Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2088
sahih

Narrated `Abdullah bin Abu `Aufa:

A man displayed some goods in the market and swore by Allah that he had been offered so much for that, that which was not offered, and he said so, so as to cheat a Muslim. On that occasion the following Verse was revealed: "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 ..etc.)' (3:77)

حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْعَوَّامُ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَجُلاً، أَقَامَ سِلْعَةً، وَهُوَ فِي السُّوقِ، فَحَلَفَ بِاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَعْطَى بِهَا مَا لَمْ يُعْطَ، لِيُوقِعَ فِيهَا رَجُلاً مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَنَزَلَتْ ‏{‏إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً ‏}‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 34, Hadith 41
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 34, Hadith 301 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Swearing oaths is a serious matter, and Islam has laid emphasis on its gravity, especially making false oaths by means of which a person unlawfully takes the money of his fellow Muslim brother. In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn Abee Awfaa (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that a man offered his commodity for sale in the market and falsely swore by Allah, Exalted is He, that he had bought it for such-and-such a price, merely to persuade his fellow Muslim to buy it. On that occasion, the following ayah was revealed. Allah, Exalted is He, Says (that which means): {Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their [own] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter…} [Quran 3:77]. The ayah reads {Those who exchange} because the two parties of a sale transaction exchange the commodity for money,{the covenant of Allah},meaningthe covenant they made to believe in the Prophet ﷺ and fulfill the trusts, {and their [own] oaths for a small price} meaning their false oaths that they take to affirm the desired statements or actions. The intended meaning is that they trade their covenants with Allah and their oaths, with fleeting worldly gains and desires such as money, benefits, and other worldly gains. The price is described here as being small, to indicate its insignificance, for it was traded for breaching the covenant with Allah and taking a false oath. This makes it fundamentally insignificant, no matter how significantit seemed from a worldly perspective, compared to winning the pleasure of Allah, Exalted is He, and fulfilling the covenants made with Him. Then Allah, Exalted is He, stated the punishment designated for the one who commits such a major sin. He Says (that which means): {…will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment.} [Quran 3:77]. It means, ‘They shall have no share in the bliss tasted by the believers in the Hereafter, and Allah, Exalted is He, will not speak to them about what would please them, but would rather say to them that which will cause distress and disappointment to them.’ The ayah goes on, {or look at them on the Day of Resurrection} meaning that He will not mercifully look at them, {nor will He purify them}, from sins and misdeeds by conferring upon them His forgiveness, nor shall He commend them like He would commend His righteous servants. Rather, He shall be angry with them and will punish them for breaching their covenant with Him, {and they will have a painful punishment}, because of what they committed. This is a stern warning about making false oaths, because such a sin combines many corrupt evil deeds, including: lyingin the name of Allah, deceiving a purchaser into buying his commodity, making up lies for the sake of promoting it, and unlawfully taking the money of the purchaser, described here as a ‘small price’with which he shall not be availed for long in this worldly life. .
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