Clarification that verbal disbelief may reach the level of creedal disbelief.

The Shaykh : And we say: "By the head of my father," this entire type of oath is of the verbal kind that does not make its maker a disbeliever. However, unfortunately, some of those who swear by other than Allah fall into the very heart of shirk (associating partners with Allah). This occurs in the type where some ignorant people, deeply immersed in misguidance, say to one another, "I have a right over you," and the other denies it. The first one then makes him swear by Allah, and he swears falsely without caring. But if he is made to swear by "al-Suruj al-Battah al-Jamal" (a local figure), he fears him and does not swear falsely. Sometimes he is even forced to admit the right he had previously denied when asked to swear by al-Suruj or his like. This means that this ignorant person fears the wali (close friend of Allah) or the righteous man that he might afflict him with a calamity in his body or his family, more than he fears Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is a very strange shirk; he does not fear Allah, so he swears by Him falsely, but he fears a servant among the servants of Allah, so he does not swear by him falsely. Thus, this type of person who swears by other than Allah has combined the two types of shirk: verbal shirk and shirk of the heart.