others. A Muslim should always give priority to those actions which are for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, over all else. One should love others and dislike their sins for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and not for the sake of their own desires. When they help others or refuse to take part in sins it should be for the sake of Allah, the Exalted. The one who adopts this mentality has perfected their faith. This is confirmed in a Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 4681.
An aspect of being sincere to Allah, the Exalted, is to trust that His decrees and choices are best for the people involved, even if the wisdoms behind His decrees are not obvious to people. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 216:
“…But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.”
To only be pleased with the decrees that suit one’s desires and become upset at the decrees which contradict one’s desires is clear insincerity to Allah, the Exalted. The one who maintains sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, by fulfilling His commands, refraining from His prohibitions and by facing destiny with patience according to the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, through every situation and state is truly the sincere one.
The next part of the pledge was that they would not steal.
Generally speaking, it is a major sin to utilise the unlawful. This includes using unlawful wealth, using items which are unlawful and eating unlawful foods. It is important to note, that the specific things which have been labelled unlawful by Islam such as alcohol are not the only things which are unlawful. In fact, even lawful things can become unlawful if they have been gained through unlawful things. For example, a lawful food can become unlawful if it is bought with unlawful wealth. Therefore, it is important for Muslims to ensure they only deal with lawful things as it only takes one element of the unlawful to ruin someone.
In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, once warned in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 2346, that the one who utilises the unlawful will have all their supplications rejected. If their supplications are rejected by Allah, the Exalted, can one expect any of their good deeds to be accepted? This in fact has been answered in another Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 1410. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, clearly warned that Allah, the Exalted, only accepts the lawful. Therefore, any deed which has a foundation in the unlawful such as performing the Holy Pilgrimage with unlawful wealth will be rejected.
In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, warned in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 3118, that this type of person will be sent to Hell on Judgement Day. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 188:
“And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful].”
In addition, stealing contradicts the character of a believer as a true believer keeps their verbal and physical harm away from a person and their possessions. This has been confirmed in a Hadith found in Sunan An Nasai, number 4998. A person must remember that justice will be established on Judgement Day, even if they believe they can escape the consequences of their actions in this world. The wrongdoer will be forced to hand over their good deeds to their victims and if necessary, the wrongdoer will take the sins of their victims. This may well cause the wrongdoer to be hurled into Hell. This has been warned in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 6579. Therefore, one must ensure they fulfil the rights of Allah, the Exalted, and people so that they obtain peace of mind and success in both worlds. Fulfilling the rights of people is best achieved when one treats others in a way they themself desire to be treated by other people.
The next part of the pledge was that they would not commit fornication.
This is connected to chapter 25 Al Furqan, verse 68:
“…and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.”
The true servants of Allah, the Exalted, avoid all forms of illegal relationships. The fact that adultery has been placed next to polytheism and killing an innocent person in this verse indicates its severity.
Muslims should take precautions in order to avoid being tempted into illegal relationships. Firstly, they should learn to lower their gaze. This does not mean one should always stare at their shoes but it means they should avoid looking around unnecessary especially in public places. They should avoid staring at others and maintain respect for the opposite gender. Just like a Muslim would not like someone staring at their sister or daughter they should not stare at other people’s sisters and daughters. Chapter 24 An Nur, verse 30:
“Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision1 and guard their private parts. That is purer for them…”
Whenever possible a Muslim should avoid spending time alone with the opposite gender unless they are related in a way which prohibits marriage. This has been advised by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 1862.
Muslims should dress and behave with modesty. Dressing modestly avoids attracting the glances of strangers and behaving modestly prevents one from taking the initial steps which could lead to an illegal relationship such as talking unnecessarily to the opposite gender.
Understanding the blessings of avoiding illegal relationships is another way to protect oneself from them. For example, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has guaranteed Paradise to the one who safeguards their tongue and chastity. This is confirmed in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 2408.
Fearing the punishment of being involved in illegal relationships will also aid a Muslim to avoid them. For example, faith will depart from the person who is committing fornication. This is confirmed in a Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 4690.
In reality, a Muslim does not need illegal relationships as Islam prescribes marriage. Those who cannot afford to marry should fast often as this also helps to control one’s desires and actions. This has been advised in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 3398.
Allah, the Exalted, encourages marriage and forbids unlawful relationships. When a couple are not truly devoted to each other, like a married couple, then any real difficulties they face will lead to more emotional stress for the couple, as they fail to support each other correctly. Coming in and out of multiple relationships over one’s life undoubtedly has a detrimental effect on their mental health. It is no surprise that those who separate from their partners often end up in counselling. They end up suffering from mental disorders, such as depression, more than those who avoid these relationships. In addition, those who are known within the society for having multiple partners are less likely to find a suitable spouse who will fulfill their rights. This is because the one who has had multiple partners within their life will adopt a loose and undesirable character, which people looking for a serious commitment, such as marriage, would dislike. This will only increase the emotional stress for the one who has had multiple partners. In casual relationships, the couple are often not on the same wavelength. Meaning, one of the two always takes the relationship more seriously, such as desiring to settle down with their partner. Whereas, the other does not feel the same about their future. When this difference in attitude eventually surfaces it often leads to long standing emotional trauma for the one who took the relationship more seriously. Whereas, a married couple from the very first step are on the same wavelength, in respect to their long-term commitment to one another. A married couple are devoted to each other in every situation, whether they face situations which are planned or unplanned, such as having children. This attitude is very rarely found amongst normal couples. Having a relationship with another also fools a person into believing they completely know their partner and so if they do get married they often complain about their spouse changing after marriage. In most cases, they did not change. The things that changed were the responsibilities and pressures of their relationship. This issue often leads to marriage issues for those couples who were in a relationship prior to their marriage. Even if they live together prior to marriage, even then the same issue will occur. In addition, it is no secret that whenever one faces trouble with their partner how severely it affects every other aspect of their life. For example, many young people drop out of education simply because they cannot face seeing their former partner every day. As marriage is a deep connection and commitment between two people, they are less likely to breakup over the same petty issues normal couples breakup over.
In addition, a person must not be fooled into the outward appearance of an unlawful relationship believing there is no harm in it for the couple or the wider society. As people have limited knowledge, are extremely short sighted and are often controlled by their emotions, they can incorrectly believe having a relationship outside marriage is harmless whereas they fail to see the hidden poison which will negatively affect them and others. A muslim in an unlawful relationship will only be encouraged to take further steps and commit sins with their partner, over time. As emotions and feelings are difficult to control and as these sins, such as fornication, have become normalized within most societies, a non-married couple may easily fall into these sins. This leads to countless other problems for them and society, such as unwanted pregnancies and even belittling other major sins within Islam. In addition, even if one does not commit any other major sins within their unlawful relationship, such as fornication, then their feelings will prevent them from thinking clearly and as a result they may well marry their partner, without realizing they are not a suitable spouse, even if they seemed to be a good partner. As discussed earlier, this is because the stress and responsibilities of marriage, such as fulfilling the rights of one’s spouse and children, change the relationship between the couple, which in turn often leads to marriage problems. This is why married couples who were together before marriage often accuse each other of changing their behaviour after marriage. In addition, no matter how much time one spends with their partner, they will never get to know their character like a married couple know each other. Hidden negative characteristics in each of them will become manifest after marriage, which only leads to further marriage problems. A truth which is often overlooked by someone who is in an illegal relationship is that a person who makes a good partner is not guaranteed to make a good spouse or a good parent. This is because different characteristics are required to make a good spouse and parent compared to making a good partner. Because of their feelings for their partner, a person will often overlook the importance of choosing a pious person to marry, as they are the only one who will fulfill the rights of their spouse and children and will avoid harming them, even when they are angry. Whereas, a person who does not have piety, will not fulfill the rights of their spouse or children and will wrong them, especially when they are angry. The one who has a partner will overlook this important point and as a result they will marry their partner because of their feelings for them, even if they do not possess piety. Emotions, such as love, make a person blind and deaf to the negative characteristics of their beloved. This has been warned in a Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 5130.
