Sharʿi Ruling on False, Idle, and Binding Oaths in Islam

Sharʿi Ruling on False, Idle, and Binding Oaths
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori

1. False Oath (يمين غموس)​

• Definition: An oath taken knowingly upon a lie.
• Qur’anic Warning:
  ﴿وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ...﴾ [Al-Naḥl: 94]
  “Do not use your oaths as a means of deception among yourselves…”
• Ḥadīth:
  Ḥaḍrat ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
  "الْيَمِينُ الْغَمُوسُ" – “False oath” – was listed among the major sins along with shirk, disobedience to parents, and unlawful killing.
  [Al-Bukhārī: 6675]

When asked what it meant, the Prophet ﷺ replied:
"الَّذِي يَقْتَطِعُ بِهَا مَالَ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ هُوَ فِيهَا كَاذِبٌ"
“The one by which a person unlawfully seizes the wealth of a Muslim while lying.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 6920]

• Ruling: Major sin, no kaffārah removes it; repentance is required.
• Scholars: Most fuqahāʾ agree it is an oath whose falsehood is known to the one swearing.
  [Subul al-Salām 4/1888]

2. Idle Oath (يمين لغو)​

• Qur’anic Ruling:
  ﴿لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَ﴾ [Al-Māʾidah: 89]
  “Allah will not call you to account for idle oaths, but will call you to account for what you intended in your oaths.”
• Example by ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
  Repeated phrases like: "لَا وَاللَّهِ، بَلَى وَاللَّهِ" (“No, by Allah” / “Yes, by Allah”).
  [Al-Bukhārī: 6663]
• Definition: An oath uttered habitually without intent or will.
• Ruling: No sin, no kaffārah.

3. Binding Oath (يمين معقدة)​

• Definition: A deliberate oath taken to emphasize a statement or commit to an act in the future.
• Ruling: If broken, kaffārah is obligatory.

4. Summary of the Three Types​

① Idle Oath (لغو): Without intent, habitual expressions. → No sin, no kaffārah.
② False Oath (غموس): Knowingly lying under oath to harm or deceive. → Major sin, no kaffārah; requires repentance.
③ Binding Oath (معقدة): Intentional and deliberate oath for future actions. → Breaking it requires kaffārah (as per Al-Māʾidah: 89).

5. Subtypes of Binding Oaths According to Some Scholars:​

1. True oath – permissible.
2. False oath with known falsehood – ḥarām.
3. Oath thought to be true but in fact false – not permissible.
4. Oath thought to be false – ḥarām.
5. Oath with doubt about truth or falsehood – ḥarām.