Wallahi Meaning, Definition and Pronunciation [Complete Guide]

Is it bad to swear on God? 

What is the penalty for lying under an oath?

Why is swearing bad?

Am I a sinner if I make a false oath unintentionally? 

Among Muslims, there is a misconception that do not swear by the name of God. So, we have created this guide to make you aware of the prohibitions of swearing, its conditions, types, and the expiation (kaffara) on breaking oaths. Not every oath-breaking needs expiation and not every word you utter as a swearing is considered an oath that needs you to abide by. 

Read the blog till the end to find answers to “Is swear to God a sin?” or “Is swearing To god bad?” and many other things about “Wallahi” that we are not aware of.

What Does Wallahi Mean?

Wallah Or Wallahi Meaning In Arabic: والله

Wallahi in Arabic is written as ”واللهِ” . Wallahi is made up of two parts: 

1. و = which means “what”. 
2. الله = which means” God’.

Wallah Meaning In English

Wallah or Wallahi in English comprises two words “wa”, which means “by”, and the second word is “Allah”, which is the name Muslims use for their God. So, Wallahi meaning in Arabic is “by God” or “I take an oath”, which is a short form of the أقسم بالله (uqsim biallah) which means “I swear by God”.

Use Of Walahi In Our Daily Life

Wallahi has different uses in our daily life. We often say Wallahi to swear on something or affirm that we are telling the truth. We can also use wallahi to create trust between each other. Additionally, We can use wallahi with MashAllah to appreciate someone or something. Besides, we can make different words by adding some words at the start or end of Wallah.

Wallah Vs Wallahi

You must have wondered why some people say Wallahi and not Wallah والله? Is saying Wallah bad or restricted? 

Well, one is the Arabic word, and the second one is its Somali version. Wallahi and Wallah both have the same meanings. So, none of the words are wrong or prohibited.

What Is The Correct Wallahi Pronunciation

Wallahi pronunciation is wɑˈɫːɑːhi, and wallah pronunciation is Wala-ah. Our Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW [PBUH] has used many versions of Wallahi, such as “Tallahi” and “Ballahi“. They are different in pronunciation but have the same meaning.

When We Say Wallah?

We say Wallah to prove credibility that we are not lying. Many Muslims, Christians, and other people use Wallahi to swear. It is the most common word used to swear on God because they (muslims and Christians) do not take oath on anything besides Allah. When they use Wallahi or Wallah  in their sentence, it means that they are not lying but telling the truth. Wallah والله is an Arabic word for swearing, oath, qasam, or yameen. 

So, people mostly say: 

• Wallah! I went there, but I didn’t find him. 
• Wallahi! I didn’t eat anything. 
• Wallahi! I’ll make a house here.

Is Saying I Swear To God (Wallahi) a Sin?

No, saying Wallahi is not a sin; it is permissible, but one should not swear as much as possible. However, swearing to God meaning promising in the name of Allah that we are telling the truth. So, swearing on lies is a sin, and you need to do a certain expiation (kaffara) for breaking an oath. Not every oath needs a kaffara, and there are certain conditions and exceptions for it. We have discussed them later in the blog. 

How To Swear In Arabic To Make An Oath?

We can take an oath by saying Wallah, taking any of Allah’s 99 names or characteristics. For example, saying I swear on Allah is correct, but saying oaths, for example: 

• I swear on His Generosity. 
• I take an oath on His Forgiveness and Mercy. 
• I swear on His Greatness.
• I take an oath on Him, The Most powerful.  

They all are correct oaths because they are taken in the name of Allah. We can see an example of a Hadees in which Our Prophet (PBUH) has sworn by using one of Allah’s characteristics: 

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet PBUH) said, “By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, if you know that which I know, you would weep much and laugh little.”

[Volume 8, Book 78, Number 632 Sahih Bukhari]

Types of oath

There are three kinds of oaths. 

1. Yamin Laghaw. 
2. Yamin Ghamus. 
3. Yamin held.

Yamin Laghaw:

Yamin laghaw is a false swearing but unintentional. Take an example of oath: a person swears on something which he thinks is correct but in reality is incorrect comes in Yamin Lagaw.