In addition, any children that are born unintentionally from the relationship will put further stress on their relationship, which often results in them splitting up, as they do not desire to share the responsibility of raising a child. This creates a broken home for the child to grow up in where they do not have the support and supervision of both parents, which often leads to trouble for everyone. It is a clear fact that the majority of youth involved in crimes, gangs and those children who are groomed by sexual predators and are victims of domestic violence, come from broken families. Raising a child correctly when one desires a child is extremely hard, then can one imagine the emotional stress of raising a child correctly when the parent did not desire to have the child in the first place? This negatively effects the upbringing of the child and often leads to the problems mentioned earlier. This stress often leads to the single parent giving up the child for fostering or adoption, which in the majority of cases, has a detrimental negative and long term impact on the child, some of which were mentioned earlier. This further increases the chances of the child becoming misguided.
All of these and more negative things within unlawful relationships cannot be appreciated by someone who is emotional or ignorant, even if unlawful relationships appear harmless. Getting involved in unlawful relationships is just like consuming a meal which appears delicious when it is in fact poisoned. As this poison is hidden, one must rely on someone who is aware of this poison and trust their advice to avoid eating the meal which appears delicious, even if this contradicts their desires. As Allah, the Exalted, alone knows all things, especially, the hidden poisons within certain actions and relationships, His advice must be accepted and acted upon, even if it contradicts one’s desires. This is similar to a wise patient who accepts and acts on the medical advice of their doctor knowing it is best for them, even though they are prescribed bitter medicines and a strict diet plan. The same way this wise patient will achieve good mental and physical health, so will the person who accepts and acts on Islamic teachings. This is because the only One who has the knowledge required to ensure a person achieves a balanced mental and physical state is Allah, the Exalted. The knowledge of the mental and physical states of humans possessed by society will never be enough to achieve this outcome, despite all the research that has been undertaken, as they cannot solve every issue a person can face within their life nor can their advice cause one to avoid all types of mental and physical stress due to limited knowledge, experience and foresight. Allah, the Exalted, alone has this knowledge and He has granted it to mankind in the form of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. This truth is obvious when one observes those who act on Islamic teachings by correctly using the blessings they have been granted and those who do not.
Allah, the Exalted, removed these numerous branch problems by addressing the root problem meaning, forbidding unlawful relationships and encouraging marriage, whereby a couple sincerely devote themselves to each other and their children.
Many thinkers have come and gone which have addressed the issues people and society face but as these solutions target branch issues the benefit of these solutions are minimal. Whereas, Allah, the Exalted, through this method of addressing root issues, which affect an individual and the society, has clarified all things so that people can achieve success in both worlds. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 89:
“…And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy…”
The next part of the pledge was that they would not kill their children.
The non-Muslims of Arabia would often kill their newborn girls as they saw them as a curse.
In a Hadith found in Imam Bukhari’s, Adab Al Mufrad, number 78, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, gave glad tidings of Paradise to the parents who correctly raise two daughters. It is surprising how many Muslims, especially Asians, always desire sons and have adopted the ignorant mentality of not being as pleased when they have daughters even though, the glad tidings mentioned in this Hadith and many others have not been given regarding sons. It is acceptable to believe that a parent would stress more over a daughter than a son, especially in this day and age, but none the less, it does not mean Muslim parents should be less happy if they have a daughter instead of a son. They should remember that their duty is to educate and guide their children according to the teachings of Islam and not stress over their destiny as this is not in their control.
Disliking having daughters is an ignorant mentality which completely contradicts the teachings of Islam. In fact, disliking having daughters is the attitude of polytheists and one should avoid their characteristics at all costs. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verses 58-59:
“And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed…”
Muslim should avoid adopting this mentality and instead be content with any child they are given, as they are plenty of married couples who do not have any children.
Some people would also kill their children out of fear of poverty. In this case, a muslim must always remember that each person’s provision was allocated to them over fifty thousand years before Allah, the Exalted, created the Heavens and the Earth, and this allocation cannot be altered at all. This has been confirmed in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 6748. The duty of a muslim is to use the means they have been granted, such as their physical strength, according to the teachings of Islam in order to obtain their provision and the provision of their dependents such as their children and then trust that Allah, the Exalted, will fulfil His promise and ensure their allocated provision reaches them. A parent is simply a means of providing provision to a child and Allah, the Exalted, can replace this means by something or someone else whenever He wants, such as relatives or a charity organization. Chapter 17 Al Isra, verse 31:
“And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.”
