Have you ever made a promise to yourself? Did you accomplish it and fulfill it as you promised? Do you see yourself as one of those who are loyal to their promises and do not back down from what they have committed to? What if someone broke a promise he made to himself for you? What will be the impact of betrayal on your soul, and what impact will breaking the promise leave on your conscience? Do you think that there are justifications that justify breaking covenants, or is this only interpreted as a lack of dignity, a lack of chivalry, and a defect in the honor of the word?
Let us then embark on a linguistic and literary journey in which we interrogate the roots of the word, explore its meanings in the depths of language and the glow of poetry, search for the essence of the “covenant” between the two corners of the Arabic tongue, and explore how the Qur’an formulated it as a promise, a covenant, and a promise confirmed by an oath, and how pre-Islamic times made it a measure of chivalry and a measure of honor.
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A journey in which we feel the voice of language when it pronounces the covenant, and the pulse of literature when its poets write it in the feats, promises, fines, and pacts, to answer an old and renewed question: What makes a person faithful to the covenant he made? What sometimes causes him to revoke it and forget it? Is time enough to forgive betrayal of the covenant, or does it remain an indelible stain no matter how long it lasts?
Covenant…its synonyms and meaning
The word “covenant” is one of the Qur’anic terms rich in connotations, as its meanings vary according to the contexts in which it occurs, forming a complex concept that combines a will and a covenant, knowledge and time, and an oath and guardianship.
One of its most prominent meanings in the Qur’an is the meaning of a commandment, as in His Almighty’s saying in Surah Yasin/60: “Did I not command you, O children of Adam, not to worship Satan? Indeed, he is your clear enemy.” Likewise, His Almighty’s saying in Surah (Al-Isra/152): “And by the covenant of God, fulfill this. He has enjoined upon you that you may remember.”
Fulfilling God’s covenant here means adhering to His will, that is, obeying Him and following His commands, acting according to what is stated in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and avoiding what He has forbidden. In this context, the covenant refers to the divine contract between the Creator and His servants, which is based on obedience, faith, and loyalty.
The meaning of the covenant in the language extends to knowledge and knowledge, and it is said: He is close to the covenant, meaning close to meeting and knowing, and distant in the covenant, meaning his contact with him has been cut off and knowledge of him has ceased. It is said: As I knew him, meaning as I knew him, and as I knew him, meaning to the best of my knowledge.
Likewise, it is said: He entrusted the matter to so-and-so, meaning he entrusted him and entrusted him with it, and he entrusted the boy, meaning he cared for him and took care of him, and he entrusted the promise, meaning he kept and safeguarded it, and he entered into the covenant of so-and-so, meaning in his alliance and group. All of these meanings indicate connection, commitment and care.
The covenant also comes in the sense of a covenant, as in the Almighty’s saying in Surat Al-Baqarah: 80: “Say, ‘Have you made a covenant with God? God will never break His covenant.’” meaning a covenant that cannot be broken, and a bond that cannot be broken, confirming that the covenant in its essence is a promise documented with God’s knowledge and testimony.
The word is also used in the meaning of an oath or oath, so it is said: I pledged to do so, meaning I made a definitive commitment. The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, embodied this profound meaning of faith in his saying: “And a good covenant is part of faith.” This came in the context of his loyalty to the memory of Lady Khadija, may God be pleased with her, and all who belonged to her, in an indication that fulfilling the covenant is part of the perfection of faith and the sublimity of character.
Another dimension of the era is its temporal significance. It is said: in the Umayyad era, that is, in the time and era of the Umayyad state, as an indication of the historical stage to which the event is attributed. It is said: The Crown Prince, meaning the heir to the king and the Sultan, the prospective caliph to whom the private and public pledged allegiance to assume power after the current caliph. The term “people of the covenant” is also used to refer to the people of Dhimmah with whom covenants of security have been concluded.
