Whoever seizes the right of a Muslim person by his oath, Allah will condemn him to Hellfire and will make Paradise forbidden for him." A man said to him: Even if it is something insignificant, O Messenger of Allah? He said: "Even if it is a twig of Arāk

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against falsely swearing by Allah, knowingly, to unjustly take the right of a Muslim person. The punishment for this is to be deserving of Hellfire and to be deprived of Paradise, and it is considered one of the major sins. A man said: O Messenger of Allah, even if the thing being sworn about is something insignificant? He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Even if it is a tooth-stick taken from the Arāk tree.

Lessons

• Being cautious of taking others' rights and being keen on fulfilling them to their rightful owners, no matter how insignificant they are. Moreover, a ruler's erroneous judgment does not permit a person to take what does not belong to him.
• An-Nawawi said: The strict prohibition of Muslims' rights, with no difference between a small right or a large one based on the Prophet's statement: "Even if it is a twig of Arāk."
• An-Nawawi said: This punishment is for the one who seizes a Muslim's right and dies before repenting. However, the one who repents, regrets his action, returns the right to its owner, seeks his forgiveness, and resolves not to return to such behavior is absolved of sin.
• Al-Qādi said: The "Muslim" is specifically mentioned because Muslims are the ones addressed and generally involved in dealing with the Shariah, not because the ruling is different for non-Muslims; rather, the same ruling applies to them in this matter.
• An-Nawawi said: Lying is conveying information contrary to reality, whether done intentionally or forgetfully, whether the information pertains to the past or the future.