Oaths and Vows

OATHS

A person uses an oath to confirm the truth of his saying. In the Holy Qurᶦan, Allah swears by every great creature (and all His creatures are great).

 For example He says ﴾By the sky and the night comer ﴿ ﴾By the sun and its brightness﴿ ﴾So by your Lord, We will surely question them all﴿ 
The Prophet has sworn by God only. For example: “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is.”

“By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is.”

It is prohibited for a Muslim to swear by anything or anyone other than Allah. If anyone did so, he would be a polytheist.

●Ibn Masᶦud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Allah’s Apostle met ᶦUmar ibn AL-Khattab while the latter was going with a group of camel-riders, and he was swearing by his father. Allah’s Messenger called them and said, “Verily! Allah forbids you from swearing by your fathers. So, let the one who swears, swear by Allah, or be silent.” [The Two Scholars].

●Ibn ᶦUmar reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying, “He who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah, has indeed become a disbeliever or a polytheist.” [AL-Tirmidhi and Abu-Daoud].

*Swearing a lot in everything is an obnoxious character that is inappropriate for a Muslim. God says ﴾And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer﴿ Chapter of the Pen. Verse NO 10

There are three types of oaths:

□Deliberate oath.                                 □Unintentional oath.                          □False oath.

❶Deliberate oath:

When a Muslim swears to do something or not to do it in future, and then he cannot accomplish what he intended, i.e., he has broken his oath, he has to expiate for his broken oath.

¨Mistah ibn Uthathah was poor, and Abu-Bakr used to be charitable to him and empathize with him. However, Mistah participated in the slander-mongering about his maternal aunt’s daughter ᶦAiashah.
When her innocence had appeared, her father Abu-Bakr swore to withhold his assistance to him. 
When this verse was revealed﴾And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful﴿ (Chapter of Light. Verse NO 22), he responded to it, assisted Mistah again, and expiated for his broken oath.

¨Once, the Prophet swore not to drink the honey, after ᶦAishah and Hafsah had claimed that it had smelt bad. 
When the verse was revealed ﴾O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful﴿ (Chapter of Prohibition. Verse NO 1), he expiated for his broken oath.

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God says ﴾Allah has already ordained for you [Muslims] the dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your protector, and He is the Knowing, the Wise﴿Chapter of Prohibition. Verse NO 2

And says ﴾And do not make [your oath by] Allah an excuse against being righteous and fearing Allah and making peace among people. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing﴿ Chapter of the Heifer. Verse NO 224

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said, “When you swear an oath and consider something else to be better than it, make expiation for your oath and do the thing that is better.” [Muslim].

How to expiate for a broken oath?

1) Feeding ten needy people or clothing them. It is impermissible, for example, to feed half of them and clothe the other half. 

Feed all of the ten people, or clothe all of the ten people. Feeding cost for each one of them should equal to the cost of one lunch meal.

2) If you do not have enough money for expiation, fast on three days. It is not necessary to be consecutive days.

God says ﴾Allah will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths. So, its expiation is feeding ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or freeing a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] - then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be grateful﴿ Chapter of the Table. Verse NO 89

❷Unintentional oath:

Some people rush into swearing, for example, to invite a friend to eat or take something, and then he or she does not do so. This oath does not necessitate an expiation.

❸False oath (Yamiin Ghamuus):

It is called “Ghamuus” because it causes the person who makes it to be ‘dipped’ in Hell-Fire on the Day of Judgment. It is one of the major sins. It occurs when a Muslim swears, falsely, that something happened in the past (and indeed it did not happen) or gives a false testimony upon payment of a handful of pounds.

God says ﴾Indeed, those who exchange the Covenant of Allah and their [own] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He purify them, and they will have a painful punishment﴿ Chapter of the Family of Imran. Verse NO 77

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said, “There are three persons whom Allah will neither talk to nor look at, nor purify from (the sins), and they will have a painful punishment.

(They are): A person, who in the waterless desert, has more water (than his need) and he refuses to give it to the traveller.

A person who pledges allegiance to a leader (Imam) just for some worldly benefit, and then if the leader bestows him (something out of that) he fulfills his allegiance, and if does not give him, he does not fulfill it. 

And a person who takes a false oath that he has been offered for a commodity a price greater than what he has actually been offered.” [AL-Bukhari].

●It was narrated from Abi Umamah that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Whoever cuts off the right of a Muslim by (swearing a false) oath, Allah makes Paradise unlawful for him, and the Fire required for him.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, even if it is something small? He said, “Even if it is a tooth-stick,” repeating it three times. [Muslim].

*Those who swear falsely to you also do the same thing in front of God on the Day of Judgment.

God says ﴾On the Day Allah will resurrect them all, and they will swear to Him as they swear to you and think that they are [standing] on something. Unquestionably, it is they who are the liars﴿Chapter of the Pleading Woman. Verse NO 18

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VOWS

A vow is something that a rational adult Muslim commits himself to do, by making an offering to Allah if a certain goal is achieved for him. 
Allah has praised those who fulfill their vows in the verse ﴾They [are those who] fulfill [their] vows and fear a Day whose evil will be widespread﴿ Chapter of Man. Verse NO 7

¨If a Muslim failed to fulfill his vow, he would expiate for it, and its expiation would be the same as that of a broken oath.

●It was narrated from ᶦUqbah ibn ᶦAmir that the Prophet said, “The expiation of a vow (Nadhr) is (the same as) the expiation of an oath.” [Muslim].

Note that:

①A vow must be for an obedience. For example, a Muslim is not allowed to make an offering to Allah if he could kill someone.

●It was narrated from ᶦAishah that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him. But whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him.” [AL-Bukhari].

②A vow must not be for an invented heresy, or for something that the vower cannot do it.

●Ibn ᶦAbbas reported: While the Prophet was delivering a speech, he saw a man standing, so he asked about that man. They said, “It is Abu Israᶦil who has vowed that he will stand and never sit down, and he will never come in the shade, nor speak to anybody, and will fast.” The Prophet said, “Order him to speak, let him come in the shade, and make him sit down, but let him complete his fast.” [AL-Bukhari].

●ᶦUqbah ibn ᶦAmir reported: My sister made a vow to walk barefooted to Allah’s House (AL Kaᶦbah). Then, she asked me to consult Allah’s Messenger about it. I consulted him for a religious verdict and the Prophet replied, “She should walk on foot and ride also.” [The Two Scholars].

●Abu-Hurairah reported: Allah’s Apostle found an old man walking between his two sons supported by them, then he said, “What is the matter with him?” His sons said, “O Messenger of Allah, there is (fulfillment) of a vow upon him. The Messenger said, “Ride, old man, for Allah is not in need of you and your vow.” [The Two Scholars].

③It is better for a Muslim not to commit himself to make a vow, as it is like a debt that must be paid.

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah (May Allah be Pleased with him) that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Do not make vows, for a vow does not prevent what is decreed at all. Rather, it is just a means of taking wealth from the miser.” [Muslim].

●Ibn ᶦAbbas reported: A woman from the tribe of Juhainah came to the Prophet and said, “My mother had vowed to perform pilgrimage but she died before performing it. May I perform it on my mother’s behalf?” The Prophet replied, “Perform it on her behalf. Had there been a debt on your mother, would you have paid it or not? So, pay Allah’s debt as He has more right to be paid.”

 [AL-Bukhari].