Abū Mūsā, the Six Camels, and the Fiqh of the Oath

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi explains:

As the funds began to run low, Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī came, sent by his sub-tribe to obtain riding-camels for Tabūk, for one could not walk there, and every two or three men shared a mount. He did not realize the Prophet ﷺ was in a state of anger (likely over the hypocrites, whose affair was troubling him). When he asked, the Prophet ﷺ, having nothing to give, said, "By Allāh, I will not give you anything to ride." Abū Mūsā went back distressed, fearing he had given offense.

❧The camels

Barely any time passed before Bilāl came calling him back. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Take these two camels, and these two, and these two", six in all, "I have just bought them from Saʿd." Some money had come in, and he remembered Abū Mūsā's need and filled it.

❧The fiqh of the oath

This teaches that an oath sworn without real intent does not bind: the Prophet ﷺ had said "By Allāh, I will not give you anything" only because at that moment he had nothing. We use waLlāhi both as a casual expression and as a genuine oath (qasam), and the context makes clear which, "waLlāhi, I don't feel like going there" is not a binding vow, whereas "waLlāhi, I am not lying to you," said under accusation, is meant. Allāh says: لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَان, "Allāh will not hold you to account for the thoughtless word in your oaths, but for what you have bound and meant" (5:89). The Prophet ﷺ, being human, was at that moment ghaḍbān, angry, and it came out sharply; when the means arrived he gave freely. Abū Mūsā and the Companions still felt the scruple of taking after an oath had been sworn, and had it explained to them, a mark of their conscientiousness.