Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:94
And do not take your oaths as [means of] deceit between you, lest a foot slip after it was [once] firm, and you would taste evil [in this world] for what [people] you diverted from the way of Allah, and you would have [in the Hereafter] a great punishment.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted is His mention, says: Do not make the oaths sworn among you a means of deceit and deception by which you contend against people. فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا (So that a foot should slip after it had stood firm): that is, so that you perish after you had been safe from destruction. This is merely a likeness for everyone who falls into trial after having been in well-being, or into danger after having been in safety. وَتَذُوقُوا السُّوءَ (And you taste evil): that is, the chastisement (ʿadhāb) of Allah for breaking the covenant. بِمَا صَدَدْتُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ (Because of your turning away from the path of Allah): that is, on account of your turning others away from the path of Allah by your deceitful oaths and your breaking of covenants — for when people see that you break oaths and violate covenants, they refrain from concluding oaths and covenants, and that is a turning of others away from the path of Allah. وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ (And for you is a tremendous punishment): that is, besides the torment that befalls you in this worldly life for breaking covenants and oaths, there awaits you a tremendous punishment with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.