in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar: 'And if you make a covenant between yourself and your enemy or give him a surety [against life or property], then stand by your pact with loyalty and observe your liability with trustworthiness. Make yourself the shield for your word, for there is nothing from Allah's mandates that all people agree upon, Intimacy despite their diverse opinions on everything else, as much as they do with regards to respecting the fulfilment of covenants.'