Breaking one’s promise

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
May His peace and blessings be upon His prophet Muhammad, his companions, folk, and those who follow him until the end of time.

If the promise is made in the form of a vow, such as one’s saying, “I owe it to Allah to visit you,” or, “I make it religously obligatory on myself to give you [money],” then it is obligatory to fulfill. If the utterance is not made in the form of a vow, then it is unlawful to make the promise if one intends while making the promise that one will not fulfill it. If, however, one intended to fulfil the promise while making it but then later broke the promise by deciding not to fulfil it, then this is offensive in our school, but not forbidden.

Our imams mention these rulings in the Section of Gift-Giving. They also refer to it when commenting on hadith which relate to this topic, such as the hadith, “The signs of the hypocrite are three: … and when he makes a promise, he does not fulfill it.”

Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyya al-Ansari says in his Sharh al-Rawd in the end of the Section on Gift-Giving:

“Fulfilling one’s promise is highly recommended (sunna mu`akkadah) because of Allah’s words, “And fulfill your covenants when you make them,” and “O you who believe, fulfill your covenants,” and “Fulfill your covenants, for certainly it is something you will be asked about.” Breaking one’s promise is highly offensive because of Allah’s words, “O you who believe, why do you say that which you do not do? It is greatly detested by Allah to say that which you do not do.” Bukhari and Muslim have related the hadith, “The signs of the hypocrite are three: When he speaks he lies, when he promises he does not fulfill it, and when he is entrusted with something he is treacherous.” Muslim adds in his narration, “…even if he fasts and prays and insists he is a Muslim.” The reason why it is not obligatory to fulfill one’s promise and not forbidden to break it is because it is like the act of giving a gift, which is not binding until the transfer of ownership takes place.”

The Hadith Master Ibn Hajar says in his commentary Fath al-Bari in regards to this hadith,

“The reason why the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confined himself to these three signs [of hypocrisy] is that they apprise one of something beyond themselves – namely, that the basis of religion is three things: speech, deed, and intention. The corruption of one’s speech is through lying. The corruption of one’s deeds is through treachery. And the corruption of one’s intention is through doing what opposes it. Breaking one’s promise is not unlawful unless one intended to do so when one made the promise. As for the situation in which one’s intent was to carry out the promise, but then something prevented him from doing so or he changed his mind, then this does not constitute the description of hypocrisy. Ghazali has mentioned this in the Ihya, and there is a long hadith narrated by Tabarani that bears witness to this position, namely, the hadith of Salman which mentions towards its end, ” … if he makes a promise while saying to himself that he will break it.” The hadith mentions a similar qualification for the other traits. There is nothing wrong with its chain of transmission and none of its transmitters have been unanimously rejected. It is mentioned in a shorter form by Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi as a hadith of Zayd b. Arqam, whose wording is, “If one promises his brother something and intends to fulfill it but then does not, there is no sin upon him.””

Translated by Sulma Badrudduja

السؤال: ما حكم عدم الوفاء بالوعد؟ أين تُذكر أحكامُهُ في كتب الفقه؟
الجواب: الوعدُ إن كان بصيغة التزام نذر واجبُ الوفاءِ كقوله: لله عليَّ أن أزورك أو أن أعطيك قرضاً ونحو ذلك، أما إن لم يكن فيه صيغة التزام فمذهبنا أنه إن كان ينوي عند الوعد أن لا يفيَ به فهو حرام، وإن كان قصد الوفاء لكنه لم يَفِ بالوعد فيكره ذلك ولا يحرم، هذا تفصيل مذهبنا في الوفاء بالوعد.
ويذكر أئمتُنا هذه الأحكام في باب الهبة من كتب الفقه، وكذلك يتعرضون لها عند شرح أحاديث الوفاء بالوعد كحديث:” آيةُ المنافق ثلاثة: … وإذا وعد أخلف “.
قال شيخُ الإسلام في “شرح الروض” آخر كتاب الهبة:” (ويتأكدُ استحبابُ وفاء الوعد) قال تعالى: (وأوفوا بعهد الله إذا عاهدتم) وقال: (يا أيها الذين آمنوا أوفوا بالعقود) وقال: (وأوفوا بالعهد إن العهدَ كان مسئولاً) (و) تتأكد (كراهةُ خلافه) أي: الوعد قال تعالى: (يا أيها الذين آمنوا لم تقولون ما لا تفعلون كَبُرَ مقتاً عند الله أن تقولوا ما لا تفعلون) وروى الشيخان خبر :” آيةُ المنافق ثلاثٌ: إذا حدث كذب, وإذا وعد أخلف, وإذا اءتمن خان “. زاد مسلم في رواية:” وإن صام وصلى وزعم أنه مسلم “. وإنما لم يجب الوفاء بالوعد ولم يحرم إخلافه; لأنه في معنى الهبة وهي لا تلزم إلا بالقبض “. اهـ
وقال الحافظُ ابن حجر في “فتح الباري” عند شرح حديث علامة المنافق ما نصه:” ووجهُ الاقتصار على هذه العلامات الثلاث أنها منبهة على ما عداها, إذ أصلُ الديانة منحصرٌ في ثلاث: القول, والفعل, والنية. فنبَّه على فساد القول بالكذب, وعلى فساد الفعل بالخيانة, وعلى فساد النية بالخلف; لأن خُلْفَ الوعد لا يقدحُ إلا إذا كان العزمُ عليه مقارناً للوعد, أما لو كان عازماً ثم عرض له مانع أو بدا له رأيٌ فهذا لم توجد منه صورة النفاق, قاله الغزالي في “الإحياء”. وفي الطبراني في حديث طويل ما يشهدُ له, ففيه من حديث سلمان:” إذا وعد وهو يحدثُ نفسَه أنه يخلف “. وكذا قال في باقي الخصال, وإسنادُه لا بأسَ به ليس فيهم مَن أجمع على تركه, وهو عند أبي داود والترمذي من حديث زيد بن أرقم مختصر بلفظ:” إذا وعد الرجلُ أخاه ومن نيته أن يفيَ له فلم يفِ فلا إثم عليهِ “. “. اهـ