باب النهي عن الحلف بمخلوق كالنبي والكعبة والملائكة والسماء والآباء والحياة والروح والرأس ونعمة السلطان وتربة فلان والأمانة، وهي من أشدها نهيًا
An oath places something great as a witness to your truthfulness, so it must be sworn by Allah alone. To swear by a father, a leader, the Ka'bah, or trust (amanah) is to lift a created thing to a station that belongs only to the Creator. The Arabic word Tawhid, the oneness of Allah, is the heart of this chapter: even our speech must honour that He alone is supreme.
Watch how firmly the Prophet, peace be upon him, closes this door. He does not merely discourage swearing by other than Allah; he calls it an act that brushes against Kufr and Shirk. As the closing note in the chapter explains, the scholars read this as a severe warning rather than a charge of disbelief, much like calling showing off a hidden Shirk. The lesson is to keep our oaths, and our hearts, fixed on Allah alone.
Hadith 1707
Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
عن ابن عمر، رضي الله عنهما، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال: "إن الله تعالى ينهاكم أن تحلفوا بآبائكم، فمن كان حالفًا، فليحلف بالله، أو ليصمت" ((متفق عليه)). وفي رواية في الصحيح "فمن كان حالفًا فلا يحلف إلا بالله أو ليسكت".
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has prohibited you from taking an oath by your fathers. He who must take an oath, may do so by swearing in the Name of Allah or he should remain silent." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
In plain words
Swearing oaths by one's forefathers is prohibited; whoever must take an oath should swear by Allah's name or stay silent. Oaths honour the One who is supreme.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1707 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 197
Hadith 1708
'Abdur-Rahman bin Samurah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
وعن عبد الرحمن بن سَمُرَة، رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "لا تحلفوا بالطواغي، ولا بآبائكم". ((رواه مسلم)). "الطواغي": جمع طاغية، وهي الأصنام، ومنه الحديث: "هذه طاغية دوس": أي: صنمهم ومعبودهم، وروي في غير مسلم: "بالطواغيت" جمع طاغوت، وهو الشيطان والصنم.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Swear neither by the name of Taghut (i.e., false deities, false leaders, etc.) nor by your fathers." [Muslim].
In plain words
A clear instruction not to swear by false deities or by one's forefathers, keeping oaths fixed on Allah alone.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1708 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 198
Hadith 1709
Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
وعن بريدة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "من حلف بالأمانة، فليس منا" . ((حديث صحيح رواه أبو داود بإسناد صحيح))
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who swears by Amanah (trust) is not one of us." [Abu Dawud with authentic Isnad].
In plain words
Swearing by 'trust' (amanah) rather than by Allah is firmly disowned here, reinforcing that oaths belong to Allah's name alone.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1709 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 199
Hadith 1710
Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "من حلف فقال: إني بريء من الإسلام، فإن كان كاذبًا، فهو كما قال، وإن كان صادقًا، فلن يرجع إلى الإسلام سالمًا" . ((رواه أبو داود))
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If anyone swears that in such and such case he will be free from Islam and afterwards he turns out to be a liar, he will be as he has sworn; but if he is speaking the truth, he will not revert safely to Islam." [Abu Dawud].
In plain words
A grave warning about swearing falsely that one is free from Islam: making such an oath as a liar carries its own weight, and even when truthful it harms one's faith. Guard against reckless oaths.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1710 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 200
Hadith 1711
Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أنه سمع رجلا يقول: لا والكعبة، قال ابن عمر: لا تحلف بغير الله، فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: "من حلف بغير الله، فقد كفر أو أشرك".(( رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن)) وفسر بعض العلماء قوله: "كفر أو أشرك" على التغليظ، كما روي أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "الرياء شرك".
I heard a man saying: "No, by the Ka'bah." I admonished him: "Do not swear by any thing besides Allah, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'He who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah, has indeed committed an act of Kufr or Shirk'." [At- Tirmidhi]. [Some 'Ulama' are of the opinion that the words of the Prophet (ﷺ) that "He who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah has indeed committed an act of Kufr or Shirk," are in the nature of extreme admonition. And in fact, it is not Shirk. The same applies to the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ), who said, "showing off is Shirk."]
In plain words
Ibn 'Umar corrected a man who swore by the Ka'bah, citing that swearing by anything other than Allah is a serious wrong. The attached note explains scholars read this as severe warning, not literal disbelief.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1711 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 201