Al-Qawa'id al-Nuraniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (339)

Al-Qawa'id al-NuraniyyaIbn Taimiya

with Allah, since he made faith contingent upon something that did not exist and unbelief upon something that did, unlike an oath concerning the future.

A consistent application of this principle is that when a perjurious oath is formulated in terms of a vow, divorce, or manumission, the consequence made contingent upon it takes effect, and expiation does not undo it—just as such an oath entails unbelief according to one of the two scholarly opinions. This also answers their contention that what is meant is a lawfully prescribed oath.

Allah also says: “Do not make Allah, through your oaths, an obstacle to your doing good, being mindful of Him, and making peace between people. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” [al-Baqara: 224] [al-Baqara] The early Muslims unanimously—or almost unanimously—held that this means: Do not, when you swear by Allah, make Him an obstacle preventing you from doing good, being mindful of Him, and making peace between people. This occurs when a man swears that he will not perform a recommended or obligatory good deed, or that he will commit something disliked or forbidden, or the like. Then, when he is told, “Do this,” or, “Do not do that,” he replies, “I have sworn by Allah,” thereby making Allah an obstacle on account of his oath.

Since Allah has forbidden His servants from making Him, by swearing in His name, an obstacle preventing them from righteousness and piety, then swearing by means of these oaths—if it falls within the general category of swearing—must likewise not be allowed to serve as an obstacle. If it does not fall within that category, then it is even more fitting that it should not serve as an obstacle, by way of inferring the ruling for the lesser from that of the greater. For if He has forbidden that He—Glorified is He—be made, through our oaths, an obstacle to our acting righteously and being mindful of Him, then we are all the more forbidden from making anything else such an obstacle through our oaths. Once it is established that we are forbidden from making anything an obstacle, through our oaths, to our acting righteously, being mindful of Allah, and making peace between people, it is evident that this is only because righteousness, piety, and reconciliation contain what Allah loves and commands.

مِنَ اللَّهِ حَيْثُ عَلَّقَ الْإِيمَانَ بِأَمْرٍ مَعْدُومٍ وَالْكُفْرِ بِأَمْرٍ مَوْجُودٍ، بِخِلَافِ الْيَمِينِ عَلَى الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ. وَطَرْدُ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى: أَنَّ الْيَمِينَ الْغَمُوسَ إِذَا كَانَتْ فِي النَّذْرِ أَوِ الطَّلَاقِ أَوِ الْعَتَاقِ: وَقَعَ الْمُعَلَّقُ بِهِ وَلَمْ تَرْفَعْهُ الْكَفَّارَةُ، كَمَا يَقَعُ الْكُفْرُ بِذَلِكَ فِي أَحَدِ قَوْلَيِ الْعُلَمَاءِ. وَبِهَذَا يَحْصُلُ الْجَوَابُ عَلَى قَوْلِهِمْ: الْمُرَادُ بِهِ الْيَمِينُ الْمَشْرُوعَةُ. وَأَيْضًا فَقَوْلُهُ: ﴿وَلَا تَجْعَلُوا اللَّهَ عُرْضَةً لِأَيْمَانِكُمْ أَنْ تَبَرُّوا وَتَتَّقُوا وَتُصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٢٤] [الْبَقَرَةِ] ، فَإِنَّ السَّلَفَ مُجْمِعُونَ - أَوْ كَالْمُجْمِعِينَ - عَلَى أَنَّ مَعْنَاهَا: لَا تَجْعَلُوا اللَّهَ مَانِعًا لَكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ بِهِ مِنَ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَالْإِصْلَاحِ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، بِأَنْ يَحْلِفَ الرَّجُلُ أَنْ لَا يَفْعَلَ مَعْرُوفًا مُسْتَحَبًّا أَوْ وَاجِبًا، أَوْ لَيَفْعَلَنَّ مَكْرُوهًا حَرَامًا أَوْ نَحْوَهُ، فَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ: افْعَلْ ذَلِكَ، أَوْ لَا تَفْعَلْ هَذَا، قَالَ: قَدْ حَلَفْتُ بِاللَّهِ، فَيَجْعَلُ اللَّهَ عُرْضَةً لِيَمِينِهِ. فَإِذَا كَانَ اللَّهُ قَدْ نَهَى عِبَادَهُ أَنْ يَجْعَلُوا نَفْسَهُ مَانِعًا لَهُمْ بِالْحَلِفِ بِهِ مِنَ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى، فَالْحَلِفُ بِهَذِهِ الْأَيْمَانِ - إِنْ كَانَ دَاخِلًا فِي عُمُومِ الْحَلِفِ - وَجَبَ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ مَانِعًا، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ دَاخِلًا فَهُوَ أَوْلَى أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ مَانِعًا، مِنْ بَابِ التَّنْبِيهِ بِالْأَعْلَى عَلَى الْأَدْنَى. فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا نَهَى عَنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ هُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ عُرْضَةً لِأَيْمَانِنَا أَنْ نَبَرَّ وَنَتَّقِيَ، فَغَيْرُهُ أَوْلَى أَنْ نَكُونَ مَنْهِيِّينَ عَنْ جَعْلِهِ عُرْضَةً لِأَيْمَانِنَا. وَإِذَا ثَبَتَ أَنَّنَا مَنْهِيُّونَ عَنْ أَنْ نَجْعَلَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ عُرْضَةً لِأَيْمَانِنَا أَنْ نَبَرَّ وَنَتَّقِيَ وَنُصْلِحَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ لِمَا فِي الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَالْإِصْلَاحِ مِمَّا يُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ وَيَأْمُرُ بِهِ.