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Sahih MuslimThe Book of Oaths

Do not swear by Tawāghi (idols) nor by your fathers

Chapter: Whoever swears by Al-Lat and Al-Uzza, let him say La Ilaha Illallah

Authentic hadith of Sahih Muslim Sahih Muslim 1648

Narrator:Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ، الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏

لاَ تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي وَلاَ بِآبَائِكُمْ ‏"

‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Do not swear by Tawāghi (idols) nor by your fathers."

Reported by Muslim (No. 1648) and Ibn Majah (No. 2095).

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Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbids us from swearing by Tawāghi, the plural of Tāghiyah, and these are the idols that the polytheists used to worship apart from Allah and they were the cause of their wrongdoing and Kufr (disbelief). He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also forbids us from swearing by our fathers. It was a common practice among the Arabs in Jāhiliyyah to swear by their fathers out of pride and exaltation.

Lessons

  • It is only permissible to swear by Allah and His names and attributes.
  • It is prohibited to swear by false deities, fathers, leaders, and idols, as well as all invalid things.
  • Swearing by other than Allah is a form of minor Shirk, and it may be a major Shirk if he has in his heart a sense of reverence for the thing sworn by and that he reveres it as he reveres Allah, or that he believes it to be part of worship.

Explanation in Arabic

يَنْهَى النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الحَلِف بالطواغي، جمع طاغية، وهي الأصنام التي كان المشركون يَعبدونها مِن دون الله، وهي سببُ طغيانِهم وكفرِهم،

وينهى صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الحلف بالآباء؛ حيث كان من عادة العرب في الجاهلية أن يَحلفوا بآبائهم افتخارًا وتعظيمًا.

  • الحَلف لا يجوز إلا بالله وأسمائه وصفاته.
  • تحريم الحلف بالطواغيت، والآباء والرؤساء والأصنام، وما شابَهَها من كل باطل.
  • الحلف بغير الله من الشرك الأصغر، وقد يكون شركًا أكبر، إذا قام بقلبه تعظيم المحلوف به وأنه يعظِّمه كما يعظِّم الله أو أنه يعتقد فيه شيئًا من العبادة.

Classical commentary

An-Nawawi — Sharh Sahih Muslim

قَوْله صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( لَا تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي وَلَا بِآبَائِكُمْ ) هَذَا الْحَدِيث مِثْل الْحَدِيث السَّابِق فِي النَّهْي عَنْ الْحَلِف بِاَللَّاتِ وَالْعُزَّى , قَالَ أَهْل اللُّغَة وَالْغَرِيب : الطَّوَاغِي هِيَ : الْأَصْنَام , وَاحِدهَا : طَاغِيَة , وَمِنْهُ طَاغِيَة دَوْس , أَيْ صَنَمهمْ وَمَعْبُودهمْ , سُمِّيَ بِاسْمِ الْمَصْدَر لِطُغْيَانِ الْكُفَّار بِعِبَادَتِهِ ; لِأَنَّهُ سَبَب طُغْيَانهمْ وَكُفْرهمْ , وَكُلّ مَا جَاوَزَ الْحَدّ فِي تَعْظِيم أَوْ غَيْره فَقَدْ طَغَى , فَالطُّغْيَان الْمُجَاوَزَة لِلْحَدِّ , وَمِنْهُ قَوْله تَعَالَى : { لَمَّا طَغَى الْمَاء } أَيْ : جَاوَزَ الْحَدّ , وَقِيلَ : يَجُوز أَنْ يَكُون الْمُرَاد بِالطَّوَاغِي هُنَا مَنْ طَغَى مِن…

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Scholars’ grades

Grade taken from the status of the collection (Sahih Muslim).

Other versions

Not graded Riyad as-Salihin 1708

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Swear neither by the name of Taghut (i.e., false deities, false leaders, etc.) nor by your fathers." [Muslim].

وعن عبد الرحمن بن سَمُرَة، رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏لا تحلفوا بالطواغي، ولا بآبائكم‏"‏‏.‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ ‏"‏الطواغي‏"‏‏:‏ جمع طاغية، وهي الأصنام، ومنه الحديث‏:‏ ‏"‏هذه طاغية…

Authentic Mishkat al-Masabih 3408

‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Samura reported God's Messenger as saying, “Do not swear by idols or by your fathers.” Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي وَلَا بِآبَائِكُمْ» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم

Narrated by Abdur-Rahmān ibn Samurah

Also reported by… (2)
  • البحر الزخار بمسند البزار 10-13 (523)لا تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي ، وَلا تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ ، وَاحْلِفُوا بِاللَّهِ
  • كشف الأستار (1264)لا تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي ، وَلا تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ ، وَاحْلِفُوا بِاللَّهِ

On the same subject

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Muwatta Malik 1027

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that one time the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was speaking to Umar ibn al-Khattab while he was travelling with a troop and Umar swore by his father and he (the Messenger) said, "Allah forbids you to…

"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْهَاكُمْ أَنْ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ فَمَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلْيَحْلِفْ بِاللَّهِ أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ ‏"

Narrated by Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar + 18 other versions

Not graded Riyad as-Salihin 1711

I heard a man saying: "No, by the Ka'bah." I admonished him: "Do not swear by any thing besides Allah, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'He who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah, has indeed committed an act of Kufr or Shirk'." [At- Tirmidhi]. [Some 'Ulama' are of the…

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أنه سمع رجلا يقول‏:‏ لا والكعبة، قال ابن عمر‏:‏ لا تحلف بغير الله، فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول‏:‏ ‏"‏من حلف بغير الله، فقد كفر أو أشرك‏"‏‏.‏‏(‏‏(‏ رواه الترمذي وقال حديث…

Narrated by Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar + 7 other versions

Not graded Riyad as-Salihin 1707

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has prohibited you from taking an oath by your fathers. He who must take an oath, may do so by swearing in the Name of Allah or he should remain silent." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

عن ابن عمر، رضي الله عنهما، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال‏:‏ ‏"‏إن الله تعالى ينهاكم أن تحلفوا بآبائكم، فمن كان حالفًا، فليحلف بالله، أو ليصمت‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ وفي رواية في الصحيح ‏"‏فمن كان حالفًا فلا…

+ 5 other versions

Not graded Bulugh al-Maram 1375

"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."

وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِأَبِي دَاوُدَ, وَالنَّسَائِيِّ: عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- { لَا تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ, وَلَا بِأُمَّهَاتِكُمْ, وَلَا بِالْأَنْدَادِ, وَلَا تَحْلِفُوا إِلَّا بِاَللَّهِ, وَلَا…

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah + 3 other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 3836

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If anybody has to take an oath, he should swear only by Allah." The people of Quraish used to swear by their fathers, but the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do not swear by your fathers. "

"‏ أَلاَ مَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلاَ يَحْلِفْ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَكَانَتْ قُرَيْشٌ تَحْلِفُ بِآبَائِهَا، فَقَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ ‏"

Narrated by Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar + 3 other versions

Authentic Sahih Muslim 1646a

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 (ﷺ) forbidding it mentioning them" on my behalf" nor on behalf of someone else.

اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنْهَاكُمْ أَنْ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ عُمَرُ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا حَلَفْتُ بِهَا مُنْذُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنْهَا ذَاكِرًا وَلاَ آثِرًا ‏.‏

Narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattāb + 1 other version

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