SWEARING BY OTHER THAN ALLAAH -- A KIND OF SHIRK By Asma bint Shameem
Todays topic is about something that we do every day, something we hear everyday, see others do everyday ..and we do not think much about it . yet it is something VERY, VERY GRAVE. It is when we swear or take an oath on other than Allaah. Swearing on ANYTHING, OR ANYONE other than Allaah, is an extremely serious matter and is considered SHIRK, even if the person swearing is telling the truth. The Prophet (pbuh) said: Whoever swears by anything other than Allaah is guilty of kufr or shirk. (Saheeh, narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi). Yet, it is very common in our daily lives that we see and hear people swearing by a vast multitude of things. Some people swear by the Prophet (pbuh), Ali (RA), AbdulQadir Jilani, or some other righteous person, or even the Kaaba or the angels. Sometimes they swear by their honesty or honor, such as in the Scouts promise they say: I promise by my honor Also we see people, especially from the Indo-Pak subcontinent swearing by the life of their child or their aged mother or their dead mothers grave or their sisters honor, etc. (being greatly influenced by the Indian Film Industry)! Subhaan Allaah! Sheikh ibn Jibreen says: .swearing by something implies veneration of it, and a created being cannot venerate another created being. This applies to swearing by the Prophets, angels, righteous people and all other created beings. And the Prophet (pbuh) said: Whoever swears an oath, let him swear by Allaah or else remain silent. (Bukhaari, Muslim, others) As far as the oaths that Allaah swears by in the Quraan are concerned, ..these are oaths sworn by Allaah, and Allaah has the right to swear oaths by whatever He wills, but the created being can swear only be his Lord, may he be exalted. (From al-Lulu al-Makeen min Fataawaa ibn Jibreen) Also the Prophet (pbuh) said: Whoever swears by honesty is not one of us. (Abu Dawud-Saheeh) So we have to really beware of this serious issue and not swear by anything except Allaah alone, or by one of His attributes. and obviously only when it is the TRUTH. Actually, it is recommended in the Shareeah to be cautious about swearing oaths, and not to swear except when essential. And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much)[al-Maaidah:89] And if someone LIES when he is swearing, then this is even worse and a major sin. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Of the major sins are: Associating anything in worship with Allah, disobedience to the parents, killing without justification and taking a false oath (intentionally).''[Al-Bukhari]. Major Sins # 10 Swearing by something other than Allaah Taken from 'Prohibitions that are taken too lightly' - English Translation Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid Allaah may swear by whatever of His creatures He wills, but His creatures are not permitted to swear by anything other than Allaah. Many people swear all kinds of oaths by things other than Allaah, but swearing by something is like glorifying it, and it is not right to glorify anything or anyone other than Allaah. Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has prohibited that you should swear by your father/mother/wife/children . If anyone swears, let him swear by Allaah, or else remain silent." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 11/530). Ibn Umar also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever swears by something other than Allaah is guilty of shirk." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/125; see Saheeh al-Jaami', 6204). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever swears by trustworthiness is not one of us." (Reported by Abu Dawud 3253; see also al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 94). It is not permitted to swear by the Kabah, by trustworthiness, by honour, by help, by the blessing of so-and-so, by the life of so-and-so, by the virtue of the Prophet, by the virtue of a wali, by one's father and mother, by the heads of one's children, etc. All of that is haraam, and the expiation for doing it is to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah, as is stated in the saheeh hadeeth: "Whoever swears and says 'By al-Laat' or 'By al-Uzza,' let him say 'La ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god except Allaah).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 11/536). There are other phrases that similarly involve shirk and are therefore forbidden, but that are often spoken by Muslims, such as: "I seek refuge with Allaah and with you," "I am depending on Allaah and on you," "This is from Allaah and from you," "I have no-one but Allaah and you," "I have Allaah in heaven and I have you on earth," "If it were not for Allaah and so-and-so," "I disown Islaam," "Time has let me down" (and every other expression which involves cursing time, like saying, "This is a bad time," "This is an unlucky time," "Time is a betrayer," etc., because cursing time is an insult to Allaah Who has created time), references to "Nature's way." Names that imply being a slave of anyone other than Allaah, such as 'Abd 'al-Maseeh, 'Abd al-Nabi, 'Abd al-Rasool and 'Abd al-Husayn, are also forbidden. There are also modern expressions which are contrary to Tawheed and are therefore haraam, such as "Islamic socialism," "Islamic democracy," "The will of the people is the will of Allaah," "Religion is for Allaah and the land is for the people," "In the name of Arabism," "In the name of the revolution," etc. It is also haraam to use titles such as "King of kings" or "Judge of judges" for human beings; to address munafiqeen or kuffaar with titles like "Sayyid (master)" (whether speaking Arabic or other languages), to use the words "If only..." - which imply discontent and regret, and open the way for Shaytaan, and to say "O Allaah, forgive me if You want to." (For more information, see Mu'jam al-Manahi al-Lafziyyah, Bakr or Zayd) Conclusion: Do NOT swear by anything or by anyone , NOT even by the prophet (pbuh) or the Quraan. If at all (and only when required) , swear by Allah swt and no-one else. As-Salaam Walekum Adil Khan Bombay Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/ What Seperates our Group from the rest ? Only Authentic Information about Islam is passed backed by Quran or Hadith's. In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. 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