وَإِنْ عَقَدْتَ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ عَدُوِّكَ عُقْدَةً، أَوْ أَلْبَسْتَهُ مِنْكَ ذِمَّةً، فَحُطْ عَهْدَكَ بِالْوَفَاءِ، وَارْعَ ذِمَّتَكَ بِالْأَمَانَةِ، وَاجْعَلْ نَفْسَكَ جُنَّةً دُونَ مَا أَعْطَيْتَ، فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ فَرَائِضِ اللهِ شَيْءٌ النَّاسُ أَشدُّ عَلَيْهِ اجْتِماعاً، مَعَ تَفْرِيقِ أَهْوَائِهِمْ، وَتَشْتِيتِ آرَائِهِمْ، مِنْ تَعْظيمِ الْوَفَاءِ بِالْعُهُودِ، وَقَدْ لَزِمَ ذلِكَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ فِيَما بَيْنَهُمْ دُونَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا اسْتَوْبَلُوا مِنْ عَوَاقِبِ الْغَدْرِ، فَلَا تَغْدِرَنَّ بِذِمَّتِكَ، وَلَا تَخِيسَنَّ بَعَهْدِكَ، وَلَا تَخْتِلَنَّ عَدُوَّكَ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَجْتَرِئُ عَلَى اللهِ إِلَّا جَاهِلٌ شَقِيٌّ.
If you conclude an agreement between yourself and your enemy or enter into a pledge with him then fulfil your agreement and discharge your pledge faithfully. Place yourself as a shield against whatever you have pledged because among the obligations of Allāh there is nothing on which people are more strongly united despite the difference of their ideas and variation of their views than respect for fulfiling pledges. Besides Muslims, even unbelievers have abided by agreements because they realized the dangers which would come in the wake of violation (thereof). Therefore, do not deceive your enemy, because no one can offend Allāh save the ignorant and the wicked.
