Ikhlas al-Widad fi Sidq al-Mi'ad
- Author died
- 1033 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashāʾir al-Islāmiyyah lil-Ṭibāʿah wal-Nashr wal-Tawzīʿ
Ikhlas al-Widad fi Sidq al-Mi'ad (The Sincerity of Affection Regarding Truthfulness to Promises) is a short treatise on the ethics and legal rulings of keeping promises and covenants by the Hanbali jurist and scholar Mar'i al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE) .
Subject and Structure
The treatise explores the virtue of fulfilling promises (wafa' al-wa'd) and honoring covenants (al-'ahd) in an abridged format . Al-Karmi structured the work around the Quranic praise of the Prophet Ishmael in Surah Maryam: وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ ("And mention in the Book Ishmael; indeed, he was true to his promise") [19:54] .
The text begins with commentary from Quranic exegetes on the verse, explaining why Ishmael was singled out for this description, addressing his submission to being sacrificed, and examining discussions on his lineage and patience . It then adduces Hadith reports and scholarly statements highlighting truthfulness in keeping promises as an attribute of prophets and righteous believers, contrasted with breaking promises as a blameworthy trait .
Al-Karmi concludes the treatise by addressing the legal status (al-hukm al-fiqhi) of fulfilling promises in Islamic jurisprudence, examining whether a promise is legally and judicially binding such that a judge may compel a person to honor it .
Context and Publication
Dedicated treatises on the obligation and ethics of fulfilling promises were composed by earlier scholars, including Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi (d. 902 AH) in his Iltimas al-Sa'd fi al-Wafa' bi-l-Wa'd, written for Sultan Qaytbay .
The treatise was edited by Khalid ibn al-Arabi Mudrik al-Arusi and published in 1421 AH (2000 CE) by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyyah in Beirut as part of the Liqa' al-'Ashr al-Awakhir bi-l-Masjid al-Haram series (no. 17), printed alongside another short work by al-Karmi on plague epidemics, Ma Yaf'aluhu al-Atibba' wa-l-Da'un bi-Daf' Sharr al-Ta'un .
Answer updated