Oaths and Vows
كتاب الأيمان والنذور
Chapter 1: "Allah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths ..."
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq had never broken his oaths till Allah revealed the expiation for the oaths. Then he said, "If I take an oath to do something and later on I find something else better than the first one, then I do what is better and make expiation for my oath."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O `Abdur-Rahman bin Samura! Do not seek to be a ruler, because if you are given authority for it, then you will be held responsible for it, but if you are given it without asking for it, then you will be helped in it (by Allah): and whenever you take an oath to do something and later you find that something else is better than the first, then do the better one and make expiation for your oath."
I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) along with a group of Al-Ash`ariyin in order to request him to provide us with mounts. He said, "By Allah, I will not provide you with mounts and I haven't got anything to mount you on." Then we stayed there as long as Allah wished us to stay, and then three very nice looking she-camels were brought to him and he made us ride them. When we left, we, or some of us, said, "By Allah, we will not be blessed, as we came to the Prophet (ﷺ) asking him for mounts, and he swore that he would not give us any mounts but then he did give us. So let us go back to the Prophet (ﷺ) and remind him (of his oath)." When we returned to him (and reminded him of the fact), he said, "I did not give you mounts, but it is Allah Who gave you. By Allah, Allah willing, if I ever take an oath to do something and then I find something else than the first, I will make expiation for my oath and do the thing which is better (or do something which is better and give the expiation for my oath).
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "We (Muslims) are the last in the world, but will be foremost on the Day of Resurrection."
"By Allah, if anyone of you insists on fulfilling an oath by which he may harm his family, he commits a greater sin in Allah's sight than that of dissolving his oath and making expiation for it."
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Anyone who takes an oath through which his family may be harmed, and insists on keeping it, he surely commits a sin greater (than that of dissolving his oath). He should rather compensate for that oath by making expiation."
Chapter 2: The statement of the Prophet (saws)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent an army detachment and made Usama bin Zaid its commander. Some people criticized (spoke badly of) Usama's leadership. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up saying, "If you people are criticizing Usama's leadership, you have already criticized the leadership of his father before. But Waaimullah (i.e., By Allah), he (i.e. Zaid) deserved the leadership, and he was one of the most beloved persons to me; and now this (his son Usama) is one of the dearest persons to me after him." (See Hadith No. 765, Vol. 5)
Chapter 3: How did the oaths of the Prophet (saws) use to be?
The oath of the Prophet (ﷺ) used to be: "No, by Him who turns the hearts."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If Caesar is ruined, there will be no Caesar after him; and if Khosrau is ruined, there will be no Khosrau, after him; and, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, surely you will spend their treasures in Allah's Cause."
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If Khosrau is ruined, there will be no Khosrau after him; and if Caesar is ruined, there will be no Caesar after him. By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, surely you will spend their treasures in Allah's Cause."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O followers of Muhammad! By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would weep much and laugh little."
We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he was holding the hand of `Umar bin Al-Khattab. `Umar said to Him, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self." Then `Umar said to him, "However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Now, O `Umar, (now you are a believer).
Two men had a dispute in the presence of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). One of them said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Judge between us according to Allah's Laws." The other who was wiser, said, "Yes, O Allah's Apostle! Judge between us according to Allah's Laws and allow me to speak. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Speak." He said, "My son was a laborer serving this (person) and he committed illegal sexual intercourse with his wife, The people said that my son is to be stoned to death, but I ransomed him with one-hundred sheep and a slave girl. Then I asked the learned people, who informed me that my son should receive one hundred lashes and will be exiled for one year, and stoning will be the lot for the man's wife." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Indeed, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, I will judge between you according to Allah's Laws: As for your sheep and slave girl, they are to be returned to you." Then he scourged his son one hundred lashes and exiled him for one year. Then Unais Al- Aslami was ordered to go to the wife of the second man, and if she confessed (the crime), then stone her to death. She did confess, so he stoned her to death.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do you think if the tribes of Aslam, Ghifar, Muzaina and Juhaina are better than the tribes of Tamim, 'Amir bin Sa'sa'a, Ghatfan and Asad, they (the second group) are despairing and losing?" They (the Prophet's companions) said, "Yes, (they are)." He said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, they (the first group) are better than them (the second group).
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) employed an employee (to collect Zakat). The employee returned after completing his job and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! This (amount of Zakat) is for you, and this (other amount) was given to me as a present." The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Why didn't you stay at your father's or mother's house and see if you would be given presents or not?" Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up in the evening after the prayer, and having testified that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and praised and glorified Allah as He deserved, he said, "Now then ! What about an employee whom we employ and then he comes and says, 'This amount (of Zakat) is for you, and this (amount) was given to me as a present'? Why didn't he stay at the house of his father and mother to see if he would be given presents or not? By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, none of you will steal anything of it (i.e. Zakat) but will bring it by carrying it over his neck on the Day of Resurrection. If it has been a camel, he will bring it (over his neck) while it will be grunting, and if it has been a cow, he will bring it (over his neck), while it will be mooing; and if it has been a sheep, he will bring it (over his neck) while it will be bleeding." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "I have preached you (Allah's Message)." Abu Humaid said, "Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) raised his hands so high that we saw the whiteness of his armpits."
Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet) said, "By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, if you know that which I know, you would weep much and laugh little."
I reached him (the Prophet (ﷺ) ) while in the shade of the Ka`ba; he was saying, "They are the losers, by the Lord of the Ka`ba! They are the losers, by the Lord of the Ka`ba!" I said (to myself ), "What is wrong with me? Is anything improper detected in me? What is wrong with me? Then I sat beside him and he kept on saying his statement. I could not remain quiet, and Allah knows in what sorrowful state I was at that time. So I said, ' Who are they (the losers)? Let My father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "They are the wealthy people, except the one who does like this and like this and like this (i.e., spends of his wealth in Allah's Cause).
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "(The Prophet) Solomon once said, 'Tonight I will sleep with ninety women, each of whom will bring forth a (would-be) cavalier who will fight in Allah's Cause." On this, his companion said to him, "Say: Allah willing!" But he did not say Allah willing. Solomon then slept with all the women, but none of them became pregnant but one woman who later delivered a halfman. By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, if he (Solomon) had said, 'Allah willing' (all his wives would have brought forth boys) and they would have fought in Allah's Cause as cavaliers. "
A piece of silken cloth was given to the Prophet (ﷺ) as a present and the people handed it over amongst themselves and were astonished at its beauty and softness. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Are you astonished at it?" They said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, the handkerchiefs of Sa`d in Paradise are better than it."