Submitters Keep Their Word
In the Quran, belief is not merely a matter of words or rituals—it is proven through integrity, trust, and upright conduct. Among the defining traits of the believer is that they keep their word. They honor covenants, fulfill promises, and speak the truth even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. This is not a minor virtue in the Quranic worldview—it is a litmus test for sincerity.
By contrast, the hypocrites and disbelievers are repeatedly characterized by deceit, betrayal, and dishonesty. They break promises, manipulate truth, and violate trust, often while claiming to serve God. The Quran does not shy away from exposing this behavior. What’s more, it warns that pretending to uphold God’s word while undermining its core values is a sign of deep spiritual corruption.
Yet today, some attempt to reverse this moral compass. They claim the authority to disregard their commitments, distort others’ views, and even divide the community—all under the guise of piety. By labeling those they disagree with as hypocrites or disbelievers, they convince themselves that God’s commands no longer apply. But this is the very behavior the Quran condemns.
Honoring the Covenant: The Quranic Trait of the Believers
The Quran consistently presents trustworthiness as a defining trait of the believer. Those who uphold their covenants—whether with God or with others—are singled out for praise. Keeping one’s word is not an optional moral extra; it is a foundational expression of faith.
[23:8] When it comes to deposits entrusted to them, as well as any agreements they make, they are trustworthy.
[70:32] And the believers keep their word; they are trustworthy.
This trait appears alongside other pillars of righteousness. In one of the Quran’s most comprehensive descriptions of piety, God includes the fulfillment of promises as central to righteousness itself:
[2:177] Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who believe in GOD, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat); and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous.
A believer’s word carries weight. A promise is not made lightly, nor can it be set aside when circumstances change. It is a moral bond, a sacred trust, and a direct reflection of one’s sincerity toward God.
[16:91] You shall fulfill your covenant with GOD when you make such a covenant. You shall not violate the oaths after swearing (by God) to carry them out, for you have made GOD a guarantor for you. GOD knows everything you do.
Breaking Oaths: A Path to Misguidance and Division
The Quran takes oath-breaking seriously—not just as a personal failure, but as a destructive act with social and spiritual consequences. When people violate their promises, they unravel the moral fabric of the community.
[16:92] Do not be like the knitter who unravels her strong knitting into piles of flimsy yarn. This is your example if you abuse the oaths to take advantage of one another. Whether one group is larger than the other, GOD thus puts you to the test. He will surely show you on the Day of Resurrection everything you had disputed.
Such behavior sets a dangerous precedent. When believers see oaths treated lightly—manipulated for personal gain or discarded under pretense—they are repelled from God’s path. It creates distrust, chaos, and fragmentation, and causes those who do such things to fall astray and disjoin from the congregation of submitters.
[16:93] Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He sends astray whoever chooses to go astray, and He guides whoever wishes to be guided. You will surely be asked about everything you have done.
This breakdown of trust isn’t merely external—it has internal, spiritual consequences. Violating one’s oath, even if justified in worldly terms, is an act that draws one away from divine guidance.
[16:94] Do not abuse the oaths among you, lest you slide back after having a strong foothold, then you incur misery. Such is the consequence of repelling from the path of GOD (by setting a bad example); you incur a terrible retribution.
[16:95] Do not sell your oaths before GOD short. What GOD possesses is far better for you, if you only knew.
Those who treat their oaths as disposable become examples of disunity and misguidance. In a powerful warning, the Quran ties their conduct directly to sectarianism and spiritual decline.
God’s command is clear: “You shall fulfill your oaths. (5:89)” Anything less is a betrayal—not only of others, but of God.
Dishonesty and Betrayal: The Mark of Hypocrites and Disbelievers
In contrast to the believer’s commitment to truth and trust, the Quran paints a consistent and damning portrait of the hypocrites and disbelievers: they lie, they break their promises, and they betray trust without hesitation.
[9:77] Consequently, He plagued them with hypocrisy in their hearts, till the day they meet Him. This is because they broke their promises to GOD, and because of their lying.
This verse makes the connection explicit: breaking one’s promise is not merely a misdeed—it is a seed of hypocrisy. When one lies about their intentions and fails to uphold their word, that dishonesty corrodes their soul. It leads to spiritual blindness and divine disapproval.
Hypocrites are also identified by their manipulation of truth. They may say things outwardly to gain trust, predominantly by pretending allegiance to the messenger, but their internal reality is treacherous and repels others from the path of God.
[63:1] When the hypocrites come to you they say, “We bear witness that you are the messenger of God.” God knows that you are His messenger, and God bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.
[63:2] Under the guise of their apparent faith, they repel the people from the path of God. Miserable indeed is what they do.
Their speech and behavior are marked by deception. They give lip service to faith while working to undermine it, often through subtle betrayals that erode trust in the community.
[9:8] How can they (demand a pledge) when they never observed any rights of kinship between you and them, nor any covenant, if they ever had a chance to prevail. They pacified you with lip service, while their hearts were in opposition, and most of them are wicked.
