Quran Garden

Session 242

Chapter 2

Verse 224

Do not, by your oaths, make Allah an obstacle in the way of doing good actions, being mindful of God, or putting things right between people.  Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Chapter 2: Verse 224)

There are three virtues listed in this verse: the first virtue is doing good deeds which is often hard and requires effort.  The second is to be mindful of God in all your actions; this too is often hard and requires self-discipline.  And the third is to reconcile disagreements between people and be a mediator.  As you know, trying to solve disputes between people is hard work full of pitfalls and headaches.

Allah starts the verse with: “Do not, by your oaths, make Allah an obstacle in the way of doing good actions.”  An obstacle is a partition between two things.  For example, you can put your hand over your eyes to block the sun.  Your hand is the barrier between your eyes and the bright light.  In essence, Allah is warning you against making your oaths a barrier between you and doing good deeds, being God-conscious, or helping people in your society.  How can this be, you may ask? Perhaps the best way to explain this concept is through an example.  Suppose that your cousin had borrowed money from you and never returned it.  Then he fell ill.  If your mother asks you to go and visit your sick cousin and bring him some food, you may say, "I had sworn to God that I would never do him any more favours.”  Thus, you have made your oath a barrier between you and doing a good deed.

God wants you to know that an oath in Him is not a permissible excuse for not doing good.  Nor it is a permissible excuse to sever family ties or let disputes grow in society.  If you swore to something, then found a better option, you should do two things: first you should go ahead and do the better option, and second, you should expiate for breaking your oath.  Why? Because when you swear against doing good, you are putting God between you and righteousness.  God is the source of all good and your actions and oaths –as a believer- should not contradict this fact.  Allah is the one who commands righteousness, mindfulness, and reform among people.  Isn’t that the very essence of entering fully into Islam?  God says:

You who believe, enter wholeheartedly into submission to God and do not follow in Satan’s footsteps, for he is your sworn enemy. (2:208)

If you vowed not to do a good act, then Allah wants you to break your oath and be a mindful, righteous person who spreads equality in society.  Take a moment to imagine a culture where every person does good, avoids sins, and when conflicts arise, he or she tries to reconcile between the disputing parties.  Isn’t this the very essence of a healthy and peaceful society? Allah wants you to leave the doors of good deeds open, and never to shut any of them with an oath. 

People find many excuses to procrastinate and avoid doing good deeds.  Most of us actively stay away from other people’s disputes.  We would rather do what gives us pleasure while pretending that we are obeying God’s commands.  Here the story of Mustah ibn Athatha comes to mind. 

Ayesha, the wife of the Messenger (peace be upon him), joined the Prophet in the battle of Bani Al-Mustaliq.  This was after the command of hijab –the head covering of Muslim women- was revealed.  Therefore, Ayesha traveled in a canopy called Howdaj on the back of a camel.  When the Prophet was about to return home after the battle, Ayesha lost her necklace and stayed behind to look for it.  She was petite, so when the soldiers carried her Howdaj they did not realize that she was not in it.  While Ayesha was looking for her necklace, she realized that the army had traveled far from her.  She thought they would return to search for her.  Another person that was left behind was a soldier named Safwan bin al-Mu’attal.  When Ayesha recognized him as a man from the Muslim army, she accepted his help, embarked on his ride, and returned to Medina.  Abdullah ibn Ubay Ibn Salul -the leader of the hypocrites- took this opportunity to slander her.  He spread terrible rumors about Ayesha and Safwan.

Ayesha grieved for a long time.  She was slandered with terrible accusations despite being the wife of the Messenger and the daughter of Abu Bakr –peace be upon them all-.  Then Allah proved her innocence through verses of the Quran.  

Mustah ibn Atatha was a poor relative of Abu Bakr; Abu Bakr used to help and support him.  When Abu Bakr found out that Mustah was among those who joined in the slander of Ayesha, he vowed never to assist him again.  Listen to what God says about the matter in the following verse:

Those of you possessing affluence and ample wealth should not make oaths that they will not give to their relatives and the very poor and to those who have migrated in the way of Allah. They should rather pardon and overlook.  Wouldn’t you love for Allah to forgive you? Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (24:22)

God had cleared Aysha from any wrongdoing; moreover, He wants the Muslims to rise to higher moral standards.  If you would like to be forgiven by God when you do wrong, then shouldn’t you forgive those who have wronged you?  

This brings us back to the verse: God says “Do not, by your oaths, make Allah an obstacle in the way of doing good actions, being mindful of God, or putting things right between people.” So do not say: “I swore to God that I would not help this person; look for someone else to help,” because God explains that breaking such an oath is better than withholding help from others.   Allah –after all- is the Most Forgiving and All-Merciful.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “He who takes an oath to do something and then finds something more beneficial should do what is better and make expiation for his oath."  This is how God guards righteousness and promotes reform among people.  When you make God a barrier between you and doing what is right, you contradict the very foundations of faith.  Sadly, here in the Egyptian countryside, I have seen many examples where a person who used to lend his animal, car, or farm equipment to the needy until one of them wrecks the car or mistreats the animal.  After that the owner would swear to God that he would not lend to anyone ever again, and the entire village suffers.

God concludes the verse with: “Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”  God is warning you that He hears the oaths you make and knows of your intention behind the oaths.  He knows if you are deliberately making an oath to use it as an excuse against doing something good, or against fulfilling an obligation towards your family.  

Here, a very important ruling should be clarified.  When a person makes an oath, is it regarded as a true oath or is it a vain one?  It is of God’s mercy that only true intentional oaths are considered binding and accountable; not vain unintentional oaths.  Common oaths in daily expressions and conversation are not binding.  For example a mother scolding her child and saying: “I swear to God if you bother your sister one more time, I will take your phone away forever!!”  Or a hungry man saying “I swear I can eat ten whole pizzas right now.”  Such expressions are not meant as true oaths as the people did not intend them as factual statements.  These common vain oaths –while best to be avoided- are not held by God as binding.   He says:

God will not call you to account for what is vain in your oaths, but He will call you to account for what you mean in your hearts. God is most forgiving and forbearing. (2:225)