As for comparative religious terminology, it is said: The Old Testament refers to the Torah or the books that were written before Christ, peace be upon him, and the New Testament refers to the Gospel, meaning the revelations and teachings that came after it.
Thus, the word covenant is evident in the richness of its meanings and the diversity of its uses. It is a divine commandment and a divine covenant. It is science and knowledge, a promise and trust, an oath and an oath, a time and a history. It brings within its folds the spirit of commitment and loyalty, and reflects in every context a picture of the relationship between man and his God, and between man and his fellow man.
The covenant: a promise or a covenant?
The distinction between covenant, promise, and covenant is one of the subtle linguistic issues that highlights the richness of Arabic and the precision of its uses, as these terms intersect in their origin of meaning, and are distinct in each other according to context and position.
It is said that the covenant is a form of covenant, but it is distinguished from it in that it is confirmed by an oath, as was reported by Ibn Humid in his saying that “the covenant is a strong and confirmed covenant.” The charter, then, is a strict covenant, given the character of an oath and affirmation, making it more closely linked and stronger in commitment.
As for the promise, Ibn Arafa defined it as: “Information about the informant performing a favor in the future,” that is, it is information about the good or favor that will happen later that the promiser intends to do. It is linked to a future time, and is based on a commitment to an action that has not yet been achieved.
In his book Al-Fariq, Abu Hilal Al-Askari provides a precise clarification of the distinction between the two terms, as he says: “The difference between a promise and a covenant is that a covenant is not a promise coupled with a condition such as: If I do this, I will do that, and as long as I adhere to that, then I will adhere to it.” He cites the Almighty’s saying: “And We have certainly made a covenant with the children of Adam,” meaning We have taught them that they will not be expelled from Paradise unless they eat from that tree.
Al-Askari adds, explaining: “The covenant requires fulfillment, and the promise requires fulfillment, and it is said: He broke the covenant and broke the promise.” The covenant carries within it a conditional bond of commitment that requires fulfillment, while a promise expresses the intention to accomplish a future act without a condition or mutual contract.
Despite this distinction, covenant, promise, and covenant may be used in the language as synonyms, sometimes exchanging roles in word and meaning, depending on the position and intent, so literary and legal usage overlaps in drawing the precise boundaries between them.
Dr. Rami Al-Abdullah deepens this distinction in his book “The Covenant and Its Synonyms in Pre-Islamic Poetry,” as he argues that a promise is less burdensome on a person than a covenant. He says: “It is as if by breaking a promise we do not feel the greatest responsibility, as if the matter were in a covenant, even if that was one of the undesirable matters. Breaking a promise is a sign of hypocrisy, but in poetry what they used most was in relationships of passion and love and breaking promises among themselves.”
The promise, in the context of pre-Islamic literature, was a tool for emotional expression rather than a contractual or religious commitment, while the covenant continued to carry the weight of moral and religious responsibility, and was connected in the collective consciousness to the duty of fulfillment and the prohibition of vetoing.
Thus, the difference is evident in that the covenant is a conditional commitment that requires fulfillment, the promise is a future commitment that requires fulfillment, and the charter is a documentation of the covenant and confirmation of it by oath, while they are all united by the essence of commitment, honesty, and responsibility, even if the degrees of emphasis and the context in which they appear differ.
The covenant in pre-Islamic poetry
In the heart of the desert, which made the word a covenant, chivalry a law, and loyalty an honor, the concept of the covenant emerged in the pre-Islamic era as a great moral value and a basic pillar in building relationships between individuals and tribes, and in shaping the Arab person’s image of himself and his society.
For the Arabs, the covenant was more than a promise said, or a commitment made. It was a sacred bond that linked a person to his word, and by which he measured his sincerity and honesty, until fulfilling the covenant became a sign of freedom, and breaking it became a stigma of disgrace.
In poetry, which was the tongue of the tribe and a record of its values, the covenant occupied a prominent place, becoming a symbol of honor and loyalty, and a mirror that embodies the morals of the Arabs and reveals the hidden secrets of conscience between love and war, loyalty and betrayal, reason and emotion.
