Whoever swears by Al-Lāt and Al-‘Uzza should say: 'There is no god but Allah'. And whoever says to his companion 'Come and gamble with me' should give charity

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned of swearing by other than Allah, for a believer should only swear by Allah. He informs that whoever swears by other than Allah, like someone who says: By Al-Lāt and Al-‘Uzza - two idols that used to be worshipped during the Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islam period of ignorance) - should hasten to correct himself by saying: There is no god but Allah. This is to disavow Shirk and expiate for such swearing. Then, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that if someone says to his companion "Come and gamble with me" - when two or more persons compete with one another and the winner takes the money involved, and each one should necessarily win or lose - he is recommended to give something in charity, as expiation for what he has called for.

Benefits

• We should only swear by Allah and His names and attributes.
• Swearing by other than Allah Almighty is prohibited, be it swearing by idols like Al-Lāt and Al-‘Uzza, swearing by trust, swearing by the Prophet, or the like.
• Al-Khattābi said: People swear by the revered deity, and he who swears by Al-Lāt or the like has imitated the disbelievers. So, he is enjoined to make up for it with the word of Tawhīd (monotheism).
• Whoever swears by other than Allah is not required to make an oath expiation. Rather, he should repent and seek forgiveness, for it is too great to be expiated by anything other than repentance.
• Gambling, with all its forms and types, is prohibited. Allah Almighty prohibited and mentioned it along with wine and idols.
• A person who commits a sin is obligated to abandon it.
• Whoever falls into a sin should follow it with a good deed, for good deeds blot out evil ones.

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