Oaths Sworn on the Koran—Valid or Not?

Recently, the elected mayor of New York swore his oath for New York Public Officers on the Koran. [1] He is the latest of many Islamic politicians who have sworn on the Koran, instead of the Bible, in non-Islamic countries. Another example was Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, who has sworn on the Koran twice, once in 2016 and for the second time in 2021. In the US it would be Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Keith Ellison.

Swearing on the Koran constitutes multiple ethical, moral, and potentially also legal issues.

Why do some Muslims in public office swear on the Koran?

Islamic primary doctrine is comprised of three texts: the Koran, the Sira (Mohammed’s biography) and the Hadith (Mohammed’s traditions). These texts are the foundation of the Islamic primary doctrine that all Muslims must obey. [2] The following hadiths are focused on the Sunni tradition as majority of Islamic world follows it.

A whole collection of hadiths in Sahih Muslim (one of the two Hadith collections considered to be totally authoritative) is dedicated to oaths. It is called “The Book of Oaths.” [3] The entire 1st chapter is then called “The prohibition of swearing by something other than Allah”. Here is a selection of hadiths:

Muslim 1646b [4]
“I did not take oath by (anyone else except Allah) since I heard Allah's Messenger forbidding it. […] ”

Muslim 1646d [5]

“ […] Our Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has forbidden you that you take oath by your father. He who bag to take an oath, he must take it by Allah or keep quiet.”

This means that swearing an oath is possible only by Allah and nothing or no one else. There are multiple hadith confirming it and the above-mentioned ones are just a small selection. While Islamic scholars discuss if it is permissible to take an oath on a physical print of the Koran, usually concluding that it is not [6], it is still happening.

But how is it in the Twelver Shia tradition (most prominent branch of Shia Islam), of which the NYC mayor is a member? In the Twelver Shia foundational and most authoritative Al-Kāfi hadith collection, specifically in volume 7, book 7, is the chapter 14 named “It is not Permissible to take an Oath by anything other than by Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious” followed by the contextual hadith. [7]

So why do they still do it? The principle of “darura” (necessity overcomes the obligation) [8] gives the answer. It allows Muslims to perform certain acts forbidden by fundamental Islamic texts, like taking an oath to something other than Allah. All this without committing a sin if the situation compels them. This means that they are temporarily permitted to act in contradiction to Islamic doctrine if they have no other choice or are by circumstances forced to do it. At times, swearing an oath is unavoidable for those entering public office and is therefore considered a necessity from an Islamic perspective. Swearing on the Koran could be then considered the “lesser evil” in comparison to swearing on the Bible.

Sahih Bukhari (the other most authoritative Hadith collection in Sunni tradition) also dedicates many hadiths to the subject of taking oaths. In this case, the section is called “Oaths and Vows.” [9] The 7th chapter of this section, called “Whoever swears by a religion other than Islam” includes only one hadith that is self-explanatory:

Bukhari 6652 [10]

The Prophet said, "Whoever swears by a religion other than Islam, is, as he says; and whoever commits suicide with something, will be punished with the same thing in the (Hell) Fire; and cursing a believer is like murdering him; and whoever accuses a believer of disbelief, then it is as if he had killed him.”

However, the principle of darura constitutes a possibility to swear on the Bible as well. This explains why Islamic politicians also take an oath on the Christian holy book with no further implications. In this or other way such oaths are not binding. Another Islamic doctrinal principle, which could be effectively used by Islamic public officers in non-Islamic countries, is “taqiyya” [11], sacred deception to advance Islamic political goals.

Both principles, darura and taqiyya, are valid and widely used in both Sunni and Shia tradition. Both traditions also share the same Koran.

