1226 – Al-Ashʿath ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever swears an oath in order to wrongfully seize the property of a Muslim, while acting wickedly, will meet Allah and He will be angry with him.” Agreed upon. (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadith:
– fājir (wicked): a sinner who persists in sin, heedless of anyone.

Lessons drawn from the ḥadith:

1. These two ḥadiths carry a severe warning for anyone who unlawfully snatches another person’s wealth through brazen litigation and a lying, sinful oath. Such a person will meet Allah while He is angry with him, and whoever incurs Allah’s anger is doomed.
2. It is forbidden to take people’s wealth and rights by fraudulent claims and false oaths. This is among the major sins, for anything that triggers the anger of the Forbearing One—glorified and exalted—is by definition a major sin.
3. The mention of “a Muslim” is merely because that is the common case; the same ruling applies to the wealth and rights of a protected dhimmī or treaty-holder. This remains so unless the wrongdoer seeks absolution from the one he oppressed; if he does, then repentance, by unanimous agreement, wipes out what preceded it.
4. His words “while acting wickedly” exclude the one who forgets or is ignorant, for punishment is deserved only by the deliberate offender.
5. The ḥadith affirms the attribute of anger for Allah in a manner befitting His Majesty: “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” (Qur’an 42:11).