Expiation {kaffara} for Yamin Laghaw:

Expiation meaning in Urdu is “kaffara”, which is written in Urdu as ” کفارہ”. There will be no kaffara for the yamin laghaw as you have not intentionally lied, and Allah notices the heart (niyat). 

This is also mentioned in the Holy Book of the Quran: 

“لَا یُؤَا خِذُ کُمُ اللہُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِیْٓ أَیْمَانِکُمْ وَ لٰکِنْ یُّؤَا خِذُ کُمْ بِمَا کَسَبَتْ قُلُوْبُکُمْ ؕ وَ اللہُ غَفُوْرٌ حَلِیْمٌ”۔ ﴿ سورۃ البقرہ: پارہ:۱، آیت: ۲۲۵”

 “Allah will not take you with the language of your faith, but He will take you with what your hearts have earned, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Surat al-Baqarah: Para: 1, verse: 225)

Yamin Ghamus:

Yamin Ghamus is falsely swearing intentionally, so swearing is a sin of lies. It means that swearing about the things you know are incorrect. For example: “Wallah! Ali didn’t eat lunch”, while in reality, he has eaten, and you know about it. Yamin Ghamus also includes a category in which people swear falsely to deprive someone of their land, money, and rights. This is considered a major sin in our religion.

 Our Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

“Whosoever swears falsely when he is asked to do so in order to deprive a Muslim of his property unlawfully, will meet Allah when He is angry with him”. (Bukhari).

About unlawfully seizing someone else’s property, wealth, or rights, Allah said in the Quran: 

“Verily, those who purchase a small gain at the cost of Allah’s Covenant and their oaths, they shall have no portion in the Hereafter (Paradise). Neither will Allah speak to them nor look at them on the Day of Resurrection nor will He purify them, and they shall have a painful torment”. (Quran 3:77)

Narrated’ Abdullah bin’ Amr:

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “The biggest sins are: To join others in worship with Allah; to be undutiful to one’s parents; to kill somebody unlawfully; and to take an oath Al-Ghamus.

[Volume 8, Book 78, Number 667 Sahih Al bukhari]

Expiation for Yamin Ghamus:

Yamin ghamus is the biggest sin, and the person should ask for forgiveness and repent from false swearing. Although it is a sin, there is no expiation for Yamin Ghamus in our religion. In addition to that, there is no expiation for breaking an oath which was taken to seize someone else’s thing. 

However, who has seized another person’s thing should ask his (whose thing is seized) forgiveness. He should also repent and beg pardon from Allah as He forgives the ones seeking forgiveness because He is the most forgiving.

Yamin Held:

Yamin Held includes swearing on the things to do in the future, for example, Wallah! I’ll pray tomorrow. However, it is obligatory to fulfill the oath, and if a person fails to complete his oath, he has to make an expiation, e.g. If the person fails to pray the next day according to his above oath, it is obligatory for him to make an expiation. 

The detail for the expiation for Yameen Held is given below. However, keep one thing in mind: if a person swears by God to commit a sin such as Wallahi! I’ll not pray or fast tomorrow. Then he should break the oath and make an expiation.

Expiation for Yameen Held:

Expiation for breaking oath is to feed ten people with the food you provide to your family. If not you can give clothes to 10 people  You can also free a slave as an oath violation penalty. If you are not financially able to do these two, you can also fast for three days. In our religion, making an expiation of an oath before breaking it is also permissible. 

