Wallahi: meaning, Arabic and how oaths are treated

How is Wallahi written in Arabic?

To copy and paste the Arabic, use the button under it.

The two examples come from 'Aisha's explanation in Sahih al-Bukhari 6663: لَا وَاللهِ، وَبَلَى وَاللهِ, "no, by Allah" and "yes, by Allah". They illustrate the wording she discusses. The table does not decide the legal effect of every similar sentence.

Grade: sahih by collection convention. The text is in Sahih al-Bukhari. That grade is the collection's convention, not a grader's verdict on this chain.

1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6663

What does Wallah mean?

Wallah is another English spelling of the same expression, which people search for as Wallahi. The Arabic in the hadith identifies what is meant here. For an actual statement, keep the words the speaker used rather than deciding its effect from an English spelling alone.

Inshallah is a different expression. It means "if Allah wills" and is said about plans. See Inshallah, and Mashallah, which uses the same verb.

What does the hadith say about taking an oath?

In Sahih al-Bukhari 6646, Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, came upon 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, while he was swearing by his father. The Prophet said that Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers, and that whoever swears should swear by Allah or keep silent.

مَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلْيَحْلِفْ بِاللهِ، أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ

Grade: sahih by collection convention. As with 6663, the sahih grade is the collection's convention for Sahih al-Bukhari, not a grader's verdict.

2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6646

Someone who swears is told to swear by Allah or keep silent. The report does not say that adding wallahi makes a statement true, or that an oath settles a disagreement about facts.

What do the verses say about unintended oaths?

Two verses speak of them. Al-Baqarah 2:225 says Allah does not take people to task for what is unintended in their oaths, but does take them to task for what their hearts have earned.

Quran 5:89 distinguishes unintentional oaths from deliberately contracted oaths.

In Sahih al-Bukhari 6663, 'Aisha says what the verse beginning "Allah will not hold you to account for the unintended" was revealed about: the words "no, by Allah" and "yes, by Allah". The text quotes only those opening words, which are the same in 2:225 and 5:89. It does not say that every casual utterance is exempt from an oath, and this page gives no ruling on habitual or joking use of wallahi.

For your own words, give the exact sentence to a scholar you trust.

What does the Quran say about the expiation of oaths?

Al-Ma'idah 5:89 names the expiation, or kaffarah, of oaths: feeding ten needy people from the average of what you feed your own families, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. For a person who does not find the means for these, it gives a fast of three days.

For the food, the verse names a standard, the average of what you feed your own families, rather than a fixed quantity. Questions about which oaths this covers, how repeated statements are treated and how to carry out the expiation need a scholar's assessment.

Can Christians say Wallahi?

In the hadith examples the words mean "by Allah". That explains what they say. Whether a non-Muslim's use of them is an oath under Islamic law is a separate question. The sources on this page cover the words and the verses, not a ruling for non-Muslims, so this page does not answer it.