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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Shiite Apologetics Question Twenty-four Does swearing by other than God imply polytheism ? Answer: The actual meanings of the words monotheism and polytheism should be searched for in the Quran and in the Prophets tradition, for these are the most valuable criteria for distinguishing between truth and falsehood, as well as between monotheism and polytheism.
Thus, any thought and deed should be presented to the value judgment recognized by the logic of Revelation and the criteria available in the Holy Prophets life.
Below are cases regarded by the Quran and the Sunnah indicative of permissions to swear by beings other than God: In its enduring verses, the Holy Quran has sworn by such lofty created entities as the Prophets life, mans life, the pen symbol of writing the sun, the moon, the stars, the day and the night, the heaven and the earth, time, the mountains, and the sea: a) By your life!
They are blindly wandering in their intoxication 15:1 b) I swear by the sun and its heat; and the day when it shows; and the night when it draws a veil over it; and the heaven and Him who made it; and the earth and Him who extended it; and the soul and Him who made it perfect. Then he gave it the inspiration to understand what is right and wrong for it. 91:1-7 c) By the star as it sets. 53:1 d) Nun. By the pen and whatever they record. 68:1 e) By eventide.
103: 1 f) By the daybreak, and the ten nights. 89:1 g) I swear by Mount Tur, and the Book written on an outstretched fine parchment; and the oft-visited House (Ka`bah); and the elevated arch; and the tidal sea. 59:1-6 The following Quranic chapters, too, contain instances of swearing by some phenomena of the world of creation: al-Nazi`at, al-Mursalat, al-Buruj, al-Tariq, al-Balad, al-Tin, and al-Duha.
No doubt, were swearing by beings other than God a cause of polytheism, the Quran, which is the single enactment of monotheism, would never do so, and if such an act were peculiar of God, it would have been explained in the Quran so as to prevent from misunderstanding. The Holy Prophet is an example for all Muslims, who view his life and deeds as criteria to differentiate between truth and falsehood.