Oaths and Vows (Kitab Al-Aiman Wa Al-Nudhur)

Narrated Imran ibn Husayn: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone swears a false oath in confinement, he should make his seat in Hell on account of his (act).

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who swears an oath in which he tells a lie to take the property of a Muslim by unfair means, will meet Allah while He is angry with him. Al-Ash'ath said: I swear by Allah, he said this about me. There was some land between me and a Jew, but he denied it to me; so I presented him to the Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) asked me: Have you any evidence? I replied: No. He said to the Jew: Take an oath. I said: Messenger of Allah, now he will take an oath and take my property. So Allah, the Exalted, revealed the verse, "As for those who sell the faith they owe to Allah and their own plighted word for a small price, they shall have no portion in the hereafter."

Narrated Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays: A man of Kindah and a man of Hadramawt brought their dispute to the Prophet (ﷺ) about a land in the Yemen. Al-Hadrami said: Messenger of Allah, the father of this (man) usurped my land and it is in his possession. The Prophet asked: Have you any evidence? Al-Hadrami replied: No, but I make him swear (that he should say) that he does not know that it is my land which his father usurped from me. Al-Kindi became ready to take the oath. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If anyone usurps the property by taking an oath, he will meet Allah while his hand is mutilated. Al-Kindi then said: It is his land.

Narrated 'Alqamah b. Wa'il b. Hujr al-Hadrami: On the Authority of his father: A man from Hadramawt and a man of Kindah came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Al-Hadrami said: Messenger of Allah, this (man) took away forcibly from me the land which belongs to my father. Al-Kindi said: It is my land in my possession, and I cultivate it, he has no right to it. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said to al-Hadrami: Have you any proof ? He said: No. He then said: So for you is his oath. He said: Messenger of Allah, he is liar, he does not care for which he is taking the oath. He does not refrain himself from anything. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: You will have nothing from him except that. He went to take an oath for him. When he turned his back, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If he takes an oath on the property to take it away by unfair means, he will meet Allah while He is unmindful of him.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: One should not take a false oath at this pulpit of mine even on a green tooth-stick; otherwise he will make his abode in Hell, or Hell will be certain for him.

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone swears on oath is the course which he says: "By al-Lat" he should say: There is no god but Allah, and that if anyone says to his friend: Come and let me play for money with you, he should give something in charity (sadaqah).

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not swear by your fathers, or by your mothers, or by rivals to Allah; and swear by Allah only, and swear by Allah only when you are speaking the truth.

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) found 'Umar al-Khattab in a caravan while he was swearing by his father. So he said: Allah forbids you to swear by forefathers. If anyone swears, he must swear by Allah or keep silence.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ibn 'Umar through a different chain of narrators to the same effect up to the words "by your fathers". This version adds: " 'Umar said: I swear by Allah, I never swore by it personally or reporting it from others."

Sa'id ibn Ubaydah said: Ibn Umar heard a man swearing: No, I swear by the Ka'bah. Ibn Umar said to him: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He who swears by anyone but Allah is polytheist.

Referring to the story of a bedouin, Talhah b. 'Ubaid Allah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: He became successful, by his father, if he speaks the truth, he will enter paradise, by his father, if he speaks truth.

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who swears by Amanah (faithfulness) is not one of our number.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said about the futile oath: It is man's speech in his house: No, by Allah, and Yes, by Allah.Abu Dawud said: Ibrahim al-Sa'igh, the narrator of this tradition , was a pious man. Abu Muslim killed him at 'Aranda. When he raised a hammed and heard the call to prayer, he gave it up.Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Dawud b. Abi al-Furat from Ibrahim al-Sa'igh as a statement of 'Aishah (not attributed to the Prophet). Similarly, it has been transmitted by al-Zuhri, 'Abd al-Malik b. Abi Sulaiman and Malik b. Mughul. All of them transmitted it from 'Ata on the authority of 'Aishah on her own statement.

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Your oath should be about something regarding which your companion will believe you.Musaddad said: 'Abd Allah b. Abi Salih narrated to me.Abu Dawud said: Both of them refer to the same person: 'Abbad b. Abu Salih and 'Abd Allah b. Abi Salih.

Narrated Suwayd ibn Hanzalah: We went out intending (to visit) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Wa'il ibn Hujr was with us. His enemy caught him. The people desisted from swearing an oath, but I took an oath that he was my brother. So he left him. We then came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and I informed him that the people desisted from taking the oath, but I swore that he was my brother. He said: You spoke the truth: A Muslim is a brother of a Muslim.

Narrated Thabit bin Adh-Dahhak: That he took oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) under the tree. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If anyone swears by religion other than Islam falsely, he is like what has has said. If anyone kills himself with something, he will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection. A vow over which a man has no control is not binding on him.

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone takes an oath and says: I am free from Islam; now if he is a liar (in his oath), he will not return to Islam with soundness.

Narrated Yusuf ibn Abdullah ibn Salam: I saw that the Prophet (ﷺ) put a date on a loaf and said: This is a thing eaten with bread (condiments).

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Yusuf b. 'Abd Allah b. Salam through a different chain of narrators.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone says when swearing an oath: "If Allah wills," he makes an exception.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone swears an oath and makes an exception, he may fulfil it if he wishes and break it if he wishes without any accountability for breaking.

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: The oath which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) often used was this: No, by Him who overturns the hearts.

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) swore an oath strongly, he said: No, by Him in Whose hand is the soul of AbulQasim.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) swore an oath, it was: No, and I beg forgiveness of Allah.

Narrated Laqit ibn Amir: We came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a delegation. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: By the age of thy god.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: AbuBakr adjured the Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not adjure an oath.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Abu Hurairah narrated that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: I had a dream last night, and he then mentioned it. So Abu Bakr interpreted it. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: You are partly right and partly wrong. He then said: I adjure you, Messenger of Allah, may my father be sacrificed on you, do tell me the mistake I have committed. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not adjure.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ibn 'Abbas through a different chain of narrators. In this version there is no mention of the word qasam (oath). It has the words: "He did not inform him."

Narrated 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakr: Some guests visited us, and Abu Bakr was conversing with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at night. He (Abu Bakr) said: I will not return to you until you are free from their entertainment and serving them food. So he brought them food, but they said: We shall not eat it until Abu Bakr comes (back). Abu Bakr then came and asked: What did your guest do? Are you free from their entertainment ? They said: No. I said: I brought them food, but they refused and said: We swear by Allah, we shall not take it until he comes. They said: He spoke the truth. He brought it to us, but we refused (to take it) until you come. He asked: What did prevent you ? He said: I swear by Allah, I shall not take food tonight. They said: And we also swear by Allah that we shall not take food until you take it. He said: I never saw an evil like the one tonight. He said: Bring your food near (you). He ('Abd al-Rahman) said: Their food was then brought near them. He said: In the name of Allah, and he took the food, and they also took it. I then informed him that the dawn had broken. So he went to th Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him of what he and they had done. He said: You are the most obedient and most trustful of them.

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakr through a different chain of narrators. This version adds on the authority of Salim: "Expiation (for breaking the oath) has not reached me."