Book 15. Oath

Chapter 1: It is Forbidden to Take the Oaths in the Name of Anyone Else besides Allah

‘Umar b. al-Khattib reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah, the Great and Majestic, forbids you to swear by your fathers. Umar said: By Allah. I have never sworn (by my father) since I heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbidding it mentioning them “on my behalf” nor on behalf of someone else.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Zuhri except that in the hadith narrated on the authority of Uqail the words are: “I did not take oath by (anyone else except Allah) since I heard Allah’s Messenger forbidding it, nor did I speak in such terms, and the narrator did not say, “on my own behalf or on behalf of someone else”.

Salim reported on the authority of his father that Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) heard ‘Umar while he was taking oath by his father. The rest of the hadith is the same.

‘Abdullah (b. Umar) reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) found, Umar b. al-Khattab amongst the riders and he was taking oath by his father Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) called them (saying); Our Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has forbidden you that you take oath by your father. He who bag to take an oath, he must take it by Allah or keep quiet.

This hadith is narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar through another chain of transmitters.

Ibn ‘Umar heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who has to take an oath, he must not take oath but by Allah. The Quraish used to take oath by their fathers. So he (the Holy Prophet) said: Do not take oath by your fathers.

Chapter 2: He Who Takes an Oath by Lat and Uzza’ He Should Say: There is No God but Allah

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who takes an oath in the course of which he says: By Lat (and al-‘Uzza), he should say: There is no god but Allah; and that it anyone says to his friend: “Come and I will gamble with you,” he should pay sadaqa.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri.

Abd al-Rahman b. Samura reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not swear by idols, nor by your fathers.

Chapter 3: It is Excellent to Break the Vow if One Finds It Better Doing That Which is against This Vow One Should Expiate It

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari reported: I came to Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) along with a group of Ash’arites requesting to give us a mount. He (the Holy Prophet) said: By Allah, I cannot provide you with a mount, and there is nothing with me which I should give you as a ride. He (the narrator) said: We stayed there as long as Allah willed. Then there were brought to him (to the Holy Prophet) camels. He (the Holy Prophet) then ordered to give us three white humped camels, We started and said (or some of us said to the others): Allah will not bless us. We came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) begging him to provide us with riding camels. He swore that he could not provide us with a mount, but later on he provided us with that. They (some of the Prophet’s Companions) came and informed him about this (rankling of theirs), whereupon he said: It was not I who provided you with a mount, but Allah has provided you with that. So far as I am concerned, by Allah, if He so wills, I would not swear, but if, later on, I would see better than it, I (would break the vow) and expiate it and do that which is better.

Abu Musa reported: My friends sent me to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) asking him to provide them with mounts as they were going along with him in jaish al-‘Usrah (the army of destitutes or of meagre means or army setting out during the hard times and that is the occasion of the expedition of Tabuk) I said: Apostle of Allah, my friends have sent me to you so that you may provide them with mounts. He (the Holy Prophet) said: By Allah, I cannot provide you with anything to ride. And it so happened that he was at that time much perturbed. I little knew of it, so I came back with a heavy heart on account of the refusal of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), and the fear that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) might have some feelings against me. I returned to my friends and informed them about what Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) had said. I had hardly stayed for a little that I heard Bilal calling: ‘Abdullah b. Qais. I responded to his call. He said: Hasten to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), he is calling you, When I came to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) he said: Take this pair, this pair, and this pair (i.e. six camels which he had bought from Sa’d), and take them to your friends and say: Verily Allah (or he said: Verily Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) has provided you with these animals. So ride upon them. Abu Musa said: I went along with them to my friends and said: Verily Allah’s messenger (may peace be upon him) has provided you with these animals for riding; but by Allah, I shall not leave you until some of you go along with me to him who had heard the talk of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) then I asked him for you, and his refusal for the first time, and then his granting them to me subsequently; so you should not think that I narrated to you something which he did not say. They said to me: By Allah, in our opinion you are certainly truthful, and we would do as you like. So Abu Musa went along with some of the men from them until they came to those who had heard the words of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and his refusal to (provide) them with (animals); and subsequently his granting (the animals) to them; and they narrated to them exactly as Abu Masa had narrated to them.

Ayyub said: We were sitting in the company of Abu Musa that he called for food and it consisted of flesh of fowl. It was then that a person from Banu Tamim visited him. His complexion was red having the resemblance of a slave. He said to him: Come and (join me in food). He showed reluctance. He (Abu Masa) said: Come on, for I saw Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) eating it (fowl’s meat), whereupon that person said: I saw it eating something (of filth and rubbish) and I found it repugnant and took an oath that I would never eat that. He (Abu Muds) said: Come, so that I would narrate to you about that (the incident pertaining to vow). (And he narrated thus): I came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) along with a group of people belonging to the tribe of Ash’ari, asking him to provide us with riding camels. He (the Holy Prophet) said: By Allah, I cannot provide you with riding animals. And there is nothing with me with which I can provide you a mount. We stayed (for some time) there as Allah willed, and there was brought to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) booty of camels. He called us and commanded that we should be given five white humped camels. As we were about to go back, some of us said to the other: As we made Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) forget oath, there would be no blessing for us (in his gift). We went back to him and said: Allah’s Messenger, we came to you to provide us with riding animals and you took an oath that you would never equip us with mounts and then you have provided us with the riding beasts Allah’s Messenger, have you forgotten? Thereupon he said: I swear by Allah that if Allah so wills, I shall not swear an oath, and then consider something else to be better than it without making atonement for my oath and doing the thing that is better. So you go; Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has given you riding animals.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari with a slight variation of words.

Zahdam al-Jarmi reported: We were in the company of Abu Musa. The rest of the hadith is the same.

Zahdam al-Jarmi reported: I visited Abu Musa and lie was eating fowl’s meat. The rest of the hadith is the same with this addition that he (the Holy Prophet) said: By Allah, I did not forget it.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari reported: We came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) requesting him to provide us with riding camels. He (the Holy Prophet) said: There is nothing with me with which I should equip you. By Allah, I would not provide you with (riding camels). Then Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) sent to us three camels with spotted bumps. We said: We came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) asking him to equip us with riding animals. He took an oath that he could not equip us. We came to him and informed him. He said: By Allah, I do not take an oath, but when I find the other thing better than that, I do that which is better.

Abu Musa reported: We walked on foot and came to Allah’s Apostle (may peace he upon him) asking him to provide us with mounts. The rest of the hadith is the same.

Abu Huraira reported: A person sat late in the night with Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him), and then came to his family and found that his children had gone to sleep. His wife brought food for him, but he took an oath that he would not eat because of his children (having gone to sleep without food) He then gave precedence (of breaking the vow and then expiating it) and ate the food He then came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and made mention of that to him, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace he upon him) said: He who took an oath and (later on) found something better than that should do that, and expiate for (breaking) his vow.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who took an oath and then found another thing better than (this) should expiate for the oath (broken) by him and do (the better thing).

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who took an oath and (later on) found another thing better than that, he should do that which is better, and expiate for the vow (broken by him).

This hadith is narrated on the authority of Suhail with the same chain of transmitters (with these words): “He should expiate for (breaking) the vow and do that which is better.”

Tamim b. Tarafa reported: A beggar came to ‘Adi b. Hatim and he begged him to give him the price of a slave, or some portion of the price of the slave. He (‘Adi) said: I have nothing to give you except my coat-of-mail and helmet. I will, however, write to my family to give that to you, but he did not agree to that. Thereupon ‘Adi was enraged, and said: By Allah, I will not give you anything. The person (then) agreed to accept that, whereupon he said: By Allah, had I not heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) saying: “He who took an oath, but then found something more pious in the sight of Allah, he should (break the oath) and do that which is more pious,” I would not have broken the oath (and thus paid you anything).

‘Adi b. Hatim reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who took an oath, but he found something else better than that, should do that which is better and break his oath.

‘Adi reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When anyone amongst you takes an oath, but he finds (something) better than that he should expiate (the breaking of the oath), and do that which is better.

This hadith is reported on the authority of Adi b. Hatim through another chain of transmitters.

Tamim b. Tarafa reported that he beard ‘Adi b. Hatim say that a person came to him and asked for one hundred dirhams. He (‘Adi) said: You asked Me for one hundred dirhams and I am the son of Hatim; by Allah, I will not give you. But then he said: (I would have done that) if I had not heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) say: He who takes an oath, but then finds something better than that, should do that which is better.

Tamim b. Tarafa reported: I heard ‘Adi b. Hatim say that a person asked that and then narrated (the hadith) like one (mentioned above), but he made this addition: “Here are four hundred (dirhams) for you out of my gift.”

Abd al-Rahman b. Samura reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to me: Abd al-Rahman b. Samura, don’t ask for authority for if it is granted to you for asking for it, you would be commissioned for it (without having the support of Allah), but if you are granted it without your asking for it. You would be helped (by Allah) in it. And when you take an oath and find something else better than that, expiate for (breaking) your oath, and do that which is better. This hadith has also been transmitted on the authority of Ibn Farrukh.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Samura through another chain of transmitters but there is no mention of the word “authority”.