The next part of the pledge was that they would not make false accusations.
In a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 6593, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, explained the meaning of backbiting and slander.
Backbiting is when one criticizes someone in their absence in a way which would be displeasing to them, even though it is the truth. Whereas, slander is similar to backbiting except that the statement is not true. These sins mainly involve speech but can include other things, such as using hand signals. These are both major sins and backbiting has been compared to eating the flesh of the corpse of one’s brother, in the Holy Quran. Chapter 49 Al Hujurat, verse 12:
“…And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it…”
It is important to understand that these sins are worse than most of the sins which are between a person and Allah, the Exalted. This is because the sins between a person and Allah, the Exalted, will be forgiven by Him, if the sinner sincerely repents. But Allah, the Exalted, will not forgive a backbiter or a slanderer until their victim forgives them first. If they do not, then on Judgment Day the good deeds of the backbiter/slanderer will be given to their victim as compensation and if needed, the sins of the victim will be given to their backbiter/slanderer until justice is established. This may well cause the backbiter/slanderer to be hurled into Hell. This has been confirmed in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 6579.
Backbiting is only lawful when one is warning and protecting another person from harm or if a person is resolving a complaint against another person with a third party, such as a legal case.
One should avoid backbiting and slandering by firstly gaining knowledge on the evil consequences of these major sins. Secondly, a person should only utter words which they would happily say in front of the person, full well knowing they would not take it in an offensive way. Thirdly, a muslim should only utter words about another if they would not mind someone else saying those or similar words about them. Meaning, they should talk about others how they want people to talk about them. Finally, a muslim should concentrate on fixing their own faults and when done sincerely, it will prevent them from backbiting and slandering others.
One should avoid the company of backbiters and slanderers, as they are trouble makers, who will, sooner or later, backbite or slander them. They should gently warn others from these major sins, as long as they are safe from physical harm. They should never believe the gossip spoken about others, as the vast majority of gossip is either completely false or it is mixed up with many lies. One should instead defend the honour of others, just like they would like people to defend their honour in their absence. The one who behaves in this manner will be protected from Hellfire by Allah, the Exalted. This has been advised in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 1931. One should ignore the gossip they hear about others and never let it influence their behaviour towards them. Instead, they should fulfill the rights of others, according to the teachings of Islam.
A Muslim must never be fooled by the fact that backbiting and slandering others has become normalized in society. The sins of others will never reduce the severity of one’s sins in the eyes of Allah, the Exalted, nor can the sins of others justify committing sins. This is a foolish attitude which a worldly judge would not even accept, then how can a Muslim expect Allah, the Exalted, the Judge of judges, to accept it?
Even though the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, would command others to do nothing except good, this clause was added for the sake of the future leaders of the Islamic nation, who had the potential to command others to do what was wrong. Obeying the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is an obligatory duty according to the Holy Quran. Chapter 59 Al Hashr, verse 7:
“…And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from…”
And chapter 4 An Nisa, verse 59:
“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger…”
And chapter 4 An Nisa, verse 80:
“He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah…”
Therefore, one must practically obey him by learning and acting on his life and teachings. As obedience is practical therefore obeying the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is not defined as verbally claiming love and respect for him without practically following his teachings. Sadly, many muslims believe that verbally claiming love for him is enough to obtain right guidance, his intercession on Judgement Day and his companionship in the hereafter. In reality, the one who fails to follow his teachings practically may well find that he testifies against them on Judgement Day, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is a witness as well as an intercessor. Chapter 4 An Nisa, verse 41:
“So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you, against these [people] as a witness?”
And chapter 25 Al Furqan, verse 30:
“And the Messenger has said, “O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur’ān as [a thing] abandoned.””
As the muslims are the ones who took and accepted the Holy Quran, this verse refers to those muslims who failed to practically act on the Holy Quran. It cannot refer to non-muslims as they never took nor accepted the Holy Quran in order to abandon it. It does not take a scholar to determine what will occur to the person who the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, testifies against on Judgement Day.
Therefore, a muslim must support their verbal declaration of love and respect for the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, by practically following his teachings, so that they obtain peace of mind, his intercession and company in the hereafter.
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