Sad · Makki · ayah 84 of 88

Sad 38:84

قَالَ فَٱلْحَقُّ وَٱلْحَقَّ أَقُولُ

“[Allāh] said, "The truth [is My oath], and the truth I say -”

Saheeh International

Essence

Iblīs swore by Allah's might to deceive; Allah answers by swearing by the Truth, and declares that He says nothing but the truth.

A reflection

Two oaths, two speakers

Two ayat apart, two oaths are sworn. Iblīs swears by Allah's might that he will mislead every human being (38:82). Allah answers with an oath of His own: fa-al-ḥaqqu wa-al-ḥaqqa aqūl. Then the Truth, and the truth is what I say.

What is sworn by? One commentary gives two possibilities. Al-Ḥaqq may be Allah's own name, as in 'they will know that Allah is the manifest Truth' (24:25). Or it may be truth itself, the opposite of falsehood, which Allah honoured by swearing by it. An early reading put it in His voice: I am the Truth, and the truth I say.

Set the two oaths side by side and the ego has nowhere to stand. Iblīs swore by a might he did not have, to promise lies. Allah swears by what He is, to promise what will happen. The rebel's words are borrowed; the Lord's words are His own.

Now look at our own oaths. We say 'honestly', 'I swear', 'trust me' when we suspect our word is not enough. Our oaths often betray our pride. We need people to believe us, and we prop up our credibility with something larger than ourselves.

Someone may ask, fairly: why would Allah swear at all? Is an oath not for those whose word might be doubted? One commentary answers that the purpose is emphasis and weight, for the hearer's sake.

Think of a midwife with a frightened first-time mother at three in the morning. 'I give you my word,' she says, 'I am not leaving this room.' Her word was never weak. The mother's fear was strong. The promise is for the one who is afraid.

Allah needs no one's belief to make His word true. He swears because we are the kind of creature who needs to hear it said that way. The oath is a mercy to the listener, not a need in the Speaker.

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.