Allah (Most High) says:

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا أَوفوا بِالعُقودِ

“O you who believe! Fulfil your covenants.”

(Al-Maaida, 5:2)

The alif lam on the word Al-Uqud is alif lam of jinsiyah (genus) which means it includes all types of contracts and covenants.

According to Imam Al Raghib Al Isfahani, the Uqud (covenants) referred to in this verse, ‘are of three kinds:

1- the covenants between Allah and man, i.e. man’s obligations towards Allah,

2- between man and his own soul,

3- and between the individual and his fellow men

So this command includes ruling contracts such as citizenship and treaties. Throughout Islamic history the Caliphate fulfilled its covenants and treaties during peace and war, and the Islamic army was known for its exemplary conduct. Islam could not have spread so quickly if those carrying Islam were treacherous and committed atrocities.

The incident of the companion Hudhaifa bin al-Yaman (ra) at the Battle of Badr speaks for itself in terms of the high values of Islam regarding fulfilling covenants.

حَدَّثَنَا حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ مَا مَنَعَنِي أَنْ أَشْهَدَ، بَدْرًا إِلاَّ أَنِّي خَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَأَبِي – حُسَيْلٌ – قَالَ فَأَخَذَنَا كُفَّارُ قُرَيْشٍ قَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ تُرِيدُونَ مُحَمَّدًا فَقُلْنَا مَا نُرِيدُهُ مَا نُرِيدُ إِلاَّ الْمَدِينَةَ ‏.‏ فَأَخَذُوا مِنَّا عَهْدَ اللَّهِ وَمِيثَاقَهُ لَنَنْصَرِفَنَّ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَلاَ نُقَاتِلُ مَعَهُ فَأَتَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ الْخَبَرَ فَقَالَ ‏ “‏ انْصَرِفَا نَفِي لَهُمْ بِعَهْدِهِمْ وَنَسْتَعِينُ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِمْ ‏”‏

Hudhaifa bin al-Yaman (ra) said: “Nothing prevented me from being present at the Battle of Badr except this incident. I came out with my father Husail (to participate in the Battle), but we were caught by the disbelievers of Quraish. They said: “Do you intend to go to Muhammad?” We said: “We do not intend to go to him, but we wish to go back to Medina.” So they took from us a covenant in the name of Allah that we would turn back to Medina and would not fight on the side of Muhammad ﷺ. So, we came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and related the incident to him. He ﷺ said: “Both, of you proceed (to Medina); we will fulfil the covenant made with them and seek Allah’s help against them.” (Sahih Muslim 1787)

Sheikh Ata Abu Al-Rashtah when commenting on the Paris attack said,

“There is something that must be pointed out, and that is the West has used the Paris attacks in its “surge” against Islam, claiming that Islam was behind the killing of civilians. Even though it is an established fact that the targeting of civilian non-combatants is illegal in Islam, and throughout Islamic history since the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Islam deliberately worked to protect civilian non-combatants from the scourge of war. Islam demands the safeguarding of the vulnerable, the civilians who do not have weapons to defend themselves, and even in wars when meeting the enemy, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to advise the Islamic Army:

وَلا تَقْتُلُوا امْرَأَةً، وَلا وَلِيدًا، وَلا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا

“Do not kill a woman, or an infant, or an old man”

The righteous Caliphs used to advise likewise. Abu Bakr (ra) advised his army commander:

وَإِنَّكُمْ سَتَجِدُونَ أَقْوَامًا قَدْ حَبَسُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فِي هَذِهِ الصَّوَامِعِ فَاتْرُكُوهُمْ وَمَا حَبَسُوا لَهُ أَنْفُسَهُمْ… وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا كَبِيرًا هَرِمًا، وَلَا امْرَأَةً، وَلَا وَلِيدًا، وَلَا تُخْرِبُوا عُمْرَانًا…

“You will find people who locked themselves up in temples, spare them and leave them for what they locked themselves up for…and do not kill the old, nor a woman, nor an infant, and do not destroy buildings.”

Umar (ra) advised his army commander:

لَا تَغُلُّوا، وَلَا تَغْدِرُوا، وَلَا تُمَثِّلُوا، وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا امْرَأَةً، وَلَا صَبِيًّا، وَلَا شَيْخًا…

“Do not transgress, do not betray, do not mutilate, and do not kill a woman, or a child, or an elderly.”

This is how Muslims are when fighting… These are established facts in Islam and known to the West from the history of the Muslims and their conquests. However, the West is taking advantage of these events to mobilize hatred against Islam and Muslims, and it is a blind hatred. Had the West perpetrated such a crime (of which there are many), they will not stand except to justify it. However, if Muslims carried out the crime, they pursue the entire Muslim community present in their country. They even attack Islam itself, as is the case these nowadays. It is a blind hatred that will not be extinguished except after the establishment of the Caliphate, and then it will avenge every oppressed from every tyrant, and the light of the Caliphate and its goodness will spread and prevail, not only over Muslim countries but to every living sane person in this world.

وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

“And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know”

(Yusuf: 21)