Chapter 4: The Oath Would Be Considered on the Basis of the Intention of One Who Takes an Oath

Abu Haraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Your oath should be about something regarding which your companion will believe you. ‘Amr said: By which your companion will believe you.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: An oath is to be interpreted according to the intention of the one who takes it.

Chapter 5: Expressing the Words “God Willing” in the Oath

Abu Huraira reported that (Hadrat) Sulaiman had sixty wives. He (one day) said: I will visit each one of them every night, and every one of them will become pregnant and give birth to a male child who will be a horseman and fight in the cause of Allah. But (it so happened) that none of them became pregnant except one, but she gave birth to an incomplete child. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Had he said Insha’ Allah (if God so wills), then every one of them would have given birth to a child who would have been a horseman and fought in the cause of Allah

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Prophet (may peace be upon him) as saying that Sulaiman b. Dawud, the Apostle of Allah, observed: I will have an intercourse with seventy wives during the night; all of them will give birth to a male child who will fight in the cause of Allah. His companion or the ang I said to him: Say, “If God wills.” But he (Hadrat Sulaimin) did not say so, and he forgot it. And none of his wives gave birth to a child, but one who gave birth to a premature child. Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Had he said Insha’ Allah (if God so will), he would not have failed and his desire would have been materialised.

Abu Huraira reported this hadith from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) through another chain of transmitters.

Abu Huraira reported that Sulaiman b. Dawud said: I will certainly have intercourse with seventy wives during the night, and every wife amongst them will give birth to a child, who will fight in the cause of Allah. It was said to him: Say: “Insha’ Allah” (God willing), but he did not say so and forgot it. He went round them but none of them give birth to a child except one woman and that too was an incomplete person. Upon this Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: If he had said “Insha’ Allah.” he would not have failed, and his desire must have been fulfilled.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying that Sulaiman b. Dawud (once) said: I will go round in the night to my ninety wives, and every one of them will give birth to a child (who will grow up) as a horseman and fight in the cause of Allah His companions said to him: Say “Insha’ Allah” but he did not say Inshii’ Allah. He went round all of them but none of them became pregnant but one, and she gave birth to a premature child. And by Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, if he had said, Insha’ Allah (his wives would have given birth to the children who would all have grown up into horsemen and fought in the way of Allah). This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Zinad with the same chain of transmitters with a variation of (these words): “Every one of them giving birth to a child, who would have fought in the cause of Allah.”

Chapter 6: It is Forbidden to Persist in an Oath Which Causes Trouble to the Family and is Not Lawful

Hammam b. Munabbih reported: This is what Abu Huraira reported to us from Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), and he narrated a hadith and (one) of them is that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: I swear by Allah, it is more sinful in Allah’s sight for one of you to persist in an oath regarding his family than payment of its expiation which Allah has imposed upon him (for breaking the oath).

Chapter 7: What a Non-Believer Should Do with His Vow When He Embraces Islam

Ibn ‘Umar reported that Umar (b. Khattab) said: Messenger of Allah, I had taken a vow during the days of Ignorance (Jahiliyya) that I would observe I’tikaf for a night in the Sacred Mosque. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Fulfil your vow.

This hadith is transmitted on the authority of Ibn Umar with a slight variation of words.

‘Abdullah b. ‘Umar reported that ‘Umar b. Khattab asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as he was at ji’rana (a town near Mecca) on his way back from Ta’if: Messenger of Allah, I had taken a vow during the days of Ignorance that I would observe I’tikaf for one day in the Sacred Mosque. So what is your opinion? He said: Go and observe I’tikaf for a day. And Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) gave him a slave girl out of the one-fifth (of the spoils of war meant for the Holy Prophet). And when Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) set the war prisoners free. ‘Umar b. Khattab heard their voice as they were saying: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) has set as free. He (Hadrat ‘Umar) said: What is this? They said: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) has set free the prisoners of war (which had fallen to the lot of people). Thereupon he (Hadrat ‘Umar) said: Abdullah, go to that slave-girl and set her free.

lbn ‘Umar reported: When Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) came back from the Battle of Hunain, Umar asked Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) about the vow he had taken during the days of Ignorance that he would observe I’tikaf for a day. The rest of the hadith is the same.

Nafi’ reported: A mention of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) observing ‘Umra from ja’rina was made before Ibn ‘Umar. He said: He did not enter into the state of Ihram from that (place), and Umar had taken a vow of observing I’tikaf for a night during the days of Ignorance. The rest of the hadith is the same.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Ibn Umar through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of words.