Intentionally taking false oath.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Is
there any punishment if somebody swears wrong by Allah or the Quran?
If
there is a punishment, then what is it?
Otherwise
what do you suggest such a person should do?
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Intentionally taking
false oath
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
There are two kinds of oaths:
- A
person swears or takes a oath in the Name of Allah to do or abstain from
something; if perchance the person, for any reason whatsoever has to break
his oath, he has to atone for it by either feeding the poor, or clothing
them, or freeing a slave, and if any of those expiations are beyond his
means he must observe fast for three days as an atonement for breaking his
oath.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah
Maidah verse 89:
89 Allah will not call you to account for what is futile in your oaths
but He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: for expiation feed
then indigent persons on a scale of the average for the food of your families;
or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom.
If that is beyond your means fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths ye have
sworn. But keep to your oaths. Thus doth Allah make clear to you His Signs
that ye may be grateful.
- The
other false oath is when one has done or not done something, and under
oath of Allah Subhanah intentionally tells a lie…..the taking of such
false oaths is an absolute abomination and a grave sin in the Sight of
Allah Subhanah, and the only atonement for taking such a false oath in the
Blessed Name of Allah Subhanah is to make sincere ‘taubah’ and repentance
for their grave sin.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.7 Narrated by Abu Bakra
Allah's Messenger (saws) said thrice,
"Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the Great sins?" We said,
"Yes, O Allah's Messenger (saws)"
He (saws) said, "To join partners in worship with Allah; to be undutiful
to one's parents." The Prophet (saws) then sat up after he had been
reclining and added, "And I warn you against giving forged statement and a
false witness; I warn you against giving a forged statement and a false
witness." The Prophet (saws) kept on saying that warning till we thought
that he (saws) would not stop!
Sahih
Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.10 Narrated by
Anas bin Malik
The Prophet (saws) said, "The biggest of
‘Al-Kaba'ir’ (the Great Sins) are (1) to join others as partners in worship
with Allah, (2) to murder a human being, (3) to be undutiful to one's parents
(4) and to give a false witness."
If one takes an oath in the Blessed Name of Allah Subhanah
and bears false witness whereby the rights of another person are compromised
only because of his false witness, the person should seek not only the
forgiveness of Allah Subhanah for his abomination of a crime, but seek the
forgiveness of the person whose rights have been compromised only because of
his bearing the false witness.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister