💯 Miscellaneous benefits from Yemen

BENEFIT 49: SWEARING BY OTHER THAN ALLĀH IS AN ACT OF SHIRK! It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar radhiyallāhu 'anhu said, the Prophet ﷺ said: ((أَلاَ مَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلاَ يَحْلِفْ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، فَكَانَتْ قُرَيْشٌ تَحْلِفُ بِآبَائِهَا، فَقَالَ: لاَ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ)) “Whoever swears, let him not swear by anything other than Allāh.” Ibn 'Umar radhiyallāhu 'anhu said: Quraish used to swear by their forefathers, so he ﷺ said: “Do not swear by your forefathers.” 📕 [Reported by Bukhāri (3836) and Muslim (1646)] In another wording, he ﷺ said: ((مَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا، فَلْيَحْلِفْ بِاللَّهِ أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ)) “If anyone swears, then let him swear by Allāh, or remain silent.” 📕 [Reported by Bukhāri (2679) and Muslim (1646)] Ibnul Qayyim raḥimahullāh said: “Among the major sins is to swear by other than Allāh, as the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “He who swears by other than Allāh has committed shirk.” [graded 'Ḥasan' by Sheikh Albāni in 'Irwā'ul Ghalīl (8/189)]...so it is on a level worse than major sins.” 📕 [i'lāmul Muwaqqi'īn (6/571 - 572) From this speech of Ibnul Qayyim, we understand that swearing by other than Allāh is an act of minor shirk, however it may become major shirk - taking one out of the fold of Islām - if a person venerates the one who is sworn by with a veneration equal to that of Allāh. Sheikh 'Uthaymīn raḥimahullāh said: ”والحلف بغير الله شرك أكبر؛ إن اعتقد أن المحلوف به مساو لله تعالى في التعظيم والعظمة، وإلا ؛ فهو شرك أصغر.“ “Swearing by other than Allāh is an act major shirk, if one believes that the one who is sworn by is equal to Allāh the Almighty in veneration and Might, otherwise; it is an act of minor shirk.” 📕 [Al-Qawlul Mufeed (2 / 214)]