The Ruling on Swearing by the Prophet and Excusing Oneself by Saying It Is a Habitual Expression

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. In Egypt, it is common to swear by the Prophet. When I stop someone who is swearing, he says, "I do not intend to swear; it is just a phrase that runs off the tongue, and I do not intend it as an oath. It is like the authentic report from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) I hope you will clarify this?

Answer:
This is a mistake. It does not represent the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). His saying, "He is the Prophet, he is the Prophet," in their dialect is an oath, a clear oath. But he says, "I did not intend an oath; it just ran off my tongue." Allah knows his intention, and Allah is the One who will hold him accountable. But we say: You swore by other than Allah. If he says, "No, I did not intend this," that is between him and Allah; it is not our concern. As for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "May he succeed, and his father," they said this is understood to refer to the initial period when it was permissible to swear by fathers. Then that was abrogated, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade swearing by fathers, saying, "Do not swear by your fathers. Whoever is swearing, let him swear by Allah or remain silent." This came as an abrogation of what was before. Yes.