Sura 2, al-Baqara (the Cow), Medina 87

The Quranic text and Ali’s Translation

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

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

... وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٢٤﴾

for God is one who heareth and knoweth all things.

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

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

[ 252. 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 Translation:

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.

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.

(2:225) 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]: for God is much-forgiving, forbearing.

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Ali’s comments:

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.

Asad’s comments:

Asad note 212 ".....Prophet said : " If anyone takes a solemn oath to do something, 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 oath and then atone for it." See 5:89 for the method of atonement.