The Covenant is still one of the central human values that occupy the human conscience in various times, and occupies a pivotal position in the system of morals, as it was in the pre-Islamic era. It is closely linked to the virtues of loyalty, honesty, and adherence to covenants, whether they are personal covenants between individuals, or tribal covenants between groups.
Just as fulfilling a covenant was a mark of honor, breaking it was a great disgrace that stained a person’s reputation and brought disgrace to his entire tribe. Hence, in the pre-Islamic consciousness, the covenant was linked to dignity, chivalry, and honor, and fulfilling it was a path to elevation and example, and breaking it was a sign of meanness and humiliation.
This value dimension was reflected in pre-Islamic poetry. There was much talk about covenants and pacts in contexts of pride, enthusiasm, and flirtation. The covenant emerged as a symbol of steadfastness in principle and loyalty to the tribe, ally, or beloved. The covenant, then, was not merely a linguistic meaning or a moral sign, but rather embodied in poetry as a moral and social vision that governs relationships and establishes meanings of commitment, the impact of which has continued to extend in Arabic poetry throughout the ages.
Pre-Islamic poets dealt with the covenant in multiple contexts: including the covenant between man and his God, covenants between tribes and kingdoms, covenants of friendship and brotherhood, and covenants of love and passion. They considered fulfilling the covenant and fulfilling the promise to be among the characteristics of free people, to the extent that the Arabs said in ancient times: “A free person fulfilled what he promised.”
One of the most eloquent examples of fulfilling the covenant between a servant and his Lord is what was narrated on the authority of the grandfather of the Holy Prophet, Abdul Muttalib, when he vowed that if 10 people were born to him and they reached maturity, he would sacrifice one of them as an offering at the Kaaba. When the lot fell on Abdullah, the father of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, the Quraysh tried to prevent him, and advised him to return to the divination of the Hijaz, Najah, so they broke the vow for him by slaughtering 100 camels in fulfillment of the covenant, so Abdul Muttalib chanted, saying:
God is my Lord and I will fulfill his vow
I fear my Lord if I disobey His command
As he said in another incident of rajas:
I made a covenant with my Lord and I will fulfill his covenant
Days I dig and build alone
By God, I do not praise anything that praises Him
It is narrated that Abdul Muttalib, despite his intense love for his youngest son, was ready to sacrifice him in fulfillment of his vow, believing that honor is complete through fulfillment, not retreat, and that the honorable free man fulfills his pledge no matter the cost.
In the context of tribal covenants, when the tribes of Mecca pledged to protect those who seek protection from them, Al-Zubayr bin Abdul Muttalib said:
An order upon which they pledged and agreed
The neighbor and the one who visits them are safe
We see in his saying this manifestations of the spirit of tribal solidarity, when the covenant becomes a fortress for the weak, and safety for the refugee.
