13. Oaths and Vows

Narrated Ibn 'Umar (RA): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) overtook 'Umar bin al-Khattab when he was with a party of riders of about ten and 'Umar was swearing by his father. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called them and said, "Verily! Allah forbids you from swearing by your fathers. Therefore, if anyone swears, he must swear by Allah or keep silent." [Agreed upon] In a narration which is Marfu' (attributed to the Prophet) reported by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i from Abu Hurairah (RA) it has: "Do not swear by your fathers, nor by your mothers, nor by the rivals (set up as equals with Allah); and do not swear by Allah except when you are speaking the truth." Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Your oath will be about that matter which your adversary has required you to swear about so that he will believe you." In another narration: "An oath is to be interpreted according to the intention of the one who requested it (Al-Mustahlif)." [Muslim reported both narrations]. Narrated 'Abdur-Rahman bin Samura (RA): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "When you swear an oath and then consider something else to be better than it, make atonement for your oath and do the thing that is better." [Agreed upon]. A wording of al-Bukhari has: "Do the thing that is better and make atonement for your oath." In a narration by Abu Dawud: "Make atonement for your oath, then do the thing that is better." [The chains of narrators of both Ahadith are Sahih (authentic)]. Narrated Ibn 'Umar (RA): "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Whoever swears an oath, and then says: "If Allah Wills", he is not held accountable if he breaks it." [Ahmad and al-Arba'a reported it, and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic)]. Narrated Ibn Umar (RA): The Prophet's oath (ﷺ) used to be: "No, by Him Who turns (changes) the hearts." [Reported by al-Bukhari]. Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr (RA): A desert Arab came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger, what are the major sins?" The narrator reported the Hadith and it contains: "The false oath." It contains also: I asked, "What is the false oath?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "It is that (oath) by which one takes possession of the property of a Muslim person, while he is lying." [al-Bukhari reported it]. Narrated 'Aishah (RA) regarding the saying of Allah the Most High: "Allah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths (5:89)." She said: It (was sent down about such phrases as) a person's sayying: 'No, by Allah' and 'Yes, by Allah.' [al-Bukhari reported it (Mauquf, i.e. as a saying of 'Aishah). Abu Dawud reported it as Marfu' (attributed to the Prophet).] Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Verily! Allah has ninety-nine Names concerning which he who retains them in his memory will enter Paradise." [Agreed upon]. at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban listed the Names. However, investigations show that their listing is Idraj (an insertion) from one of the narrators [not from the words of the Prophet]. Narrated Usama bin Zaid (RA): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said. "If one is done a kindness and [expresses his gratitude] to his benefactor by saying 'May Allah give you a good reward', he has fully expressed his appreciation." [at-Tirmidhi reported it, and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic)]. Narrated Ibn 'Umar (RA): The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade making vows, and said, "It does not bring good. Indeed, it is only a means by which something is extracted from the miserly." [Agreed upon]. Narrated 'Uqba bin 'Aamir (RA): Allah's Mssenger (ﷺ) said: "The atonement for a vow (Nadhr) is (the same as) the atonement an oath (Yamin)." [Reported by Muslim]. at-Tirmidhi added, "If he did not specify it." [And he graded it Sahih (authentic)]. Abu Dawud has from the narration of Ibn Abbas (RA) (who reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying): "If anyone takes a vow but does not name it, its atonement is the same as that for an oath. If anyone takes a vow to do an act of disobedience, its atonement is the same as that for an oath. If anyone takes a vow which he is unable to fulfill , its atonement is the same as that for an oath." [Its chain of narrators is authentic, but the Hadith scholars held that the strongest view is that it is Mawquf (saying of a Companion)]. al-Bukhari has reported from the Hadith of 'Aishah (RA): (Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said) "If anyone vows to disobey Allah, then he must not disobey Him." Muslim has reported from the Hadith of 'Imran (RA): (Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said) "There is no fulfillment of a vow involving an act of disobedience." [Reported by Muslim]. Narrated 'Uqba bin 'Aamir (RA): His sister took a vow to walk to Allah's House (for pilgrimage) barefooted. Then, she ordered him to consult Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), so he consulted him for a religious verdict and the Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Let her walk and ride." [Agreed upon, and the wording is Muslim's]. Ahmad and al-Arba'a have: He said, "Verily! Allah, the Most High, will not do anything with the affliction your sister imposes on herself. Command her to cover her head and to ride, and to fast three days." Narrated Ibn Abbas (RA): Sa'd bin Ubada asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) for a ruling regarding a vow taken by his mother who had died before fulfilling it, and he said, "Fulfill it on her behalf." [Agreed upon]. Narrated Thabit bin ad-Dahhak (RA): that in the time of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) a man took a vow to slaughter camels at Bawana. So, he came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and asked him (about that). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, "Did the place contain any idol which was worshiped (during Jahiliyya era)?" He said, "No." He asked "Were any of their (Jahiliyya) festivals observed there?" He said, "No." He then said (to the man), "Fulfill your vow, for there is no fulfillment of a vow to do an act of disobedience to Allah, now to break the ties of relationship, nor to do something over which a human being has no control." [Reported by Abu Dawud and at-Tabarani, and the wording is his (at-Tabarani). It has a sound chain of narrators]. It has a Shahid (supporting narration) from the Hadith of Kardam reported by Ahmad. Narrated Jabir (bin 'Abdullah) (RA): A man said on the day of the Fath, "O Messenger of Allah, I have vowed that if Allah opens the conquest of Makkah at your hands I shall pray in Jerusalem." He replied, "Pray here." He asked him again and he replied, "Pray here." He asked him again and he replied, "It's up to you, then." [Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud. al-Hakim graded it Sahih (authentic)]. Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (RA): The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "No (religious) journey is to be undertaken except to (pray in) the three mosques: The Sacred Mosque (Makkah), the Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem), and this Mosque of mine (al-Madinah)." [Agreed upon, and the wording is al-Bukhari's]. Narrated 'Umar (RA): [concerning his consultation with the Prophet] He said: I said: O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I made a vow in the Jahiliyya times to spend a night in devotion (I'tikaf) in the Sacred Mosque. He (the Prophet) said: "Fulfill your vow." [Agreed upon]. al-Bukhari added in another narration: "Then, spend a night in devotion (in the Sacred Mosque)."