Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The Qur’an contains passages in which Allah swears by some of His creations, such as His saying:
“By the sun and its brightness, and by the moon when it follows it.”
[Ash-Shams: 1–2]
And Allah says:
“By the night when it covers, and by the day when it appears.”
[Al-Layl: 1–2]
This does not mean that Allah needs an oath in order for His words to be true. Allah is the most truthful of all speakers. Rather, oaths in the Qur’an contain great wisdom and profound meanings.
Allah is the Creator and Owner of everything, and He may swear by whatever He wills of His creation.
Allah says:
“He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.”
[Al-Anbiya: 23]
As for human beings, they are not permitted to swear by other than Allah, because the Prophet ﷺ prohibited this.
Therefore, there is a difference between the Creator swearing by His creation and a created being swearing by something other than Allah.
The sun, the moon, the night, the day, the sky, and other things are not independent of Allah. Rather, they are His creations and signs of His power.
When Allah swears by them, this draws attention to the greatness of their creation and to what they indicate concerning the power and wisdom of their Creator.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that Allah swears by His creations because they are His signs and creations, and evidence of His Lordship, Divinity, Oneness, knowledge, power, and wisdom.
Thus, swearing by these creations ultimately points to the greatness of their Creator, Glorified and Exalted is He.
In Arabic, oaths are used for emphasis and to draw attention to the importance of a statement, and the Qur’an was revealed in clear Arabic.
Allah may therefore swear before mentioning a great truth so that people pay attention to it and reflect upon it.
Allah says:
“By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss.”
[Al-‘Asr: 1–2]
The oath by time draws attention to the importance of the truth that follows it.
A believer accepts Allah’s words without needing an oath, but additional evidence and emphasis can increase reassurance and certainty in the heart.
Abraham, peace be upon him, said:
“My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.” He said, “Do you not believe?” He said, “Yes, but so that my heart may be reassured.”
[Al-Baqarah: 260]
Therefore, additional emphasis does not indicate any deficiency in the truthfulness of the statement. Rather, it can increase certainty and tranquility.
When Allah swears by the sun, the sky, or the stars, this encourages people to observe and reflect upon them.
The greatness, order, and precision of these creations lead a person to reflect upon the greatness of their Creator.
Allah says:
“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for people of understanding.”
[Aal ‘Imran: 190]
The claim that Christian scriptures contain no oath by a created thing is not accurate. The Bible commonly used by Christians contains passages involving oaths, including what appears in the Book of Amos:
“The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob.”
[Amos 8:7]
Therefore, the mere existence of an oath involving a created thing cannot reasonably be used as an objection against the Qur’an.
Allah’s swearing by His creations does not mean that He needs an oath to prove the truthfulness of His words. Exalted is Allah above that.
Among the wisdoms behind such oaths are:
Allah may swear by whatever He wills of His creation, whereas a human being should swear only by Allah.
And Allah knows best.