Ali 'Imran · Madani · ayah 77 of 200

Ali 'Imran 3:77

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ ٱللَّهِ وَأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَا خَلَـٰقَ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا يَنظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

“Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allāh and their [own] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allāh will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Those who trade Allah's covenant and their own oaths for a little gain lose their share hereafter, unaddressed, unregarded and unpurified by Him.

A reflection

Using His name as currency

At a livestock auction, a farmer's cousin keeps raising the bid on the farmer's own ram. He has no intention of buying it. He is there only to push the price up for the stranger bidding against him.

Sahih al-Bukhari records an occasion for this ayah from the market. A man set out his goods and swore by Allah that he had been offered more for them than he had. He wanted to trap a buyer. Then this ayah came down.

The word for oaths, aymān, has a picture. Yamīn is the right hand. An oath was called yamīn because each party struck his right hand on the other's to seal it. To swear by Allah is to place His name in that handshake as the guarantor.

That is what makes a false oath so serious. It is not only a lie. It uses the name of Allah as currency in a cheat. The seller in the market spent the most precious thing he had, Allah's name, to win a few extra coins.

A sceptic may ask whether eternal loss for one lie is out of proportion. But look at what is being sold. Not the goods, but the covenant of Allah and an oath in His name. The price is called small because anything is small set against that.

There is a practical rule here for every trader, freelancer and salesperson. Never put Allah's name on a claim you would not want examined. If a deal needs an oath to close it, it probably needs honesty more.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.