The Ruling on Swearing by the Prophet

Question:

It is the habit of some people to swear by the Prophet or other created beings and it has become commonplace and they do not think anything of it. What is the ruling in this regard?

Answer:

Swearing by the Prophet or any other created being is a great evil and it is a forbidden, polytheistic practice. It is not permissible for anyone to swear by other than Allah Alone. It has been reported by Imam Ibn 'Abdul-Barr, may Allah have mercy on him, that there is a consensus on the prohibition of swearing by other than Allah, and the forbiddance of this and that it is a form of Shirk, has been authentically reported from the Prophet, such as the narration in the Two Sahihs, which states that the Prophet said:
"Verily, Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers, so whoever swears, should swear by Allah or be silent.

In another narration, he said:
"...he should not swear except by Allah, or he should be silent".

Abu Dawud and At-Tirmithi reported, with an authentic chain of narrators that the Prophet said:
"Whoever swore by other than Allah, has committed an act of disbelief or Shirk".
And it is authentically reported from him that he said:
"Whoever swore by Al-AmanahAbu Dawud no. 3253" class="fa fa-archive text-info" aria-hidden="true">

The Hadiths on this subject are numerous and well known. It is an obligation upon all Muslims to swear only by Allah, for it is not permissible to swear by other than Allah whoever it might be, based upon the above-mentioned Hadiths as well as others. It is an obligation for any who is in the habit of doing this to beware of it and to forbid his family, companions, and others from doing it. This is because the Prophet said:
"If anyone of you sees something evil, he should change it by his hand; if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do this, then with his heart, and this is the weakest of faith.

Swearing by other than Allah is a form of minor Shirk, according to the previous Hadith, but it may be a type of major Shirk if the one who swears believes in his heart that the created being upon whom he swears has the right to be glorified in this manner as it is Allah's Right. Or, if he believes that it is permissible to worship him instead of Allah, or any other such idolatrous beliefs. We ask Allah that He bless all of the Muslims with protection from this, and that He grant them knowledge of their religion and safety from what angers Him. Verily, He is All-Hearing, Ever Near (to all things).