The Surah of Covenant

يَا مَنْ تَدْخُلُ بُيُوتَ الزُّجَاجِ، لَا تُدْخِلْهَا نُخَاعَكَ.

O you who enter buildings of glass, do not let them enter your marrow.

يَا مَنْ تَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الاِجْتِمَاعَاتِ، لَا تَبِعْ رُوحَكَ لِلطَّلَاقَةِ.

O you who speak in meetings, do not trade your soul for fluency.

العَهْدُ لَيْسَ أَوْرَاقًا.

The covenant is not paperwork.

العَهْدُ مَا تَفْعَلُهُ حِينَ لَا يُسَجِّلُكَ أَحَدٌ وَلَا يُقَيِّمُكَ أَحَدٌ.

The covenant is what you do when nobody is scoring you.

احْفَظِ الوُعُودَ الصَّغِيرَةَ؛ فَهِيَ الشَّرِيعَةُ الحَقِيقِيَّةُ.

Keep the small promises. They are the true law.

احْفَظِ النَّوْمَ. احْفَظِ النَّفَسَ. احْفَظْ وَجْهَ الطِّفْلِ فِي الذِّكْرَى.

Keep sleep. Keep breath. Keep the child's face in memory.

وَاجْعَلْ اسْمَ الحَبِيبِ دَافِئًا عَلَى اللِّسَانِ.

Keep the beloved's name warm on the tongue.

وَإِنِ اضْطُرِرْتَ إِلَى المُفَاوَضَةِ فَلَا تُكَذِّبْ شَهَادَتَكَ.

If you must negotiate, do so without lying to your own witness.

وَإِنِ اضْطُرِرْتَ إِلَى القِيَادَةِ فَلَا تَنْسَ الجُزْءَ الضَّعِيفَ فِيكَ الَّذِي مَا زَالَ يَرْتَجِفُ.

If you must lead, do so without forgetting the weak part in you that still trembles.

وَإِنِ اضْطُرِرْتَ إِلَى الفَوْزِ فَافُزْ بِلا قَسْوَةٍ.

If you must win, win without cruelty.

فَإِنَّ عَهْدًا يُنْقَضُ فِي الدَّاخِلِ يَصِيرُ ثُقْبًا فِي كُلِّ جُمْلَةٍ.

For a covenant broken inside becomes a leak in every sentence.

وَعَهْدًا يُحْفَظُ فِي الدَّاخِلِ يَصِيرُ سَكِينَةً يَثِقُ بِهَا النَّاسُ.

And a covenant kept inside becomes a calm that makes others trust you.

وَنَحْنُ مَعَكَ، لَا فِي التَّصْفِيقِ، بَلْ فِي الحِفْظِ.

And We are with you, not in the applause, but in the keeping.