as salamu alaykum. My question deals with muslims taking court oaths on the bible. When Muslims are called to court in America for civil or criminal matters and their testimony is required, many instances the Muslim is order to swear an oath on the bible that that they will tell the truth. sometimes the Muslim is require to swear this oath with his or hand on the bible. Is this haram? Please advise. Jazakum Allahu Khayran

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is not permissible for a Muslim to make an oath swearing on what is called today 'the Bible' or put his hand on it when making an oath, as by doing so, he honours and glorifies it whereas it is a forged book. The jurists of the Hanafi School of jurisprudence stated that it is not permissible for a Muslim to say when he is making an oath: "I swear by Allaah Who Revealed this Torah or Gospel, while pointing to a given book among these forged books, as this is glorifying that which is not from Allaah's Words."

There is a difference between this prohibited kind of swearing, and swearing on the Torah or the Gospel, which are the Books that were originally revealed to Moosaa (i.e. Moses) and 'Eesaa (i.e. Jesus), may Allaah exalt their mention, and which the scholars stated that it is permissible to swear by them, as these Books are the Words of Allaah, however, they were distorted and forged by people after words.