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What is the ruling on saying "by my life" or "by your life," and is it an oath by other than Allah that reaches the level of polytheism (shirk), and does the noble verse: (By your life, indeed, they are in their intoxication, wandering blindly) contain an oath?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars differed on the ruling of saying "by my life" (لعمري) or "by your life" (لعمرك) into three opinions: permissibility, which is the view of the majority; prohibition, considering it an oath by other than Allah; and reprehensibility. The most preponderant opinion is permissibility, due to the lack of intention to swear by other than Allah, and because the phrasing is authentically reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who affirmed it, and because the Companions and their successors used it. As for the words of Allah Almighty: (By your life, [O Muhammad], indeed they were, in their intoxication, wandering blindly) [Al-Hijr: 72], it is an oath from Allah by the life of His Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and it is permissible for Him, glorified be He, unlike His servants.

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

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