Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri — by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Is it permissible to swear an oath by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or by the Ka‘bah?
An oath may only be sworn by Allah’s Divine Essence or His Attributes. Swearing by anyone other than Allah is unlawful and prohibited. Swearing by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, by the Ka‘bah, or by anyone else is considered swearing by other than Allah; therefore, it is prohibited and impermissible.
He reports that during a journey, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم heard Sayyidunā ʿUmar رضي الله عنه swear by his father. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
إن الله ينهاكم أن تحلفوا بآبائكم، من كان حالفا فليحلف بالله أو ليصمت
“Allah forbids you from swearing by your forefathers. Whoever needs to take an oath should swear by Allah, otherwise he should remain silent.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6646; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1646)
من حلف بغير الله لم يكن حالفا كالنبي والكعبة
“Whoever swears by other than Allah, his oath is not considered (valid)—such as swearing by the Prophet or by the Ka‘bah.”
(Al-Hidāyah, 2/318, Beirut edition)
لأن الحلف بالنبي والكعبة حلف بغير الله تعالى
“Because swearing by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم or by the Ka‘bah is swearing by other than Allah.”
(Al-Baḥr al-Rā’iq, 4/311)
❖ Question
Is it permissible to swear an oath by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or by the Ka‘bah?
❖ Answer
An oath may only be sworn by Allah’s Divine Essence or His Attributes. Swearing by anyone other than Allah is unlawful and prohibited. Swearing by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, by the Ka‘bah, or by anyone else is considered swearing by other than Allah; therefore, it is prohibited and impermissible.
❀ Narration of Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما
He reports that during a journey, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم heard Sayyidunā ʿUmar رضي الله عنه swear by his father. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
إن الله ينهاكم أن تحلفوا بآبائكم، من كان حالفا فليحلف بالله أو ليصمت
“Allah forbids you from swearing by your forefathers. Whoever needs to take an oath should swear by Allah, otherwise he should remain silent.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6646; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1646)
❀ Statement of ʿAllāmah ʿAlī bin Abī Bakr al-Marghīnānī al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله (593 AH)
من حلف بغير الله لم يكن حالفا كالنبي والكعبة
“Whoever swears by other than Allah, his oath is not considered (valid)—such as swearing by the Prophet or by the Ka‘bah.”
(Al-Hidāyah, 2/318, Beirut edition)
❀ Statement of ʿAllāmah Ibn Nujaym al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله (970 AH)
لأن الحلف بالنبي والكعبة حلف بغير الله تعالى
“Because swearing by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم or by the Ka‘bah is swearing by other than Allah.”
(Al-Baḥr al-Rā’iq, 4/311)
