Hurūf al-Qasam — Particles of Oath (حُرُوف القَسَم)
Three particles can turn a sentence into an oath: waw (و), ba (ب), and ta (ت). All three are harf jarr — the noun following them is majrur.
Comparison Table
| Particle | Common Usage | With Verb? | With Pronoun? | With Talab (amir/nahi)? | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| وَ (waw) | Most common | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | None on the muksambi |
| بِ (ba) | Most versatile | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | None |
| تَ (ta) | Rare | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | Only with Allah's name/attributes |
1. Waw (وَ) — The Most Common
Waw is the particle found most frequently in the Quran for oaths. Grammatically it is a regular harf jarr.
Three rules (restrictions):
- Cannot be used with a verb of oath. You cannot say wa-qsamu billahi. If you need an oath verb, use ba instead.
- Cannot be used with a talab sentence as the jawab. If the jawab is a command (amir) or prohibition (nahi), use ba. Wrong: wallahi akhbirni. Correct: billahi akhbirni.
- Cannot be used with a pronoun as the muksambi. Wrong: wa-hum. Correct: bihim.
Quranic Example
وَالعَصرِ إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسرٍ (Surah al-Asr 103:1–2) By time — indeed, the human is in loss.
2. Ba (بِ) — The Most Versatile
Ba is the "generic" particle of qasam. It has almost no restrictions:
- Can accompany an explicit verb of oath: أَقسَمُ بِاللهِ (I swear by Allah)
- Can stand without a verb: بِاللهِ (by Allah)
- Can be used with a pronoun: بِكَ (by you)
- Can precede a talab (command/prohibition) as the jawab
Quranic Example: Ba with pronoun
فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغوِيَنَّهُم أَجمَعِينَ (Surah Sād 38:82) "By Your honour, I will lead them all astray." — Shaytan to Allah. The kaf (كَ) is a pronoun → only ba was possible; waw cannot be used with a pronoun.
3. Ta (تَ) — The Most Restricted
Ta can only be used with the name of Allah or His attributes (e.g., Rabb al-Ka'ba). It is the most restricted of the three.
Quranic Examples
- تَاللهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصنَامَكُم (Surah al-Anbiya 21:57) — Ibrahim ﷺ
- تَاللهِ لَقَد آثَرَكَ اللهُ عَلَينَا (Surah Yusuf 12:91) — Yusuf's brothers
Note
Grammatically, ta can sometimes be used before other attributes of Allah (like Rabb al-Ka'ba), but this is rare. The overwhelmingly dominant form is تَاللهِ (tallahi).
4. The Affirmative Particle E (إِ)
E is not one of the huruf al-qasam, but it frequently precedes the qasam. Its meaning is naam (yes) — it affirms something before swearing.
Usage: As a response confirming a question with an oath.
Q: Are the judges traveling? A: إِ وَاللهِ إِنَّهُم لَمُسَافِرُونَ — Yes, by Allah, they are indeed traveling!
Modern Dialect Descendant
According to Dr. Abdul Raheem, the colloquial Arabic "eeeh/aywa" (yes, emphatic) derives from ī + wallahi with the name of Allah dropped out of reverence — a fossil of this classical construction preserved in everyday speech.
Session References
- Oaths in Quran Session 2: Full treatment of all three particles with examples and rules