فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ وَ اذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ إِذا نَسِيتَ[1] قَالَ إِذَا حَلَفَ الرَّجُلُ فَنَسِيَ أَنْ يَسْتَثْنِيَ فَلْيَسْتَثْنِ إِذَا ذَكَرَ.
“About the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, . . speak of your Lord if you forget’ (18:24) abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, have said that if one takes an oath and forgets to make an exception, he must make an exception (say, ‘if Allah wills’) when he remembers.”
فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَمَّا قَالَ لآِدَمَ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ لَهُ يَا آدَمُ لَا تَقْرَبْ هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ قَالَ وَ أَرَاهُ إِيَّاهَا فَقَالَ آدَمُ لِرَبِّهِ كَيْفَ أَقْرَبُهَا وَ قَدْ نَهَيْتَنِي عَنْهَا أَنَا وَ زَوْجَتِي قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُمَا لَا تَقْرَبَاهَا يَعْنِي لَا تَأْكُلَا مِنْهَا فَقَالَ آدَمُ وَ زَوْجَتُهُ نَعَمْ يَا رَبَّنَا لَا نَقْرَبُهَا وَ لَا نَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا وَ لَمْ يَسْتَثْ
2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ibn Mahbub from abu Ja‘far al-Ahwal from Salam ibn al-Mustanir who has narrated the following: “This is about the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious. ‘. . . We made a covenant wi
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ اذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ إِذا نَسِيتَ قَالَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْيَمِينِ إِذَا قُلْتَ وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَفْعَلُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا فَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ أَنَّكَ لَمْ تَسْتَثْنِ فَقُلْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ.
“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘. . . speak of your Lord if you forget.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is in taking oath when you say, ‘By Allah, I will not do so and so and when you remember that you have forgotten to make an exception then say, ‘i
لِلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَسْتَثْنِيَ فِي الْيَمِينِ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً إِذَا نَسِيَ.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘A servant (of Allah) can make the exception up to forty days if he forgets.’”
قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع مَنِ اسْتَثْنَى فِي يَمِينٍ فَلَا حِنْثَ وَ لَا كَفَّارَةَ.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), has said, ‘If one makes the exception in taking an oath there is no violation or expiation.’”
قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع الِاسْتِثْنَاءُ فِي الْيَمِينِ مَتَى مَا ذَكَرَ وَ إِنْ كَانَ بَعْدَ أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحاً ثُمَّ تَلَا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ وَ اذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ إِذا نَسِيتَ[3].
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), has said, ‘The forgotten exception in taking an oath must be made even if one remembers after forty mornings.’ He (the Imam) then read this verse, . . speak of your Lord if you forget.’”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مَنْ حَلَفَ سِرّاً فَلْيَسْتَثْنِ سِرّاً وَ مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَانِيَةً فَلْيَسْتَثْنِ عَلَانِيَةً.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘If one takes an oath privately, he must make the exception privately; and if one takes an oath in public, he must make the exception in public.’”
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ اذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ إِذا نَسِيتَ فَقَالَ إِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ وَ نَسِيتَ أَنْ تَسْتَثْنِيَ فَاسْتَثْنِ إِذَا ذَكَرْتَ.
“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘. . . speak of your Lord if you forget.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is when you take an oath and forget to make the exception (saying if Allah so wills), then you must make the exception when you remember.’”
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ اللَّيْلِ إِذا يَغْشى[1] وَ النَّجْمِ إِذا هَوى[2] وَ مَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ يُقْسِمَ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ بِمَا شَاءَ- وَ لَيْسَ لِخَلْقِهِ أَنْ يُقْسِمُوا إِلَّا بِهِ.
1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Hammad from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has narrated the following: “This is about the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious. . . I swear by the night when it becomes dark. . .’ [92:2] and ‘. . . I swear by the star when it desce