Give me your pledge that you will not associate anything with Allah, that you will not steal, that you will not commit adultery

Explanation

‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him), who was among those who witnessed the great Battle of Badr and was the leader of his people who stepped forward to pledge allegiance to support the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the night of ‘Aqabah at Mina—when the Messenger of Allah was in Makkah before he migrated to Madīnah—informed that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among his Companions and asked them to pledge allegiance to him on certain matters: First: Not to associate anything with Allah in worship, no matter how small it is. Second: Not to steal. Third: Not to commit adultery. Fourth: Not to kill their children—neither their sons out of fear of poverty nor their daughters out of fear of shame. Fifth: Not to bring forth lies that they fabricate between their hands and feet, as most actions are carried out through them, even if other body parts are involved. Sixth: Not to disobey the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when it comes to what is right. Whoever remains steadfast on this covenant and adheres to it, his reward is with Allah. As for those who commit any of what is mentioned—except Shirk (polytheism)—and is punished for it in this world through the prescribed legal punishment, that serves as an expiation for him, and his sin is absolved. However, anyone who commits any of these actions and Allah covers him, his matter is left to Allah; He may either pardon him or punish him. All those who were present pledged their allegiance to him on that.

Benefits

• Highlighting what was included in the First Pledge of ‘Aqabah in Makkah before Jihad was made obligatory upon them.
• As-Sindi said: His statement (in righteousness): It is evident that all of the Prophet's commands are righteous, and it is inconceivable for him to command otherwise. The mention of (in righteousness) serves as a reminder of the reason for the obligation to obey and that there is no obedience to a created being in matters that go against what is right. Moreover, it highlights that the conditions of obedience in pledges should always specify adherence to what is right, rather than being absolute.
• Muhammad ibn Ismā‘īl at-Taymi and others said: The prohibition of killing was specifically mentioned concerning children because it involves both murder and severing ties of kinship, making the prohibition even more emphatic. Additionally, it was highlighted because it was widespread among them, i.e., burying daughters alive and killing sons out of fear of poverty. Alternatively, children were specifically mentioned because they are unable to defend themselves.
• An-Nawawi said: The general indication of this Hadīth is specified by Allah's statement: {Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him}, so if an apostate is killed for his apostasy, killing does not serve as expiation for him.
• Al-Qādi ‘Iyād said: The majority of scholars hold that the Hudūd (prescribed legal punishments) are expiations for sins.

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