Is swearing by the Prophet associating partners with Allah?
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Question:
A message was received for the program from Ta'if, sent by the listener Muhammad Ahmad Ibrahim. He began his message with an introduction saying: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. After greeting you with the greeting of Islam, may Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you, and may you be well every year. It is a pleasure for me to write this simple letter expressing all my feelings of love and appreciation for this great program, for the extent to which it clarifies and explains many questions and obscure topics, or those not understood by many believing Muslim brothers. Our religion encourages knowledge and understanding, and there is no blame in religion and knowledge as long as there is benefit for everyone. I offer further appreciation and feelings for the brothers who contribute to producing this program. May Allah reward everyone with the best reward. I will not prolong this, so I will begin my questions. He began his questions with the following, saying: O Shaykh, many people among us, when they swear, say: "By the Prophet." Is swearing by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considered associating partners with Allah? And if it is not associating partners with Allah, is there a sin upon him? Or is it good? I ask for clarification. Or swearing by something else, such as when someone says: "By my life," "By my honor," and the like. Some people say to someone who wants to take something from them: "By the grace of Allah, then by the grace of so-and-so, my need will be fulfilled." Please guide us in these matters. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
First: May Allah reward you for your supplications and for what you mentioned regarding your joy with this program. There is no doubt that it is a beneficial program of great benefit. So we ask Allah to make it beneficial for the Muslims, to multiply the reward for those who manage it, and to grant them success in beneficial knowledge and righteous action.
As for your question, there is no doubt that it is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Swearing by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or by the awliya (close friends of Allah), or by the angels, or by the jinn, or by the stars, or by the honor of so-and-so, or by his life, all of it is not permissible. This is due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 2679, and he also said (peace and blessings be upon him): Riyad as-Salihin 1707, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him): Musnad Ahmad 329Sahih (Darussalam), and he also said (peace and blessings be upon him): Riyad as-Salihin 1711, and he also said (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Abi Dawud 3253Sahih (Al-Albani), and he said: Sunan al-Bayhaqi 1:623.
The point is that swearing by other than Allah is a matter that is not permissible, and it is among the forbidden matters of shirk (associating partners with Allah), but it is minor shirk, not major shirk.
So it is obligatory for Muslims to be cautious of that, and that swearing should be by Allah alone, or by one of His attributes. It is not permissible to swear by other than Allah, whoever it may be, not by the prophets, nor by anyone else. And whoever does this, he must repent to Allah, turn to Him, feel remorse for what has passed, and make a sincere resolve not to return to it.
And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent the messengers (peace be upon them) to clarify the truth and explain the truth, and He concluded them with Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who clarified in that. He clarified what is obligatory in that. And the people in the early days of Islam, and in the early days of the migration, used to swear by their fathers. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said:Mishkat al-Masabih 3418.
If one intends by swearing by other than Allah that the thing sworn by acts in the universe, or that it is suitable to be worshipped alongside Allah, then it becomes major shirk. We ask Allah for safety.
As for if it slips from his tongue without intention, but out of love for his beloved, or merely to honor him, without believing that it is suitable to be worshipped alongside Allah, or that it acts in the universe; this is minor shirk which must be abandoned, and one must repent to Allah from it. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. The last part of his question says: What about the one who says: "I will do such-and-such," or "I did such-and-such, by the grace of Allah, then by the grace of so-and-so"?
The Shaykh: There is no blame in that. He said: "By the grace of Allah, then by the grace of so-and-so," or he said: "By Allah, then by so-and-so," or he said: "This is from Allah, then from so-and-so," or "I seek refuge in Allah, then in you"; there is no blame in that, it is not shirk (associating partners with Allah), because he said: "then in you." Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. Also, what about swearing by honor, as mentioned, or by a person's life?
