5- The oath of a flagrant sinner is sufficient to dismiss the claim against him; his impiety does not strip him of legal competence or invalidate his acknowledgements—for otherwise the oath would serve no purpose.
6- The judge begins by listening to the plaintiff, then to the defendant: does he admit or deny? If he denies, the judge asks the plaintiff for evidence; if none is produced, the oath is directed to the defendant.
7- The ḥadith recommends that the judge admonish the litigants, especially when an oath is about to be taken.
8- The rights of Muslims are weighty, whether the amount in dispute is great or small.
9- For the yamīn ghamūs (plunging false oath) and for breaking covenants there is no kafāra (expiation), for they are too grave to be erased by a mere atonement. Genuine repentance and the restoration of other people’s rights are indispensable.
The Seventh Ḥadith
Thābit ibn al-Ḍaḥḥāk al-Anṣārī reported that he pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ beneath the tree, and that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever swears an oath by a religion other than Islam, deliberately and falsely, is exactly as he has claimed; whoever kills himself with anything will be tormented with it on the Day of Resurrection; and no man is bound by a vow regarding something he does not own.”
In another narration: “Cursing a believer is like killing him.”
And in yet another narration: “Whoever makes a false claim in order to inflate his status, Allah will only increase him in lowliness.”
Overall meaning
Thābit ibn al-Ḍaḥḥāk al-Anṣārī—one of those who pledged allegiance beneath the tree during the Pledge of Riḍwān at al-Ḥudaybiyyah—related that the Prophet ﷺ said, in essence: Whoever swears an oath invoking a creed other than Islam—such as saying, “He is a Jew,” (1) “a Christian,” “a Magian,” “an unbeliever,” or “I repudiate Allah and His Messenger,” while knowingly lying—becomes, in reality, whatever unbelieving creed he ascribed to himself.
Whoever takes his own life with some instrument—be it a sword, a knife, a bullet, or any other means—will be punished with that very instrument on the Day of Judgement. His life is not his property; it belongs to Allah Most High, in Whose hands all disposal lies. The soul is a trust deposited with him, and by committing suicide he has betrayed that trust.
Thus the recompense matches the deed: he merits punishment and requital in the very manner he acted.
And whoever curses a believer,