Treaties have always been an important means to strengthen relations and settle disputes peacefully. They are based on mutual confidence between parties, without which peace collapses.

Islam reserves special respect to treaties and allots to them all possible guarantees, so that Moslems may rise with such treaties above personal desires and passions. In the view of Islam, it is not necessary that, if situations arouse dispute between Moslems and their opponents, it should only leave to them a choice between embracing Islam, paying the poll tax, or joining in a war.

This is why, in many Koranic verses, Islam requires Moslems to abide by their covenants: "Fulfill (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning)" (17:34).

In describing the qualities of truthful believers, God says that they are "those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants" (23:8).

In the view of Koran, refusal to keep up trusts is like rejecting the virtues of humanity: "The worst of beasts in the sight of God are those who reject Him and will not believe. They are those with whom thou didst make a covenant, but they break their covenant every time, and they have not the fear (of God)" (8:55-56).

By honoring covenants with others, Islam does not mean to gain colonial authority or make stratagems to cheat people so as to attain strength over other nations -- but to establish peace: "Fulfill the Covenant of God when ye have entered into it, and break not your oaths after ye have confirmed them and after ye have amde God your surety; for God knoweth all that ye do. And be not like a woman who unravelleth the yarn which she hath spun, after it hath become strong. Nor take your oaths to practise deception between yourselves because of a nation being more numerous than another" (16:91-92).

The Koran charges Moslems to keep up their covenants, even if it might prevent them from rushing to the dupport of their brethren who live in a non-Moslem Statewith whom they have a treaty of mutual alliance, though also the Koran considers that Moslems, in spite of their different races and nationalities, constitute one Nation, and that every aggression inflicted on one Moslem community is an aggression against the Islamic Nation as a whole. God says: "But if they seek your aid in religion, it is your duty to help them except against a people with whom ye have a treaty of mutual alliance. And (remember) God seeth all that ye do" (8:72).

However, if such people violate the terms of the treaty, the Moslems are allowed to fight them: "But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith, then fight ye the chiefs of Disbelief -- for their oaths are nothing to them -- that thus they may be restrained" (9:12).