and counsel him, making clear the punishment for devouring wealth wrongfully, and that no benefit ever comes from unlawful gain—neither in this life nor in the life to come; it is nothing but pure evil—until he returns what he owes. Then you go to the one whose right has been denied and say, “I stand with you; be patient. We are advising him, we are rebuking him.” And so it is with every injustice: support your brother whether he is an oppressor or the oppressed. Supporting the oppressor means preventing him from his wrongdoing.

The seventh right: honoring an oath. That is, if your brother adjures you to do something, fulfill it and comply with what he has sworn upon. If he says, “By Allah, you must do such-and-such,” then one of his rights over you is that you respect his oath—unless doing so would harm you. For instance, if he swears that you must reveal what is inside your house—matters you prefer to keep private—do not tell him, for he is overstepping by demanding disclosure of your secret. And when he transgresses, his transgression is met by refusal; you should not aid him in it.

If no wrongdoing is involved and he swears an oath upon you, then it is his right that you honor it and give him what he has sworn upon—unless it entails sin. Should it entail sin, you must not comply. For example, if he adjures you to give him money to buy cigarettes, you are not obligated; indeed, it is impermissible to assist him, for that would be helping in sin and aggression.

The same applies if complying would injure you, such as the previous example of one who swears that you disclose a household secret you do not wish revealed, or if he swears upon something that would harm you were you to comply. Suppose, for instance, your father were to say, “By Allah, do not make the pilgrimage,” while Hajj is obligatory upon you; in that case, you must not