The Shaykh: All of it is reprehensible, all of it is not permissible. By the honor of so-and-so, or by the life of so-and-so, or by the life of the Prophet, or the honor of the Prophet; it is not permissible.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
A message was received for the program from Ta'if, sent by the listener Muhammad Ahmad Ibrahim. He began his message with an introduction saying: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. After greeting you with the greeting of Islam, may Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you, and may you be well every year. It is a pleasure for me to write this simple letter expressing all my feelings of love and appreciation for this great program, for the extent to which it clarifies and explains many questions and obscure topics, or those not understood by many believing Muslim brothers. Our religion encourages knowledge and understanding, and there is no blame in religion and knowledge as long as there is benefit for everyone. I offer further appreciation and feelings for the brothers who contribute to producing this program. May Allah reward everyone with the best reward. I will not prolong this, so I will begin my questions. He began his questions with the following, saying: O Shaykh, many people among us, when they swear, say: "By the Prophet." Is swearing by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considered associating partners with Allah? And if it is not associating partners with Allah, is there a sin upon him? Or is it good? I ask for clarification. Or swearing by something else, such as when someone says: "By my life," "By my honor," and the like. Some people say to someone who wants to take something from them: "By the grace of Allah, then by the grace of so-and-so, my need will be fulfilled." Please guide us in these matters. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
First: May Allah reward you for your supplications and for what you mentioned regarding your joy with this program. There is no doubt that it is a beneficial program of great benefit. So we ask Allah to make it beneficial for the Muslims, to multiply the reward for those who manage it, and to grant them success in beneficial knowledge and righteous action.
As for your question, there is no doubt that it is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Swearing by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or by the awliya (close friends of Allah), or by the angels, or by the jinn, or by the stars, or by the honor of so-and-so, or by his life, all of it is not permissible. This is due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever has to take an oath should swear by Allah or remain silent.
من كان حالفًا؛ فليحلف بالله، أو ليصمتHe who must take an oath, may do so by swearing in the Name of Allah or he should remain silent.
من كان حالفًا؛ فلا يحلف إلا بالله، أو ليصمتwhoever swears by anything other than Allah has committed an act of shirk.
من حلف بشيء دون الله؛ فقد أشركHe who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah, has indeed committed an act of Kufr or Shirk
من حلف بغير الله؛ فقد كفر، أو أشركHe who swears by Amanah (faithfulness) is not one of us.
من حلف بالأمانة فليس مناWhoever swears by al-Lat and al-'Uzza, let him say: There is no god but Allah
من حلف باللات والعزى فليقل: لا إله إلا اللهThe point is that swearing by other than Allah is a matter that is not permissible, and it is among the forbidden matters of shirk (associating partners with Allah), but it is minor shirk, not major shirk.
So it is obligatory for Muslims to be cautious of that, and that swearing should be by Allah alone, or by one of His attributes. It is not permissible to swear by other than Allah, whoever it may be, not by the prophets, nor by anyone else. And whoever does this, he must repent to Allah, turn to Him, feel remorse for what has passed, and make a sincere resolve not to return to it.
And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent the messengers (peace be upon them) to clarify the truth and explain the truth, and He concluded them with Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who clarified in that. He clarified what is obligatory in that. And the people in the early days of Islam, and in the early days of the migration, used to swear by their fathers. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said:
Do not swear by your fathers, or by your mothers, or by rivals (Cf. Al-Qur’an 2:22 etc. The reference is to idols or false gods) to God; and swear by God only when you are speaking the truth.
لا تحلفوا بآبائكم، ولا بأمهاتكم، ولا بالأنداد، ولا تحلفوا بالله إلا وأنتم صادقونIf one intends by swearing by other than Allah that the thing sworn by acts in the universe, or that it is suitable to be worshipped alongside Allah, then it becomes major shirk. We ask Allah for safety.
As for if it slips from his tongue without intention, but out of love for his beloved, or merely to honor him, without believing that it is suitable to be worshipped alongside Allah, or that it acts in the universe; this is minor shirk which must be abandoned, and one must repent to Allah from it. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. The last part of his question says: What about the one who says: "I will do such-and-such," or "I did such-and-such, by the grace of Allah, then by the grace of so-and-so"?
The Shaykh: There is no blame in that. He said: "By the grace of Allah, then by the grace of so-and-so," or he said: "By Allah, then by so-and-so," or he said: "This is from Allah, then from so-and-so," or "I seek refuge in Allah, then in you"; there is no blame in that, it is not shirk (associating partners with Allah), because he said: "then in you." Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. Also, what about swearing by honor, as mentioned, or by a person's life?
The Shaykh: All of it is reprehensible, all of it is not permissible. By the honor of so-and-so, or by the life of so-and-so, or by the life of the Prophet, or the honor of the Prophet; it is not permissible.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.