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What is the ruling on seeking intercession through the Prophet (peace be upon him) in worldly matters, with reference to the verse: "And fear Allah, through Whom you ask one another, and the wombs"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible to swear by anyone other than Allah, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Whoever is to swear, let him swear by Allah or remain silent," and his saying: "Whoever swears by other than Allah has disbelieved or committed shirk."

Scholars have differed regarding the phrase "I ask you by Allah and the womb (rahim)," whether it is a forbidden oath or a permissible intercession: The majority hold that it is a forbidden oath. They interpret the verse: "(And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs)" as an command to fear Allah regarding the wombs (kinship ties) and to maintain them. The reading of "al-arham" with a kasra (genitive case) is considered weak by them in terms of analogy and usage. Some have deemed it a permissible intercession or an oath from Allah the Almighty, and that the meaning of "I ask you by the womb" is to observe the right of kinship, similar to saying "I appeal to you by kinship." The intercession mentioned in the verse occurs between people when they remind each other of the right of kinship between them, and it is not an intercession to Allah the Most High.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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