Is it sufficient to swear by the name of Allah alone in the prescribed oath?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Judicial Rulings

Book 64 · Issue 4 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

The evidence supports the sufficiency of swearing by the name of Allah alone. This is derived from the Divine commands in the Quran concerning testimony and mutual imprecation, such as, 'Then they both shall swear by Allah after the Salat, and they shall not sell it for a price' (Quran 5:106). The command to 'swear by Allah with their utmost oaths' (Quran 6:109) indicates that swearing by Allah generally fulfills the requirement of exerting the utmost effort in the oath. The Prophet, peace be upon him, administered an oath to Rukana bin Abd Yazid regarding divorce simply by asking, 'By Allah, did you intend nothing but one [divorce]?' Furthermore, the narrations concerning Ibn Abbas and Umar indicate the permissibility of such an oath, while the more elaborate formulations lack explicit textual support or necessary analogical deduction (qiyas).

Supporting text

The detailed formulations advanced by others are considered arbitrary rulings without textual basis or necessary analogy to justify them over the simple oath by Allah.