Lesson 142: Oaths | Fusha Path

Step 1 of 5: Learn

An oath, قَسَمٌ or يَمِينٌ, begins with the thing sworn by, اَلْمُقْسَمُ بِهِ: God, His names, the Quran, one's life. It is introduced by one of three particles, وَ, بِـ or تَ, and stands in the genitive: وَاللّٰهِ, بِاللّٰهِ, تَاللّٰهِ. Then comes the statement that is being sworn to, the جَوَابُ الْقَسَمِ answer of the oath. Islamic teaching allows swearing only by God and His attributes, so in practice the noun after the particle is almost always اللّٰه or one of His names; the Quran itself, however, swears by created things to draw attention to them: وَالشَّمْسِ, وَالْعَصْرِ.

Rule 1: 1. The three oath particles

(a) وَ is the commonest particle in speech and writing: وَاللّٰهِ, وَحَقِّ الْقُرْآنِ by the truth of the Quran. (b) بِـ must be used when the verb of swearing is expressed, أُقْسِمُ بِاللّٰهِ or حَلَفْتُ بِاللّٰهِ I swear / swore by God, and when the thing sworn by is a pronoun: بِكَ by You. (c) تَ is used only with the word اللّٰه, تَاللّٰهِ, and is rare outside the Quran and solemn style; it often expresses astonishment. In all three cases the noun is in the genitive.

وَاللّٰهِ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ.
wa-llāhi mā raʾaytuhu
By God, I did not see him.
وَ + genitive; negative answer with مَا.
أُقْسِمُ بِاللّٰهِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ أَقُولَ الْحَقَّ.
uqsimu bi-llāhi l-ʿaẓīmi an aqūla l-ḥaqqa
I swear by Almighty God to tell the truth.
Verb of swearing expressed, so بِـ; the adjective follows in the genitive.
حَلَفَ بِاللّٰهِ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَأْخُذِ الْمَالَ.
ḥalafa bi-llāhi annahu lam yaʾkhudhi l-māla
He swore by God that he had not taken the money.
حَلَفَ بِـ + أَنَّ in reported oaths.
تَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ صَدَقْتَ!
ta-llāhi la-qad ṣadaqta
By God, you have spoken the truth!
تَ: only before اللّٰه; a tone of wonder.
وَحَقِّ الْقُرْآنِ لَا أَكْذِبُ عَلَيْكَ.
wa-ḥaqqi l-qurʾāni lā akdhibu ʿalayka
By the truth of the Quran, I will not lie to you.
حَقِّ is genitive after وَ, and الْقُرْآنِ genitive in the iḍāfa.

Rule 2: 2. The answer of the oath (جَوَابُ الْقَسَمِ)

The statement sworn to takes one of five shapes. Affirmative past: لَقَدْ (or لَـ) + perfect: وَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ. Affirmative nominal sentence: إِنَّ with لَـ on the predicate (lesson 125): وَاللّٰهِ إِنَّهُ لَصَادِقٌ. Affirmative future: لَـ + the imperfect with the ending ـَنَّ, the so-called energetic form: وَاللّٰهِ لَأَزُورَنَّهُ by God, I shall certainly visit him (the full paradigm of the energetic comes later; for now learn لَأَفْعَلَنَّ I will surely do, لَيَفْعَلَنَّ he will surely do). Negative past: مَا + perfect: وَاللّٰهِ مَا قُلْتُ ذٰلِكَ. Negative present or future: لَا + imperfect: وَاللّٰهِ لَا أُفَارِقُكَ.

وَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ أَكْرَمَنَا أَهْلُ الْقَرْيَةِ.
wa-llāhi la-qad akramanā ahlu l-qaryati
By God, the people of the village treated us generously.
Affirmative past: لَقَدْ + perfect.
وَاللّٰهِ إِنَّ هٰذَا الطَّعَامَ لَلَذِيذٌ.
wa-llāhi inna hādha ṭ-ṭaʿāma la-ladhīdhun
By God, this food is truly delicious.
Nominal answer: إِنَّ … لَـ.
وَاللّٰهِ لَأَزُورَنَّكَ فِي الْعِيدِ.
wa-llāhi la-azūrannaka fi l-ʿīdi
By God, I shall surely visit you at the feast.
Future: لَـ + imperfect + ـَنَّ.
وَاللّٰهِ مَا أَكَلْنَا شَيْئًا مُنْذُ الصَّبَاحِ.
wa-llāhi mā akalnā shayʾan mundhu ṣ-ṣabāḥi
By God, we have eaten nothing since morning.
Negative past: مَا + perfect.
وَاللّٰهِ لَا أَشْرَبُ حَتَّى تَشْرَبَ أَنْتَ.
wa-llāhi lā ashrabu ḥattā tashraba anta
By God, I will not drink until you drink.
Negative future: لَا + imperfect.

The answer of the oath at a glance

The oath is always followed by the genitive; the answer takes one of these forms.
Kind of statement	Shape	Example	Meaning
affirmative, past	لَقَدْ / لَـ + perfect	وَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ نَجَحَ.	By God, he has succeeded.
affirmative, nominal	إِنَّ … لَـ	وَاللّٰهِ إِنَّكَ لَكَرِيمٌ.	By God, you are generous.
affirmative, future	لَـ + يَفْعَلَنَّ	وَاللّٰهِ لَأُسَاعِدَنَّكَ.	By God, I will surely help you.
negative, past	مَا + perfect	وَاللّٰهِ مَا سَرَقْتُ.	By God, I did not steal.
negative, present/future	لَا + imperfect	وَاللّٰهِ لَا أَنْسَاكَ.	By God, I will not forget you.