Special Case: NYC Mayor Mamdani

This is the original text of the oath demanded by New York Constitution, Article XIII - Public Officers, Section 1 - Oath of office:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the State of New York, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of ............, according to the best of my ability; " [12]

And here is what was pronnounced by Mr. Mamdani:

Transcribed: “I, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of New York, and the Charter of the City of New York, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Mayor of the City of New York, according to the best of my ability. So help me God.” [1]

Have you observed any difference? Yes, he added into his oath the words “So help me God” into the text. He most likely refers to the Islamic god Allah, since he swore on the Koran. He refers to the same Allah in whose name the 9/11 jihadi attacks on New York were conducted, and the same Allah who convicted jihadis (sentenced to up to 65 years in prison for terrorism-related crimes) known as the "Holy Land Five" worship, and, for whom Mamdani, in his rap song, expressed his love. [13]

Allah’s words can be found only in one place – Koran. The one on which Mr. Mamdani swore. What is the content of the Koran?

• 6,7% of the Koran’s content is anti-Jewish in comparison to Mein Kampf with its 7% [14]
• 8,7% of the Koran’s total content is dedicated to jihad [15]
• 71,2% of the Koran’s content about women gives them a low status [16]
• 64% of Koran’s content is dedicated to non-Muslims and contains:
  
  Dehumanizing verses like Koran 98:6
  “Lo! those who disbelieve, among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters, will abide in fire of hell. They are the worst of created beings.” [17]
  
  Verses supporting paradise as a reward for violent jihad like Koran 9:111
  "Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain …" [18]
  
  Verses supporting (sexual) slavery like Koran 4:24
  "And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess. It is a decree of Allah for you ..." [19]
  
  Verses prescribing fighting Christians and Jews like Koran 9:29
  "Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low." [20]

Please note that the references listed above are not complete. There are so many references that are negative toward non-Muslims that we cannot list them here. Please check our other reports to see for yourself.

It is important to mention that Islamic doctrine is prescriptive – meaning its permanent validity and use - not historically descriptive. Therefore, all its content must be understood as the guide for current times.

Summary:

• Islamic doctrine does not allow the taking of oaths that are not directed towards Allah and Allah only. Therefore, no oath to any public entity, person, or group is in any way binding.
• Islamic principles like darura or taqiyya give practical tools to do what is demanded by non-Islamic society (like making oaths of allegiance) and simultaneously contradicts Islamic scriptures without committing a sin (from the Islamic point of view).
• The Koran contains a significant amount of anti-Jewish text as well as prescriptive violence and dehumanisation towards non-Muslims. Therefore, the practice of swearing oaths on the Koran must be regarded as unacceptable.

Sources:

[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/1/zohran-mamdani-sworn-in-as-new-york-mayor-with-historic-quran
[2] https://www.cspii.org/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/number-times-koran-commands-muslims-imitate-mohammed/
[3] https://sunnah.com/muslim/27
[4] https://sunnah.com/muslim:1646b
[5] https://sunnah.com/muslim:1646d
[6] https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-the-scholar/muslim-creed/can-you-take-an-oath-by-the-quran/
[7] https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/7/7/14/5
[8] https://www.cspii.org/methodology/research-reports/the-principle-of-darura-in-political-islam/
[9] https://sunnah.com/bukhari/83
[10] https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6652
[11] https://youtu.be/Vg5TY5CPrzk
[12] https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CNS/A13S1
[13] a] https://nypost.com/2025/06/21/us-news/socialist-nyc-mayoral-candidate-zohran-mamdani-once-rapped-about-his-love-for-hamas-teror-funding-group-holy-land-five/ , b] https://soundcloud.com/zohrankwame/salaam (go to 2:31), c] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Land_Foundation_for_Relief_and_Development
[14] https://www.cspii.org/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/anti-jew-text-trilogy/
[15] https://www.cspii.org/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/trilogy-text-devoted-jihad/
[16] https://www.cspii.org/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/status-women-koran/
[17] https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=98&verse=6
[18] https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=9&verse=111
[19] https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=4&verse=24
[20] https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=9&verse=29