Allah Swears Oaths by Figs, Horses, Stars — His Own Creations

A Deep, Evidence‑Based Examination of Qur’anic Oaths and Their Implications

Objective: Analyze the phenomenon of divine oaths in the Qur’an — specifically, why the text contains oaths by created entities (e.g., figs, horses, stars). Evaluate the logical coherence and historical context of these oaths and test whether the traditional theological interpretation stands up to evidence‑based inquiry.

Thesis: If a text claims that a deity swears by created objects, and if those objects are contingent rather than necessary beings, then the text presents a non‑standard mode of divine discourse that merits scrutiny from a logical and historical perspective.

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Introduction — The Puzzle of Divine Oaths in the Qur’an

The Qur’an contains numerous oaths — formulaic declarations that a subject swears by some object or phenomenon. Some of these oaths are:

• “By the fig and the olive…” — Qur’an 95:1

• “By the horses that run, with panting breath…” — Qur’an 100:1

• “By the heavens and the morning light…” — Qur’an 91:1

• “By the sky and the night comer…” — Qur’an 86:1

• “By the star when it falls…” — Qur’an 81:15

What is notable is that the objects sworn by are created phenomena — fruits, celestial bodies, animals — not necessary beings or abstract principles. This raises two questions:

1. What is the rhetorical and logical function of these oaths?

2. Do such oaths make sense if the deity is purportedly self‑sufficient and contingent‑free?

This article evaluates these questions from the perspective of textual analysis, historical linguistics, and logical reasoning.

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1. Qur’anic Oaths: Textual Inventory and Context

A systematic analysis of the Qur’an’s oaths shows that they consistently involve created entities:

Surah & Verse	Oath Formula	Object Sworn By
95:1	Wal‑tīn wa al‑zaytūn	The fig and the olive
100:1	Wa al‑ʿādiyāt dhu ḥaṭḥaṭin	The charging horses
81:15	Wa alnajmi idhā huwa najma	The star when it sets
91:1	Waalssama’i wa almaṭaliʿi	The heaven and the rising dawn
86:1	Waalssama’i wa al‑ṭāriq	The heaven and the night comer
89:1	Waal‑fajr	The dawn
77:20	Fa ba‑ayyī alā’i rabbikumā tukaththibān	“Then by which of your Lord’s favors will you deny?”
55:1	Ar‑rahmān	“The Beneficent” (attribute, not creation)

This list shows that many oaths invoke natural objects and phenomena rather than abstract principles like justice, wisdom, or necessity.

Primary textual evidence:
Each of these oath formulations appears in the Qur’anic text. Modern critical editions of the Qur’an (based on early manuscripts) confirm their presence in the canonical text.

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2. Linguistic and Rhetorical Function of Oaths

a) Oaths in Classical Semitic Literature

Oaths were common in pre‑Islamic and early Islamic Arabic rhetoric. Scholars of Semitic linguistics observe that:

• Oaths functioned as emphatic rhetorical devices.

• Invoking created things was a common poetic strategy to draw attention to the gravity of a statement.

• Similar oath structures appear in Judeo‑Christian texts (e.g., “As heaven and earth witness…”).

Thus, the presence of oaths by created things fits within known literary conventions of the milieu in which the Qur’an emerged. It is not a unique innovation.

b) Logical Implications of Oaths by Contingent Entities

A core principle in classical theology and metaphysics is the distinction between:

• Necessary beings — beings whose non‑existence is impossible (God in classical theism).

• Contingent beings — beings whose existence depends on something else (fruits, stars, horses).

If a text attributes an oath to a god by referencing contingent beings, then logically:

1. The oath’s authority derives not from the intrinsic necessity of the object but from the association of the object with significance.

2. The act of swearing implies a secondary appeal to the object to strengthen the statement.

In contrast, in classical monotheistic theology, one would expect an omnipotent deity not to require appeal to contingent phenomena for emphasis — because nothing can rival or reinforce a necessary being’s authority. The fact that the Qur’anic text uses contingent references for oaths suggests a rhetoric driven by manifest phenomena familiar to the audience, not by metaphysical necessity.

This is not a metaphysical judgment about divine nature — it is an observation about textual logic.

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3. Historical Context of Oath Usage

a) Pre‑Islamic Arabia and Oral Poetics

Historical linguists and literary historians point out that:

• Pre‑Islamic Arabian poetry (qasīdah) frequently invoked natural and social images (camels, desert winds, dawn) to express solemnity.

• Oaths by creation were part of established rhetorical techniques used to emphasize truth claims.

The Qur’an’s use of oaths by creations like figs and horses fits this pre‑existing rhetorical tradition rather than a metaphysically unique divine mode of speech.

b) Intertextual Echoes in Near Eastern Literature

Comparable oath formulas appear in other ancient Near Eastern literatures:

• Ugaritic texts use oaths invoking heavenly bodies.

