firmly joined together.”

This verse was revealed when they said, “If we knew which deeds were most beloved to Allah, we would perform them.” Allah, Glorified and Most High, then revealed the verse concerning fighting in His cause, and some were averse to it.

For this reason, it is disliked for a person to expose himself to trials by binding himself, through pledges, vows, or the like, to something the Lawgiver has not made obligatory upon him; by seeking a position of authority; or by entering a land where there is plague. Thus, it is established through several routes in the two Sahīh collections that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade making vows and said:

“It brings no good; it merely extracts something from the miser.”

It is also established in the two Sahīh collections that he said to ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Samura:

“Do not ask for authority. If you are given it because you asked, you will be left to bear it on your own; but if you are given it without asking, you will be helped in discharging it. If you swear an oath and then see that another course is better, do what is better and expiate your oath.”

It is also established in the two Sahīh collections that he said concerning plague:

“If you hear of it in a land, do not enter it. If it breaks out in a land while you are there, do not leave to flee from it.”

It is also established in the two Sahīh collections that he said:

“Do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allah for well-being. But when you do meet them, remain steadfast, and know that Paradise lies beneath the shade of swords.”

These and similar teachings indicate that a person should not pursue what imposes certain obligations and prohibitions upon him, only to become reluctant to fulfil his commitments—as happens with many who make covenants with Allah concerning various matters. Most such people fall into the trial of breaking their covenants.

They also indicate that when a person is tested, he must be patient and steadfast, and must not become complacent, so that he may be among those men who possess certainty and fulfil their obligations. All of this necessarily requires