Rule 3: 3. Formulas of pleading: بِاللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ

When an oath is used not to affirm but to beg, Arabic says بِاللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ I adjure you by God, literally by God (be it) upon you, followed by an imperative or a request: بِاللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ اجْلِسْ for God's sake, sit down. Women are addressed with عَلَيْكِ, groups with عَلَيْكُمْ. In speech وَاللّٰهِ alone often means really, truly, as in the polite refusal لَا وَاللّٰهِ no, really, and its counterpart إِي وَاللّٰهِ yes indeed.

بِاللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ كُلْ مَعَنَا.
bi-llāhi ʿalayka kul maʿanā
For God's sake, eat with us.
Pleading + imperative كُلْ.
بِاللّٰهِ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا تَتْرُكُونِي وَحْدِي.
bi-llāhi ʿalaykum lā tatrukūnī waḥdī
I beg you by God, do not leave me alone.
Plural عَلَيْكُمْ + prohibition.
— هَلْ أَنْتَ جَائِعٌ؟ — إِي وَاللّٰهِ!
hal anta jāʾiʿun? — ī wa-llāhi
— Are you hungry? — Yes indeed!
إِي is the 'yes' used before an oath.

Vocabulary

Why do words end with “-un”?

The -un ending is called tanween (nunation). It marks indefinite nouns — similar to “a/an” in English.

كِتَابٌ (kitaabun) = a bookvsكِتَاب (kitaab) = book (base word)

To find the base word, simply remove the final “-un” sound (the double-stacked damma بٌ on the last letter).

أَقْسَمَ بِـ، يُقْسِمُ

aqsama bi-, yuqsimu

to swear by

حَلَفَ بِـ، يَحْلِفُ

ḥalafa bi-, yaḥlifu

to swear by

يَمِينٌ

yamīnun

oath; right hand

ضَيْفٌ

ḍayfun

guest

مُضِيفٌ

muḍīfun

host

ضِيَافَةٌ

ḍiyāfatun

hospitality

أَكْرَمَ، يُكْرِمُ

akrama, yukrimu

to honour, treat generously

خَيْمَةٌ

khaymatun

tent

بَادِيَةٌ

bādiyatun

desert, steppe

عَادَةٌ

ʿādatun

custom, habit

اِعْتَذَرَ إِلَى، يَعْتَذِرُ

iʿtadhara ilā, yaʿtadhiru

to apologise to

عُذْرٌ

ʿudhrun

excuse

ذَبَحَ، يَذْبَحُ

dhabaḥa, yadhbaḥu

to slaughter

شَبِعَ، يَشْبَعُ

shabiʿa, yashbaʿu

to eat one's fill

أَذًى

adhan

harm, injury

Step 2 of 5: Read

A guest in the desert (1)

ضَيْفٌ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ (١)

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.Why did Yūsuf come to the sheikh?
2.How many days does a guest have before he is asked about himself?
3.What should a poor host do, according to the sheikh?
4.What did the sheikh do while the guests ate?

In the Quran

وَتَٱللَّهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَـٰمَكُم
Surah Al-Anbya · 21:57
وَتَاللّٰهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَامَكُمْ 'and by God, I shall surely plot against your idols': Ibrāhīm's oath with تَ, and the affirmative future answer لَـ + energetic ـَنَّ.
- وَتَٱللَّهِwatal-lahiAnd by Allah
- لَأَكِيدَنَّla-akīdannasurely, I will plan
- أَصْنَـٰمَكُمaṣnāmakum(against) your idols
Read in context
تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ ءَاثَرَكَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا
Surah Yusuf · 12:91
تَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ آثَرَكَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْنَا 'by God, God has preferred you above us': the brothers of Yūsuf swear with تَ, and the answer is لَقَدْ + perfect.
- تَٱللَّهِtal-lahiBy Allah
- لَقَدْlaqadcertainly
- ءَاثَرَكَātharakaAllah has preferred you
- ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah has preferred you
- عَلَيْنَاʿalaynāover us
Read in context
وَٱلْعَصْرِ
Surah Al-'Asr · 103:1
وَالْعَصْرِ 'by the time': an oath with وَ and the genitive; the answer follows in the next ayah, إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ, with إِنَّ … لَـ.
- وَٱلْعَصْرِwal-ʿaṣriBy the time
Read in context

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 60/0 correct

Fill in the blank

Choose the particle required when the verb of swearing is expressed:

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

وَاللّٰهِ لَقَدْ فَرِحْتُ بِزِيَارَتِكَ.

2.

وَاللّٰهِ مَا عِنْدَنَا إِلَّا الْخُبْزُ وَالتَّمْرُ.

3.

حَلَفَ الضَّيْفُ أَنَّهُ شَبِعَ.

4.

بِاللّٰهِ عَلَيْكِ لَا تَتْعَبِي نَفْسَكِ.

5.

تَاللّٰهِ إِنَّ هٰذَا لَعَجِيبٌ.

6.

وَاللّٰهِ لَا أَتْرُكُكَ تَخْرُجُ قَبْلَ الْعَشَاءِ.

Translate from English to Arabic

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

By God, I did not say that.

2.

By God, you are generous.

3.

I swear by God that I will come.

4.

By God, I will not eat before you.

5.

The host apologised to his guest.

6.

By God, he has told the truth.

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

How many questions would you like?

5 questions available • Questions and answers will be randomized