The Quranic verse for the expiation of oath in Islam is given as:

“But He will punish you for your deliberate oaths, for it’s expiations is to feed ten masakeen, on a scale of average of that which you feed your families, or clothe them or manumit a slave. But whosoever cannot afford that, then he should fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths when you have sworn. And protect your oaths. (i.e do not swear to much). Thus Allah makes clear to you His Ayaat, that you may be grateful”. (Quran 5:89)

Condition and terms for swearing:

There are certain conditions for swearing or taking oaths in Islam which need to be fulfilled for making a swear to God. These are mentioned below:

• The swearing person should be mature enough to know what he is swearing for and what are the outcomes of this oath. 
• The one taking an oath regarding his property or any of his possessions should be the sole owner of that property according to the law and sharia. In addition to that, he should be doing this on his own will without anyone’s pressure.  
• The oath of a person who has sworn in anger will not be claimed. This is because a person in anger does not mean what he says.  
• While swearing, one should say with his tongue, “I swore an oath”. And if he does not say with his tongue, then his words will not be considered as an oath. 
•  If someone has written his oath, then the oath will be considered and breaking the oath will be sin. 
• If someone is deaf, he should swear by sign language; otherwise, his words will not be claimed as an oath. 
• If someone has sworn to do something then that thing should be lawfully correct and not Makrooh (“makrooh” meaning in Islam is “disliked”) in religion. 
• One should swear in the name of Allah and not in the name of Prophets or his father. The hadees for not taking oath by your father’s name is given below:

Ibn’ Umar heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who has to take an oath, he must not take an oath but by Allah. The Quraish used to take oaths by their fathers. So he (the Holy Prophet) said: Do not take oath by your fathers.

[Book 15, Number 4040 Sahih Muslim] 

If you are swearing in French, Spanish, or a language other than English or Arabic, you can use the word that is equivalent to God in your language.

Prohibitions for swearing:

Swearing on Wallahi is permissible, but some of the oaths are prohibited even if they are taken in the name of Allah. A few of the prohibitions for swearing are given below: 

• One should not make an oath on unlawful things or sins. It means that Allah and His Prophet SAW have not allowed us to swear to do things which are lawfully incorrect, as Allah does not allow anyone to hurt another person. 

Quranic verse on prohibitions of swearing:

Narrated’ Aisha (R.A):

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him; and whoever made a vow that he will disobey Allah, should not disobey Him.”

• Swearing on anyone else besides Allah.

Narrated’ Abdullah bin’ Umar:

Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) said, “Do not swear by your fathers.”

Volume 8, Book 78, Number 643 Sahih Bukhari. 

• The oath that harms your family is not allowed, and if you have to make one, then break and make an expiation. For this case, Hadees is stated below: 

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “We (Muslims) are the last in the world, but will be foremost on the Day of Resurrection.” Allah’s Apostle also said, “By Allah, if anyone of you insists on fulfilling an oath by which he may harm his family, he commits a greater sin in Allah’s sight than that of dissolving his oath and making expiation for it.”

[Volume 8, Book 78, Number 621 Sahih Bukhari]

Swearing on the Holy Book “Quran”

Falsely swearing on the Holy Book, the Quran, is a major sin. One should beg pardon wholeheartedly and repent if he has falsely sworn on Quran Pak. In the hadees, falsely swearing on the Quran is considered a sin closer to the shirk (considering someone is as Mighty as Allah) So, one should beg forgiveness again and again as it is not a small sin. 

Oath Vs Vow

 The word promise and oath are often used interchangeably. Although they have somewhat similar meanings, it does not mean that they don’t have differences. Let’s see their differences with example:

Oath:

An oath is basically a promise we make with someone in the name of Allah. Take this oath example: “Wallah! I’ll finish this topic on Saturday” so you are making an oath to someone by involving Allah. 

Vow:

What is a vow to God? It is defined as making a vow to God, which is a promise between an individual and Allah. For example, when we marry, we take vows or make promises. Promising as a vow does not mean that you are promising your partner; it means that you are making a promise with your Allah that you will love and obey your partner in this marriage.

Breaking vows is the disobedience of Allah. Breaking vows is the same as to break a swear. What if I broke a promise to God? Breaking vows to God is a sin, so we should beg for forgiveness from our God as we have committed His disobedience.

Conclusion:

To sum up, the word “Wallahi” has great meanings hidden in it and saying it is not a sin, but swearing on false oaths is a sin. We should keep our oaths at all costs. In case, if we break a swear, we should beg forgiveness for lying and not keeping our promise.

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