Is swearing by one's head an oath or a covenant, and is expiation obligatory if it is broken?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to swear by other than Allah, and it is a form of polytheism (), based on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Whoever swears by other than Allah has disbelieved or committed shirk." This includes swearing by a person's life, head, or honor. An oath sworn by other than Allah is not binding and does not require expiation () according to most scholars. Whoever swears by their head has committed a forbidden act, and they must repent, feel remorse, and resolve not to return to it. There is no expiation required if they fail to fulfill what they swore by.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/3437
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 3437
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy