Wahfazu Aymanakum

Wahfazu Aymanakum (And Guard Your Oaths) is a contemporary jurisprudence treatise on the rules, categories, and expiation of oaths in Islamic law, authored by Dr. Abd al-Mannan al-Talibi Wahfazu Aymanakum+1.

Purpose and Scope

The book was composed to address common religious violations and misconceptions concerning oaths, drawing attention to practices that deviate from the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Wahfazu Aymanakum. Al-Talibi specifically examines widespread forms of swearing that people treat lightly, such as swearing by unlawful things (al-half bi-l-haram), swearing by divorce (al-half bi-l-talaq), and swearing by the customary "Zubayri oath" (al-yamin al-zubayriyyah), which he classifies as prohibited polytheism (shirk) Wahfazu Aymanakum. The work also details the severe worldly and otherworldly consequences of taking a false or perjurious oath (al-yamin al-fajirah) to unlawfully usurp the rights of others Wahfazu Aymanakum.

Structure

The work is organized into four main sections (mabahith) followed by an appendix:

1. The Oath (al-Yamin): Covers the linguistic and legal definitions of an oath, the origins of its naming, its legal basis and conditions, rulings on swearing by entities other than God, warnings against false oaths, the discouragement of excessive swearing, and the oath formulas used by the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions Wahfazu Aymanakum+1.
2. Divisions of Oaths (Aqsam al-yamin): Delineates the different types and classifications of oaths Wahfazu Aymanakum.
3. Legal Rulings of Oaths (Ahkam al-yamin): Details the specific juristic rules governing the validity, fulfillment, and violation of oaths Wahfazu Aymanakum.
4. Expiation for Oaths (Kaffarat al-yamin): Details the requirements, alternatives, and conditions for fulfilling expiation when an oath is broken Wahfazu Aymanakum.

The book concludes with a supplementary appendix containing legal verdicts (fatawa) on various contemporary oath-related issues and questions, issued by the Yemeni scholar and judge Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Amrani Wahfazu Aymanakum+1.

Method and Reception

Al-Talibi adheres to a methodology of grounding each legal issue in explicit proofs from the Quran and authentic Prophetic Sunnah, deliberately avoiding weak (da'if) or unsubstantiated narrations in both legal obligations and admonitions Wahfazu Aymanakum+1. Scholarly views cited in the text are referenced directly to their authoritative classical sources Wahfazu Aymanakum.

The treatise received introductory commendations from several contemporary Yemeni scholars, including Dr. Hasan Muhammad Maqbooli al-Ahdal, Shaykh Muhammad al-Sadiq Mughallas, and Judge Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Amrani Wahfazu Aymanakum. In his preface dated Rabi' al-Thani 1430 AH, al-Amrani commended the book for its focused style, its solid evidentiary basis, and its strict exclusion of weak hadiths Wahfazu Aymanakum.