Ibn Masʿūd said, “To swear by Allah while lying is dearer to me than to swear by anyone else while telling the truth.” ⦗1⦘
— Grammatical notes —
Laʾan: the lām is the introductory lām, and ʾan is a subordinating particle; the verb that follows is in the subjunctive and the entire clause functions as a verbal noun serving as the subject.
Aḥabbu … etc.: this constitutes the predicate of the sentence.
Overall meaning of the report:
Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) is saying, “My taking an oath by Allah about something when I am lying is preferable to my taking an oath by something other than Allah about something when I am truthful.” He preferred a false oath by Allah to a truthful oath by another because the first still affirms pure monotheism, whereas the breach of monotheism involved in the second is weightier than the virtue of truthfulness. The sin of lying is lighter than the sin of shirk.
How the report fits the chapter:
It shows the prohibition of swearing by anything other than Allah.
Points derived from the report:
- Swearing by anything other than Allah is forbidden.
- Minor shirk is more serious than the major sins, such as lying and similar offenses.
- When forced to choose between two evils, one may commit the lesser of the two harms.
- The precision of Ibn Masʿūd’s juristic insight.