The second situation is that a person makes a promise while fully intending to fulfil it, but later changes his mind and breaks it without any legitimate excuse. Abū Dāwūd (4995) and al-Tirmidhī (2633) transmit, on the authority of Zayd ibn Arqam, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “When a man makes a promise and intends to honour it, yet fails to do so, there is no sin upon him.”

The third trait is, “when he enters into a dispute he plunges into wickedness (fujūr).” Fujūr here means deliberately departing from the truth until the truth is treated as falsehood and falsehood as truth—an attitude that inevitably invites lying. The Prophet ﷺ warned, “Beware of lying, for lying leads to fujūr, and fujūr leads to the Fire.”

Al-Bukhārī (2457) and Muslim (2668) narrate that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The most detested of men in the sight of Allah is the obstinate disputant.”

In Sunan Abī Dāwūd (3597) it is related from Ibn ʿUmar that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever argues in support of falsehood while knowing it will remain under Allah’s wrath until he desists.” Another wording states: “Whoever aids a dispute by means of injustice incurs Allah’s anger.”

The fourth trait is, “when he makes a covenant he betrays,” failing to keep his pledge. Allah has commanded faithfulness to covenants: “And keep the covenant; surely the covenant will be asked about” (al-Isrāʾ 17:34); and, “Fulfil Allah’s covenant when you have pledged, and do not break oaths after confirming them, for you have made Allah your guarantor” (al-Naḥl 16:91).

Al-Bukhārī (6966) and Muslim (1736) record from Ibn ʿUmar that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Every traitor will have a banner raised for him on the Day of Resurrection by which he will be recognised; it will be announced, ‘This is the betrayal of so-and-so.’”

Betrayal is forbidden in every covenant between a Muslim and anyone else, even if the other party is a disbeliever. Al-Bukhārī (6914) narrates from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever kills a person under covenant without right will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is perceived from a distance of forty years.”