Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:224
And do not make [your oath by] Allah an excuse against being righteous and fearing Allah and making peace among people. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
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.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: wa-lā tajʿalū Allāha ʿurḍatan li-aymānikum an tabarrū wa-tattaqū wa-tuṣliḥū bayna al-nās ("And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people") (2:224).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The people of exegesis differ over the interpretation of His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths."
Some of them said: its meaning is: do not make Him a pretext (ʿilla) for your oaths. That is to say: when one of you is asked to do something good or to make peace among people, he says: "I have sworn an oath by Allah that I will not do that" — or: "I have sworn by Allah that I will not do it," and thus he invokes his oath by Allah as an excuse for neglecting what is good and for making peace among people.
* Mention of who said that:
4351 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Ibn Ṭāwūs, on the authority of his father: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he said: this is the man who swears about a matter that is not right, and then invokes his oath as an excuse. Allah says: "so as to be righteous and God-fearing" — that is better for him than that he should persist in what is not right; and if you have sworn, then make expiation (kaffāra) for your oath and do what is better for you.
4352 — Al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Suwayd ibn Naṣr related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Ibn Ṭāwūs, on the authority of his father, the same — except that he said: and if you have sworn, then make expiation for your oath and do what is better.
4353 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: ʿUbayd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of someone who related to him, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people," he said: this is that the man swears that he will not speak to his kin and will not give alms, or that there is discord between him and another person, and he swears that he will not make peace between the two of them and says: "I have sworn." He said: he makes expiation for his oath: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths."
4354 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous and God-fearing," he says: do not invoke Allah as an excuse, that one of you should say that he has sworn that he will not maintain ties of kinship, and will not strive for the good, and will not give of his wealth as alms. Gently, gently, may Allah bless you, for this Qurʾān has indeed come with the abandonment of the command of Satan, so do not obey him, and do not carry out for him any command in anything of your vows or your oaths.
4355 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Ibn Mahdī related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Ḥaṣīn, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he said: this is the man who swears that he will not make peace among people and will not be righteous, and when that is said to him, he says: "I have sworn."
4356 — Al-Qāsim related to me, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: I asked ʿAṭāʾ about His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people," he said: the person swears that he will not do good, the fair deed, and says: "I have sworn!" Allah says: do what is better and make expiation for your oath, and do not make Allah an excuse.
4357 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," the verse: this is the man who forbids for himself what Allah has made lawful for him, and says: "I have sworn! So it does not befit me except that I fulfill my oath." Then Allah commanded them to make expiation for their oaths and to approach what is permitted.
4358 — Mūsā related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people." As for "excuse" (ʿurḍa): a matter comes to lie between you and the man, and you swear by Allah that you will not speak with him and will not maintain the tie with him. As for "to be righteous": the man swears that he will not be righteous toward a relative, and says: "I have sworn!", but Allah has commanded that he not let his oath come between himself and his relative, and that he be righteous toward him, and not concern himself with his oath. And as for "to make peace": the man makes peace between two persons, but they resist him, and so he swears that he will not make peace between the two of them; yet he ought to make peace and not concern himself with his oath. And this was before the expiations (kaffārāt) were revealed.
4359 — Al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Hushaym, on the authority of Mughīra, on the authority of Ibrāhīm concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he said: he swears that he will not fear Allah, and will not maintain a tie of kinship, and will not make peace between two persons; let his oath then not restrain him.
* * *
And others said: the meaning of that is: do not invoke swearing by Allah in your words among yourselves, and make that an argument for yourselves in neglecting to perform the good.
* Mention of who said that:
4360 — Al-Muthannā ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he says: do not make Me an excuse in your oath that you will not do good, but make expiation for your oath and do the good.
4361 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people," the man used to swear about something of righteousness and piety that he would not do it, and Allah, Mighty and Exalted, forbade that and said: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths so as to be righteous."
4362 — Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: Mughīra informed us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he said: this is the man who swears that he will not be righteous toward his kin, and will not maintain the tie of kinship, and will not make peace between two persons. He says: let him do it, and let him make expiation for his oath.
4363 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Mughīra, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd, on the authority of Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people," he said: do not swear that you will not fear Allah, and do not swear that you will not be righteous and will not do good, and do not swear that you will not maintain the tie, and do not swear that you will not make peace among people, and do not swear that you will kill and sever ties.
4364 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym informed us, on the authority of Dāwūd, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr = and Mughīra, on the authority of Ibrāhīm concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse," the verse, both of them said: this is the man who swears that he will not be righteous, and will not be God-fearing, and will not make peace among people. And he was commanded to fear Allah, and to make peace among people, and to make expiation for his oath.
4365 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā = and al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us = on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," they were commanded to maintain the tie, to do good, and to make peace among people. And if a swearer swears that he will not do that, let him do it nonetheless, and let him forsake his oath.
4366 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," the verse, he said: that concerns the man who swears that he will not be righteous, and will not maintain the tie of kinship, and will not make peace among people. Allah commanded him to forsake his oath, and to maintain the tie of kinship, and to enjoin the good, and to make peace among people.
4367 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Ḥarb related to us, saying: Ibn Lahīʿa related to us, on the authority of Abī al-Aswad, on the authority of ʿUrwa, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people," she said: do not swear by Allah, even though you fulfill your oath.
4368 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, he said: it was related to me that His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," the verse, was revealed concerning Abū Bakr, in the matter of Misṭaḥ.