The importance of the covenant and the bad consequences of those who break it are also highlighted in the poetry of Abdullah bin Al-Ajlan Al-Nahdi, who declares his steadfastness in fulfillment and loyalty to the word:
We stand by the covenant you made
The worst of God’s servants is breaking a covenant
As for Tabat Shar, he had a different outlook, as he experienced the treachery of romantic vows, so he swore not to trust a female covenant after his experience:
By God, the woman was safe after she swore
Names of God from covenant and covenant
An example of this is Antara bin Shaddad, who was deep in despair over the truthfulness of the days, so he described them as treachery and broken promises:
The days promise me and tempt me
I know for a fact that it is a false promise
In another experience, Aws bin Hajar expressed his sorrow at the lack of people who kept the covenant, saying:
And I found people except the fewest of them
Khafif Ahoud travels a lot
And it is not your brother who always covenants with the one
He will disparage you if he leaves, and will please you in the future
If Aws had met Abu Zubaid al-Tai, he would have counted him among that rare few. The latter said:
So know that I am your brother, the brother of God
My life until the mountains disappear
In the field of pride, Amr bin Kulthum appears, praising his people for keeping their covenants and preserving their faith:
We are found to be the most protected from them
And He fulfilled them when they made an oath
In a warning against treachery and betrayal, Zuhair bin Abi Salma says:
Whoever fulfills his duty will not be blamed, and whoever guides his heart
To the one who is confident in righteousness, he does not hesitate
As for Al-Muhalhal bin Rabia (Al-Zeer Salem), he made the covenant an oath to avenge his brother Kulaib until his enemies were annihilated, so he said:
Take the sure pledge of my life
By leaving everything around the house
He left the Ghanaian women and drank a cup
And wear a robe that cannot be borrowed
I will not take off my armor and sword
Until the night replaces the day
Otherwise, Sarat Bakr will be destroyed
There will never be traces of it left
Poets sometimes resorted to metaphor to indicate the covenant, so they used the word rope, which is abundant in pre-Islamic poetry. Let us look at the words of Zuhair bin Abi Salma:
Would you please ask all the children of Sidon?
Which rope was I holding on to?
And Duraid bin Al-Samah said:
I inherit a new rope from Umm Ma’bad
And I missed every appointment?
For the purpose of flirting, breaking covenants appears in the form of emotional betrayal, as in the case of Mutammam bin Nuwairah, who complained about his beloved, Zaniba, and said:
Zaniba tied the rope of someone who cannot be cut
Hebron’s pregnancy, to be honest, is heartbreaking
Cut your ropes, O Zanaib, for I am
He has replaced the connection of someone who is cut off
Likewise, Labid bin Rabia said, addressing his beloved Nawar:
Didn’t Nawar know that I was…
And she tied the ropes of her leprosy
Thus, we see that the covenant in pre-Islamic poetry was manifested for various purposes. The poets praised those who kept the covenant and preserved covenants, and denounced those who betray, betray, and sever ties. They considered fulfilling a covenant to be the mark of honorable people and nobles who were entrusted with covenants, while they linked breaking covenants to the characteristics of women in their social context, considering breaking the bond a sign of lack of stability!
Thus, the era in pre-Islamic poetry remained an honest mirror of the conscience of Arab society, and a speaking voice for the authentic values settled in its conscience that shaped the features of the Arab human being in a time of common sense and chivalry.
In the consciousness of the pre-Islamic people, the covenant was a sacred moral contract, not only concluded with the tongue, but tattooed in the heart, carried in behavior, by which the honesty of men and the dignity of homes were measured, and by which tribes were weighed on the scale of honor and prestige.
While the poets were seeking loyalty and denouncing treachery, they were not describing fleeting emotional states, but they were expressing a profound human position that linked the word to dignity, the promise of chivalry, and the pledge to identity.
In a society in which there was no authority except honor, the covenant was the law that governed consciences, the charter that regulated relationships, and the reference by which it separated between the free and the mean, between the honest and the deceitful, and between the generous and the traitor.
The covenant was embodied in pre-Islamic poetry, a great value that transcends time and place and confirms that when a person engraves his sincerity in his word, and makes his loyalty his title, he will rise in the ranks of glory and be remembered among the free.
As for the one who betrays the covenant or breaks the promise, he has put himself in a position of humiliation, and has dropped the crown of honor from himself, because nothing brings a person down from the eyes of the people like breaking his word and violating the covenant.
Thus, pre-Islamic poetry became an immortal record of the virtue of loyalty, reminding us that chivalry can only be based on the sincerity of a covenant, that dignity is only preserved by keeping a promise, and that nations are built on the sincere word and collapse when it is underestimated. In essence, the covenant is not merely a verbal commitment. It is a spiritual and moral stance that expresses purity of soul, high character, and upright behavior. It makes a person a trustworthy human being and a nation a nation worthy of survival.