Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2095
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لاَ تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي وَلاَ بِآبَائِكُمْ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Aʿla narrated to us, from Hisham, from al-Hasan, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Samurah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Do not swear by false gods or by your fathers.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لاَ تَحْلِفُوا بِالطَّوَاغِي وَلاَ بِآبَائِكُمْ " .
الطواغي is a plural referring to false objects/deities of worship; ‘false gods’ conveys the sense without selecting a narrower historical referent.
Does ‘false gods’ accurately render الطواغي in this prohibition?