𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 (22)

Allāh swears by Himself & by His creation As-Suyūṭī—may Allāh have mercy on him—said, as cited in Al-Itqān (vol. 1, p. 389): Allāh, Exalted is He, has sworn by Himself in the Qur'ān in seven places. These include the following Āyāt in which He says: 1. {قُلْ إِي وَرَبِّي} 2. {قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ} 3. {فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَحْشُرَنَّهُمْ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ} 4. {فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ} 5. {فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ} 6. {فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِ} All the remaining oaths in the Qur'ān are by His created beings, such as His saying, Exalted is He: {وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ}, {وَالصَّافَّاتِ}, {وَالشَّمْسِ}, {وَاللَّيْلِ}, {وَالضُّحَى}, and {فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ}. If it is asked: How can Allāh swear by created things, when there is a prohibition against swearing by other than Allāh? We respond that this has been answered in several ways: 1. The first is that there is an implied omission of a possessive term, meaning: “By the Lord of the fig” and “by the Lord of the sun,” and likewise for the rest. 2. The second is that the Arabs used to venerate these things and swear by them, so the Qur’an was revealed in accordance with what they were familiar with. 3. The third is that oaths are taken only by that which the one swearing venerates and holds in awe, and which is above him; and there is nothing above Allāh, Exalted is He. Thus, He sometimes swears by Himself and sometimes by His created works, because they point to their Creator and Maker. [End quote] Abu ’Esa ’Ali Al-’Efari ḥafidhahullāh commented: The second response, however, is questionable, for if the Qur'ān were merely accommodating them in what they were accustomed to, it would not have condemned them for shirk at all. The sound position is the last response, while the first is also acceptable in general. As Allāh, Exalted is He, says: {لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ} [Al-Anbiyāʾ: 23]