• Biblical texts include oaths “by the heavens and the earth” (Deuteronomy 32:40).

• Akkadian and Aramaic inscriptions use natural phenomena in covenantal language.

This suggests that the structure of divine oaths by created things in the Qur’an is part of a broader cultural‑literary complex of oaths in ancient Near Eastern and Arabian contexts, not unique to one theological system.

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4. Specific Examples and Logical Analysis

a) Qur’an 95:1 — Oath by the Fig and the Olive

Literal text: “By the fig and the olive…”

Facts:

• Figs and olives are contingent botanical species.

• They have no necessary metaphysical status.

Analysis:
If the logical purpose of an oath is to emphasize truth, then invoking familiar, valuable food sources makes rhetorical sense in an audience dependent on agriculture. But it does not indicate that these objects have metaphysical priority or intrinsic divine authority independent of human perception.

This oath functions as emotional emphasis, not logical proof of metaphysical necessity.

b) Qur’an 100:1 — Oath by the Horses

Literal text: “By the charging horses, panting…”

Facts:

• Horses are contingent animals.

• Their description emphasizes motion (a sensory phenomenon).

Analysis:
Appealing to powerful, close‑to‑experience phenomena (horses in motion) intensifies dramatic language. Yet from a strictly logical perspective, appealing to contingent physical phenomena does not inherently elevate the reliability or necessity of the underlying claim. It borrows rhetorical force from observable power, not metaphysical invariance.

c) Qur’an 81:15 — Oath by the Falling Star

Literal text: “By the star when it falls…”

Facts:

• Stars are celestial bodies whose motion depends on physics, not theology.

• “Falling” stars are meteors — contingent, transient events.

Analysis:
Like the other oaths, this device evokes a striking sensory image, appealing to cosmic phenomena familiar in the night sky. From a communicative standpoint, it grabs attention. From a logical standpoint, the invoked object has no necessary link to truth conditions outside of cultural impact.

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5. Theological Interpretations vs. Textual Evidence

Traditional theological defenders often argue:

• These oaths teach that creation bears witness to divine truth.

• They are rhetorical triggers for reflection, not metaphysical endorsements of creation.

However, from an evidence‑first textual perspective:

• The text does not explain why these specific oaths were selected.

• There is no independent manuscript tradition indicating that the oaths were originally different.

• The selection of contingent objects suggests a rhetorical strategy, not an ontological statement about divine prerogative.

This interpretation is consistent with how oaths function in historical Arabic rhetoric.

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6. Logical Consistency and Exposed Fallacies

a) equivocation fallacy

Some defenders claim:

“…swearing by figs and horses demonstrates creation’s honor under God.”

This is an equivocation between rhetorical emphasis and inferential metaphysical significance. Just because an oath invokes an object doesn’t logically imply that object has divine ontological weight.

b) appeal to tradition fallacy

Some citations argue that because this oath form existed in pre‑Islamic poetry, it must reflect divine style. This is a fallacy: just because a literary form was available does not prove divine origin or metaphysical endorsement.

Logical clarity demands distinguishing cultural form from metaphysical claim.

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7. Implications for Understanding Qur’anic Discourse

From the evidence we have — textual patterns, historical rhetoric, and logical analysis — the following conclusions are supported:

1. The Qur’anic oaths invoke contingent created phenomena, not necessary beings or abstract principles.

2. This usage aligns with known patterns of Arabian rhetoric rather than unique metaphysical expression.

3. No independent evidence ties these oaths to demonstrable metaphysical structures, such as necessary being hierarchies or ontological primacy.

4. Therefore, the rhetorical function of these oaths is best understood as stylistic emphasis rooted in cultural context, not as proof of theological claims about divine relationship to creation.

This conclusion is based on the available evidence and follows logically from the linguistic and historical facts.

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Conclusion — Creation Invoked, Not Self‑Evident Metaphysics

The presence of oaths by figs, horses, stars, dawn, and other created things in the Qur’an is a verifiable textual fact. However:

• These oaths invoke contingent phenomena familiar to the original audience.

• They likely served as rhetorical devices drawn from linguistic conventions of the time.

• There is no evidence that these oaths convey metaphysical guarantees about the nature of the divine or the inherent authority of the objects themselves.

Thus, while the oaths are striking literary elements, they do not, on their face, substantiate claims about divine metaphysics beyond rhetorical emphasis.

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Bibliography / Sources

• Qur’anic Oath Formulas — canonical text inventory.

• Early Arabic rhetoric and oath usage.

• Near Eastern oath traditions and intertextual parallels.

• Arabic poetics and Semitic linguistic patterns.

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Disclaimer: This post critiques Islamic doctrine and textual claims from a critical, evidence‑based perspective. It does not critique Muslims as individuals — every human deserves respect; beliefs do not.