Swearing by Other Than Allah

Unfortunately, as Shee`ahs we hear some of our brethren say “I swear by Fātimah” or “I swear by `Alī”. Even some of our shee`ah scholars argue the “wahhabis” in attempt to prove that it is permissible to swear by other than Allāh. Major shee`ah scholars such as Ja`far al-Subhānī have argued for the swearing upon other than Allāh using the Qur’ān and Sunni ḥadīth.

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Is this action endorsed by the Ahl al-Bayt (عليهم السلام)? What do the Ahl al-Bayt (عليهم السلام) have to say about those Qur’ānic verses? What do the Ahl al-Bayt (عليهم السلام) say about swearing (taking oath) by other than Allāh?

Tafsīr of the Ahl al-Bayt (عليهم السلام) Regarding Those Verses

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ اللَّيْلِ إِذا يَغْشى‏ (الليل -: 1 -) وَ النَّجْمِ إِذا هَوى‏ (النجم -: 1 -) وَ مَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ يُقْسِمَ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ بِمَا شَاءَ وَ لَيْسَ لِخَلْقِهِ أَنْ يُقْسِمُوا إِلَّا بِهِ

From Muhammad bin Muslim said, I said to Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام) about the words of Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ): «By the night when it covers» (Sūrah al-Layl (92):Verse 1) & «By the star when it goes down» (Sūrah al-Najm (53):Verse 1), and what is similar to that. So he (عليه السلام) said: “Verily, Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) swears from His creation by what He wills, and it is not for his creations that they swear except by Him (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 7, pg. 449, hadeeth # 1

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Hasan (Good)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 24, pg. 330

Swearing by Other than Allāh

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ يُونُسَ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لَا تَحْلِفُوا إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ وَ مَنْ حَلَفَ بِاللَّهِ فَلْيَصْدُقْ وَ مَنْ حُلِفَ لَهُ بِاللَّهِ فَلْيَرْضَ وَ مَنْ حُلِفَ لَهُ بِاللَّهِ فَلَمْ يَرْضَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ

From Abī Hamzah from `Alī bin al-Ḥussayn (عليه السلام) said, said the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: “Do not swear (take an oath) except by Allāh, and whoever swears by Allāh, is truthful. And whoever swears to him by Allāh, he (should) accept. And whoever swears to him by Allāh, and he does not accept, he is not from Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 7, pg. 438, hadeeth # 1

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Hasan or Muwaththaq (Good or Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 24, pg. 312

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْخَرَّازِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ مَنْ حَلَفَ بِاللَّهِ فَلْيَصْدُقْ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَصْدُقْ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ مَنْ حُلِفَ لَهُ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَلْيَرْضَ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْضَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ

From Abī Ayūb al-Khazzāz from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said: “And whoever swears (takes an oath) by Allāh, he is truthful, and whoever does not (believe) he truthful is not from Allāh, and one must agree with an oath by Allāh, and if he does do so he is not from Allāh”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 7, pg. 438, hadeeth # 2

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 24, pg. 313

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ لَا أَرَى أَنْ يَحْلِفَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ فَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الرَّجُلِ لَابَ لِشَانِئِكَ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَ لَوْ حَلَفَ الرَّجُلُ بِهَذَا وَ أَشْبَاهِهِ لَتُرِكَ الْحَلْفُ بِاللَّهِ فَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الرَّجُلِ يَا هَيَاهْ وَ يَا هَنَاهْ فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ لِطَلَبِ الِاسْمِ وَ لَا أَرَى بِهِ بَأْساً وَ أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ لَعَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَ قَوْلُهُ لَا هَاهُ فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ

From al-Halabī from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said: “I do not believe that a man should swear (take an oath) except by Allāh. As for the saying of man “Lāb li-shāni’ika”, and it is form the words of the people of Jāhiliyyah, and if a man swears by this, and other than this, he has abandoned swearing by Allāh, and as for a man saying  “Ya Hayāhu” and “Ya Hanāhu” is only that he is seeking for the name, and there is no problem in it” And for the saying of “la`amr Allāh” and his saying  “Lā  Hāhu” and furthermore that is by Allāh”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 7, pg. 449, hadeeth # 2

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Hasan (Good)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 24, pg. 330