4369 — Hannād related to us, saying: Ibn Fuḍayl related to us, on the authority of Mughīra, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," the verse, he said: the man swears that he will not enjoin the good, and will not forbid the reprehensible, and will not maintain the tie of kinship.
4370 — Al-Muthannā related to me, Suwayd related to us, Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Hushaym, on the authority of al-Mughīra, on the authority of Ibrāhīm concerning His word: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he said: he swears that he will not fear Allah, and will not maintain a tie of kinship, and will not make peace between two persons. Let his oath then not restrain him.
4371 — Ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Barqī related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn Abī Salama related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd, on the authority of Makḥūl, that he said concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted be He mentioned: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths," he said: this is that the man swears that he will not do good, and will not maintain the tie of kinship, and will not make peace among people. Allah forbade them that.
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: And the more correct of the two interpretations of the verse is the interpretation of the one who said that its meaning is: "Do not make swearing by Allah an argument for you in neglecting to perform the good in what is between you and Allah and between you and people."
* * *
And that is because "ʿurḍa" in the language of the Arabs means strength and power. Concerning this one says: "This matter is a ʿurḍa for you," by which is meant: a strength for you in service of your aims. And one says: "That woman is a ʿurḍa for marriage," that is to say: a strength. And of this is the word of Kaʿb ibn Zuhayr in the description of mares:
From every [mare] with abundant sweat behind the ear when she sweats, her ʿurḍa [carries] over wind-blown signposts, unknown [terrain].
By "her ʿurḍa" he means: her strength and her power.
* * *
The meaning of the saying of the Exalted be He mentioned: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths" is then: do not make Allah a strength for your oaths so as not to be righteous, and not to be God-fearing, and not to make peace among people. But when one of you swears and then sees that which is better than that over which he has sworn — namely the neglect of righteousness and of making peace among people — then let him break his oath, and let him be righteous, and fear Allah, and make peace among people, and make expiation for his oath.
* * *
And the omission of the particle "lā" ("not") from the saying is on account of the indication of the saying upon it, and through contentment with what is mentioned in place of what is omitted, as Imruʾ al-Qays said:
Then I said: by the oath of Allah, I will remain seated, even though they cut off my head in your presence, and my limbs.
With the meaning: then I said: by the oath of Allah, I will not depart [from my place]; he omitted "lā," contented with the indication of the saying upon it.
* * *
And as for His word "so as to be righteous": there is disagreement over the interpretation of "al-birr" (righteousness) that Allah, the Exalted be He mentioned, intended.
Some of them said: it is the performance of the good in its entirety. And others said: it is righteousness toward the relative, and I have already mentioned the statement of this earlier.
* * *
And the most correct of these is the statement of the one who said: "By this is meant the performance of the good in its entirety." That is because all good deeds belong to "al-birr," and Allah, in His word "so as to be righteous," did not single out one meaning above another of the meanings of "al-birr"; it is therefore upon its generality, and righteousness toward the relatives is one of the meanings of "al-birr."
* * *
And as for His word "and God-fearing," the meaning of it is: that you fear your Lord and guard yourselves against Him and against His punishment in His obligations and His bounds (ḥudūd), so that you do not neglect them or transgress them. And I have already mentioned earlier the interpretation of the one who interpreted that in the sense of "piety" (al-taqwā).
* * *
And others said concerning its interpretation, namely:
4372 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related this to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning His word: "so as to be righteous and God-fearing," he said: the man used to swear about something of righteousness and piety that he would not do it, and Allah, Mighty and Exalted, forbade that and said: "And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths, so as to be righteous, God-fearing, and to make peace among people," the verse. He said: and it is said: let none of you take another into [false] confidence by Me, by your swearing by Me while you are lying, so that people may believe you and you may make peace among them; that is His word: "so as to be righteous and God-fearing," the verse.
* * *
And as for His word "and to make peace among people," that is the making of peace among them in a proper manner in that wherein there is no sin, and in that which Allah loves and not in that which He abhors.
* * *
And as for that which we have mentioned from al-Suddī: that this verse was revealed before the expiations of the oaths (kaffārāt al-aymān) were revealed — that is a statement for which there is no indication from Book nor Sunna. And the report about what has been can only be known in its correctness through a truthful report; otherwise it is a claim whose opposite is not impossible for anyone whatsoever to claim.
And it is not impossible that this verse was revealed after the exposition of the expiations of the oaths in "Sūrat al-Māʾida," and that one was content with the mention of that there without repeating it here, since those to whom this verse was addressed already knew the obligation of the expiations in the oaths in which the swearer breaks his oath.
* * *
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: wa-Allāhu samīʿun ʿalīmun ("And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing") (2:224).
Abū Jaʿfar said: the Exalted be He mentioned means by it: "And Allah is All-Hearing" of what the swearer among you says by Allah when he swears and says: "By Allah, I will not be righteous, and will not be God-fearing, and will not make peace among people," and of anything else of your words and your oaths = "All-Knowing" of what you intend and pursue by that swearing of yours: do you want the good or something else? For I am the Knower of the unseen and of what the hearts conceal; nothing hidden is veiled from Me, and no matter remains secret from Me, whether it be open and visible, or whether it be hidden and inward.
And this is, from Allah, the Exalted be He mentioned, a threat and a warning. The Exalted be He mentioned says: and fear Me, O people, lest you should display with your tongues something of speech, or with your bodies something of deed, which I have forbidden you — or lest you should conceal something in your souls and resolve with your hearts upon the intentions and purposes to do what I have forbidden you, whereby you would deserve from Me the punishment which I have already made known to you; for I am aware of all that you make public or conceal.
