Quran Universe
8:56

ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتَّ مِنۡهُمۡ ثُمَّ يَنقُضُونَ عَهۡدَهُمۡ فِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٖ وَهُمۡ لَا يَتَّقُونَ

Allatheena AAahadta minhum thumma yanqudoona AAahdahum fee kulli marratin wahum la yattaqoona

The ones with whom you made a treaty but then they break their pledge every time, and they do not fear Allah.

Word by word
  1. ٱلَّذِينَThose who
  2. عَٰهَدتَّyou made a covenant
  3. مِنۡهُمۡwith them
  4. ثُمَّthen
  5. يَنقُضُونَthey break
  6. عَهۡدَهُمۡtheir covenant
  7. فِي[in]
  8. كُلِّevery
  9. مَرَّةٖtime
  10. وَهُمۡand they
  11. لَا(do) not
  12. يَتَّقُونَfear (Allah)
Al-Anfal · 8:56Madinah

They break their pledge every time.

Promise-breaking as a pattern

The cycle
a pledgemade, even sworn
then
brokenevery time
because
no taqwano fear of Allah
What keeps a promise
convenienceif it still suits me
taqwaAllah sees the promise

The verse describes people the Prophet ﷺ made agreements with who broke them every time. Ibn Kathir explains that they did not fear Allah regarding any of the sins they committed. Breaking their word was not a slip but a habit.

I'll pay you back next month. I'll be there on Saturday. I'll call you tonight. Then the month passes, Saturday comes and goes. Small broken promises become a pattern. Your word is a pledge Allah witnesses.

It was just a casual promise. It doesn't really count.

Every promise counts. Keeping my word is part of fearing Allah.

Try this

Think of one promise you have not kept. Keep it today, or apologize and set a real date.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 8:55)

Verily, the worst of living creatures before Allah are those who disbelieve, – so they shall not believe (55)They are those with whom you made a covenant, but they break their covenant every time and they do not have Taqwa (56)So if you gain the mastery over them in war, then disperse those who are behind them, so that they may learn a lesson (57)

Striking Hard against Those Who disbelieve and break the Covenants

Allah states here that the worst moving creatures on the face of the earth are those who disbelieve, who do not embrace the faith, and break promises whenever they make a covenant, even when they vow to keep them,

وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ

(and they do not have Taqwa) meaning they do not fear Allah regarding any of the sins they commit.

فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ

(So if you gain the mastery over them in war), if you defeat them and have victory over them in war,

فَشَرِّدْ بِهِم مَّنْ خَلْفَهُمْ

(then disperse those who are behind them,) by severely punishing [the captured people] according to Ibn 'Abbas, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, 'Ata' Al-Khurasani and Ibn 'Uyaynah. This Ayah commands punishing them harshly and inflicting casualties on them. This way, other enemies, Arabs and non-Arabs, will be afraid and take a lesson from their end,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

(so that they may learn a lesson.)

As-Suddi commented, "They might be careful not to break treaties, so that they do not meet the same end."