These patterns are not isolated. They are signs of a heart that is disconnected from God’s guidance. When someone repeatedly breaks their word, dismisses the importance of oaths, and treats promises as tools for manipulation—they are, according to the Quran, acting in direct opposition to the spirit of faith.
Despite their verbal professions of faith, hypocrites lie, deceive, and violate their word. Their dishonesty is not a slip—it is their method. The connection here is direct and damning: breaking a promise is an act of hypocrisy. God doesn’t separate theological error from ethical failure. If a person cannot be trusted to honor their word, their claim to faith is hollow.
Even among the People of the Scripture, the Quran notes this same pattern—how dishonesty stems not merely from character flaws, but from theological corruption:
[3:75] Some followers of the scripture can be trusted with a whole lot, and they will give it back to you. Others among them cannot be trusted with a single dinar; they will not repay you unless you keep after them. That is because they say, “We do not have to be honest when dealing with the gentiles!” Thus, they attribute lies to GOD, knowingly.
This verse reveals a devastating truth: the worst form of dishonesty is the one done under the pretense of religious justification. These individuals excused their betrayal by redefining who was “worthy” of honesty, just as some today redefine who deserves justice, unity, or fairness. But God exposes such rationalizations as lies—and those who make them as liars.
Dishonesty is not just a moral failure—it’s a fracture in the soul, a sign that one has abandoned God’s moral framework while still pretending to speak in His name. The damage isn’t merely individual. It spreads to the community, creating confusion, mistrust, and division. In a world where promises can be broken without consequence, there can be no unity, no justice, and no meaningful submission to God.
Misusing “Do Not Obey the Hypocrites”
Some readers of the Quran come across verses such as “Do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites” (33:1, 33:48, 25:52) and mistakenly interpret them as permission to break promises, treaties, or commitments made to such individuals. But this reading not only distorts the meaning of these verses—it directly contradicts the ethical framework established throughout the Quran.
These commands are not licenses to violate one’s word. They are clear warnings against yielding to the influence, pressures, or orders of those who call to what contradicts God’s commands. The issue is obedience to directives that oppose divine command—not the abandonment of moral responsibility or contractual integrity.
[6:121] Do not eat from that upon which the name of GOD has not been mentioned, for it is an abomination. The devils inspire their allies to argue with you; if you obey them, you will be idol worshipers.
Obedience in such contexts is about moral compromise, not the upholding of fair dealings. If these verses were meant to justify disregarding all obligations toward disbelievers or hypocrites, then the Prophet himself would have been free to break his treaty with the idolaters. Yet the Quran makes clear that it was they who violated the agreement—not the Prophet or the believers.
[9:13] Would you not fight people who violated their treaties, tried to banish the messenger, and they are the ones who started the war in the first place? Are you afraid of them? GOD is the One you are supposed to fear, if you are believers.
This framing only makes sense if the Prophet had honored his side of the agreement despite their disbelief. Had he been permitted to break it unilaterally, their betrayal would not have been emphasized.
To interpret “do not obey the hypocrites” as justification to act hypocritically is self-defeating. The Quran does not endorse betrayal in the name of faith. On the contrary, it consistently condemns such behavior as a hallmark of those who have gone astray. In other words, the command not to obey hypocrites is not an invitation to violate oaths or treaties. It is a warning not to submit to influence that contradicts God’s law—while still upholding the moral standards that define true submission.
Conclusion: The Quranic Call to Integrity
The Quran sets a high bar for those who claim to believe: they must not only profess faith, but embody it—through honesty, justice, and the fulfillment of their word. A believer does not lie, does not betray, and does not distort truth to serve their ego or agenda. Integrity is not situational; it is the very measure of one’s submission to God.
Throughout the Quran, we see a consistent distinction: believers keep their covenants, while hypocrites break them. Believers act justly, even toward those they dislike; hypocrites manipulate, slander, and misrepresent. Believers uphold their word, even when it’s difficult; hypocrites seek loopholes to escape accountability.
God warns us not to follow in their footsteps.
[61:2] O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?
[61:3] Most abominable in the sight of GOD is that you say what you do not do.
This is not a call for perfection—but for sincerity. A believer may stumble, but they do not justify betrayal. They do not twist God’s words to excuse dishonesty. They do not weaponize labels to break unity or escape responsibility. They submit to God’s guidance even when it costs them something.
In an age where religious language is often used to mask power plays, and where division is justified through individuals thinking they found a loophole in God’s system, the Quran calls us back to the basics: keep your word. Speak the truth. Be just. Uphold your commitments—not because others deserve it, but because God commands it.
[5:1] O you who believe, you shall fulfill your covenants.
O, those who are safe
| 1 | Yāayyuhāā | Oh | O |
| 2 | alladhīna | Uti | those who |
| 3 | Aranananū | Amanu | they believed! |
| 4 | awfū | Wow | Fulfill [you all] |
| 5 | know | With the contracts | [in] the contracts. |
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