bound the act to his faith in Allah. This is the true nature of swearing by Allah. Binding an act to Allah’s rulings—whether by declaring it obligatory or forbidden—is of lesser consequence than binding it to Allah Himself.

This is clarified by the fact that when a person binds an oath by Allah, he binds it by his faith in Allah: the reverence and honor for Allah within his heart, which is Allah’s [right] and is the highest description of Him in the heavens and the earth. Likewise, when he glorifies and remembers Allah, he glorifies and remembers Him in proportion to the knowledge and worship of Him within his heart. Thus, glorification is sometimes directed to Allah’s name, as in His words: “Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High” [al-A‘lā: 1] [AL-A‘LĀ]. Remembrance is likewise sometimes directed to Allah’s name, as in His words: “Remember the Name of your Lord morning and evening” [al-Insān: 25] [AL-INSĀN: 25]. Remembrance and glorification also occur together in His words: “O you who believe, remember Allah often, and glorify Him morning and evening” [al-Ahzāb: 41] [AL-AHZĀB]. Thus, whenever a servant magnifies his Lord by glorifying His name, swearing by Him, or seeking refuge in Him, he glorifies Him through the highest description of Him present in his heart: his knowledge of Him, worship of Him, recognition of His greatness, and love for Him—in knowledge, intention, reverence, and honor. The judgment of faith or unbelief depends solely upon what his heart has acquired of this, as He, Glorified is He, says: “Allah will not hold you accountable for unintentional oaths, but He will hold you accountable for what your hearts have earned” [al-Baqarah: 225] [AL-BAQARAH: 22]. He also says elsewhere: “But He will hold you accountable for the oaths you have deliberately bound yourselves by” [al-Mā’idah: 89] [AL-MĀ’IDAH: 89].

Had the Lawgiver taken into consideration what the wording of an oath entails—namely, that it is bound by faith and tied to it—without regard to the intention to swear, the necessary consequence would be that, upon breaking it, a person’s faith would change through the loss of its essential reality, as in the Prophet’s words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “An adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer.” Likewise, if he swore a wicked oath concerning it, that oath would be among the major sins, [since he had