2. Surah Al Baqarah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ اللّهَ عُرْضَةً لِّأَيْمَانِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ وَتُصْلِحُواْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ...

2:224. And make not Allah's (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons;

... وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٤﴾

for Allah is one who heareth and knoweth all things.

C251. The Arabs had many special kinds of oaths, for each of which they had a special name in their language. Some of them related to sex matters, and caused misunderstanding, alienation, division, or separation between husband and wife. This and the following three verses refer to them.

In 2:224 we are first of all told in perfectly general terms that we are not to make an oath in the name of Allah an excuse for not doing the right thing when it is pointed out to us, or for refraining from doing something which will bring people together.

If we were swayed by anger or passion or mere caprice, Allah knows our inmost hearts, and right conduct and not obstinacy or quibbling is what He demands from us.

لاَّ يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِيَ أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا كَسَبَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ...

2: 225. Allah will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts;

C252. It has been held that thoughtless oaths, if there is no intention behind them, can be expiated by an act of charity.

... وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٥﴾

and He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing.

Asad’s Version:

2:224 AND DO NOT allow your oaths in the name of God to become an obstacle to virtue and God- consciousness and the promotion of peace between men: 212 for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.

:225 - "God will not take you to task for oaths which you may have uttered without thought, but will take you to task [only] for what your hearts have conceived [in earnest]".

[[ Asad’s notes - 212 Lit., "do not make God, because of your oaths...", etc. As can be seen from verse 226, this injunction refers primarily to oaths relating to divorce but is, evertheless, general in its import. Thus, there are several authentic Traditions to the effect that the Prophet Muhammad said: "If anyone takes a solemn oath [that he would do or refrain from doing such-and-such a thing], and thereupon realizes that something else would be a more righteous course, then let him do that which is more righteous, and let him break his oath and then atone for it" (Bukhari and Muslim; and other variants of the same Tradition in other compilations). As regards the method of atonement, see 5:89. ]]