Q1: What is the Arabic text and translation of Verse 2:224?
A: The Arabic text is:
وَلَا تَجْعَلُوا اللَّهَ عُرْضَةً لِّأَيْمَانِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوا وَتَتَّقُوا وَتُصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“And do not make Allah an excuse in your oaths to prevent you from being righteous, fearing Allah, and making peace among people. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
Q2: What is the Arabic text and translation of Verse 2:225?
A: The Arabic text is:
لَّا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَ ۖ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ ۖ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ ۚ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“Allah will not hold you accountable for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will hold you accountable for the oaths you have taken seriously. The expiation for breaking such an oath is to feed ten needy people from the average of what you feed your own families, or to clothe them, or to free a slave. But whoever cannot afford must fast for three days. This is the expiation for your oaths when you have sworn and broken them. But guard your oaths. Thus Allah makes clear to you His verses that you may be grateful.”
Q3: What pre-Islamic practice does Verse 2:224 address and correct?
A: In pre-Islamic Arabia, it was common for people to swear oaths by Allah specifically to avoid doing good — for example, swearing not to speak to a relative, not to help someone in need, or not to reconcile between two disputing parties. They treated these oaths as sacred and binding, meaning they persisted in harmful or unjust behavior rather than break their vow. Verse 2:224 corrects this by condemning the use of Allah’s name as a shield against righteousness.
Q4: What three fundamental goods does Verse 2:224 say must never be blocked by an oath?
A: The verse identifies three:
- أَن تَبَرُّوا (An Tabarroo) — to be righteous and dutiful, especially toward family.
- وَتَتَّقُوا (Wa Tattaqoo) — to maintain God-consciousness and avoid sin.
- وَتُصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ (Wa Tuslihoo baynan-naas) — to make peace and reconciliation between people.
Any oath that obstructs these goods is invalid and must be broken in favor of the higher moral obligation.
Q5: What does the closing of Verse 2:224 — “Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing” — signify?
A: It serves as a warning against hypocrisy. Allah hears every oath as it is sworn and knows the intention behind it. A person cannot hide a corrupt or insincere motive behind the formality of a vow. The divine attribute of All-Knowing makes clear that using Allah’s name as a pretext for avoiding good is fully seen and will be accounted for.
Q6: What is the distinction between اللَّغْو (Al-Laghw) and مَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَ (Ma ’Aqqadtumul Aymana)?
A: These are the two categories of oaths defined in Verse 2:225:
Al-Laghw (اللَّغْو) refers to unintentional, habitual, or casual speech — such as saying “No, by Allah!” or “Yes, by Allah!” in everyday conversation without any serious intention of binding oneself. Allah does not hold a person accountable for these; they carry no sin and require no expiation.
Ma ’Aqqadtumul Aymana (مَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَ) refers to deliberate, solemn oaths taken with full awareness and intent — such as swearing to do or not do something with genuine commitment. These are binding, and breaking them requires expiation (Kaffarah).
Q7: What are the options for Kaffarah (expiation) when a binding oath is broken?
A: The Quran specifies three options in order, with a fallback for those who cannot afford them:
- Feeding ten needy people with food of average quality — the same standard one uses to feed one’s own family.
- Clothing ten needy people.
- Freeing a believing slave.
For those unable to fulfill any of these three, the alternative is to fast for three consecutive days. The verse thus provides a proportional and accessible path to atonement for all financial circumstances.
Q8: What is the significance of the command وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ — “Guard your oaths”?
A: This command represents the overarching wisdom of both verses. Rather than focusing solely on expiation after the fact, Islam encourages prevention at the source — being deliberate and cautious before swearing any oath. If oaths are guarded carefully, they will be fewer, more sincere, and more faithfully kept, cultivating a character of truthfulness and reliability. The need for Kaffarah ideally should never arise.
Q9: What are the key theological themes Maududi highlights in his Tafheem commentary on these verses?
A: Maududi draws out four major themes:
The primacy of substantive good over ritualistic form — Islam places real acts of righteousness, piety, and social harmony above mechanical adherence to verbal formulas, even those invoking Allah’s name.
Psychological and legal realism — Islamic law recognizes natural human speech patterns by distinguishing between casual and intentional oaths, and it offers a proportional, feasible means of atonement rather than an impossible burden.
The sanctity of intentional commitment — A deliberate oath is a serious covenant that reflects the Islamic value of honoring one’s word, making its violation a matter requiring genuine accountability.
Prevention as the spirit of the law — The ultimate goal is cultivating mindfulness (Taqwa) in speech, so that believers “guard their oaths” and avoid the cycle of swearing and breaking vows altogether.
Q10: How do these two verses together represent a broader reform of pre-Islamic Arab culture?
A: Together, they replace a superstitious and socially harmful tradition with a rational, ethical, and merciful legal system. Pre-Islamic Arabs used oaths to entrench harmful behavior and cut social bonds under the cover of religious obligation. These verses dismantle that framework entirely — declaring such oaths null and invalid, placing righteous action above verbal form, distinguishing accidental from intentional speech, and offering clear, humane atonement for genuine mistakes. The closing phrase, “that you may be grateful,” frames the entire ruling as a divine mercy that frees believers from the burden of ignorance and superstition.
Messages from Quran 