The Dilemma of Allah Swearing by Pagan Gods A Fatal Flaw in Islamic Theology

One of the most disturbing theological dilemmas in Islam lies in the Qur'an’s repeated depiction of Allah swearing oaths—not by Himself, as one would expect from the true, sovereign Creator—but rather by created things, many of which were objects of worship in pre-Islamic paganism. This isn’t a minor stylistic choice or poetic flourish. It is, in fact, a direct violation of the very core of monotheism as laid out in both the Bible and, ironically, the Qur'an itself.

I. The Biblical Standard: God Swears Only by Himself

The true God of the Bible declares unequivocally:

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself...”
—Hebrews 6:13

In biblical theology, swearing by anything other than God is idolatrous, because it implies that the object sworn by possesses intrinsic authority, power, or sacredness. That is why Jesus, in Matthew 5:33–37, instructs believers to avoid oaths altogether, especially by created things like heaven or earth, which are God’s creation.

This principle is absolutely non-negotiable in true monotheism: God alone is the ultimate source of truth and authority.

II. The Qur’an’s Scandal: Allah Swearing by Created Things

Yet shockingly, the Qur’an contains numerous instances where Allah swears by created things:

• “By the sun and its brightness...” (Qur’an 91:1)

• “By the moon as it follows it...” (91:2)

• “By the night as it covers...” (92:1)

• “By the fig and the olive...” (95:1)

• “By the star when it goes down...” (53:1)

• “By the sky and the night visitor...” (86:1)

Many of these oaths are strikingly similar to objects worshiped by Arab pagans. The moon, the sun, the stars—all were venerated as deities in Arabian polytheism. These are not arbitrary poetic references; they echo the very idolatrous cosmology Islam claims to have come to destroy.

A Blatant Violation of Tawhid

According to Islam's own central tenet of tawhid (the absolute oneness and uniqueness of God), associating reverence, honor, or divine weight to anything besides Allah is shirk—the unforgivable sin in Islam (cf. Qur’an 4:48). So what does it mean when Allah Himself swears by the very objects that Islam claims were worshiped wrongly? Has Allah committed shirk?

The Logical Consequence

Swearing by something presupposes its authority and weight in affirming truth. In Islamic theology, if Allah swears by the moon, the sun, or the fig tree, He implicitly elevates those objects to a status of cosmic or divine significance—at least in terms of oath-taking. This contradicts the Qur’an’s own condemnation of idol worship and raises a deeply uncomfortable question:

If even Allah finds these created things worthy to swear by, who can blame the pagans for worshiping them?

This leads to a devastating theological conclusion: Allah’s actions lend implicit legitimacy to pagan idolatry.

III. Muhammad’s Complicity in Pagan Rites

This theological compromise isn’t confined to literary expressions. As Islamic historical sources like Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah show, Muhammad actively engaged in pagan rituals at the Kaba, even before purging the idols. He performed tawaf (circumambulation) around the shrine while it still contained 360 idols, sharing sacred space with open idolaters.

Even more troubling, as multiple Sahih al-Bukhari reports confirm, pagan pilgrims performed the Hajj rituals naked, right up until the final year before Muhammad’s last pilgrimage. If Islam is truly a purifying monotheistic reform, what was its prophet doing participating in rites surrounded by naked idolaters and objects of false worship?

“Had I not seen the Prophet kiss you, I would not have kissed you,” said Umar to the Black Stone (Bukhari 2:26:667). Even one of Islam’s closest companions questioned the logic of venerating a lifeless rock.

The Black Stone, tawaf between pagan shrines like Safa and Marwa, and the timing of fasts like Ashura—all of these had pagan origins that Muhammad absorbed, renamed, and rebranded as “Islamic.”

IV. Jews and Pre-Islamic Monotheists Rejected the Kaba

Even Islamic sources admit that the Jews refused to venerate the Kaba or participate in the pilgrimage, despite claiming Abraham as their forefather. Why? Because the structure was defiled by idols and blood sacrifices. Pre-Islamic monotheists like Zayd ibn Amr rejected Kaba worship altogether, recognizing it as a corruption of true Abrahamic religion.

“By God, you have no religion,” Zayd said to the idolaters, as he rejected both the Kaba and its gods. (Ibn Ishaq, pp. 98–99)

Muhammad, however, compromised. Rather than destroy the entire pagan infrastructure, he Islamized it, preserving most of its outward forms and simply removing the idols—while leaving the same calendar, sacred months, rituals, shrine, direction of prayer, and more.

V. Arab Paganism Rebranded as Islam

Islam did not destroy Arab paganism. It sanitized, renamed, and institutionalized it under a new banner.

“The Arabs of the time of ignorance used to do things which the religion of Islam has adopted.”
—Abul Fida, cited by Benjamin Walker, Foundations of Islam, p. 54

Allah retained the lunar calendar, the Friday moon-day assembly, the Kaba, the Black Stone, and the circumambulation. He merely stripped away the idols and slapped a monotheistic label on top. The resulting religion is, in substance, a baptized form of pre-Islamic idolatry, clothed in Qur’anic rhetoric and imposed with the threat of jihad.

VI. The Pagan Echoes of Allah’s Oaths

So why does Allah swear by the sun, moon, stars, and fig tree? Because these are the same objects revered by the polytheists Muhammad grew up among. Rather than distancing himself from these pagan forms, Allah—through Muhammad—incorporates them into the very text of his supposed revelation.

Thus, the Qur’an itself becomes a liturgical extension of pagan cosmology, legitimized by divine oaths. What the Qur’an condemns with one hand, it glorifies with the other.

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Conclusion: A Religion of Pagan Syncretism Masquerading as Monotheism

At the heart of Islam lies a fatal inconsistency. The religion that condemns idolatry also adopts the rites of idolaters, preserves their sacred shrine, and glorifies the very things they worshiped—even swearing by them.

The Allah of the Qur’an is not the transcendent, immutable God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is, at best, a culturally recycled Arabian moon deity, whose character and rituals reflect the religious environment of 7th-century Mecca more than divine revelation.

Islam is not Abrahamic monotheism restored. It is Arab paganism rebranded.

This is not an attack on Muslims themselves, many of whom sincerely seek to honor God. But the theological and historical record leaves no room for illusion: Islam is theologically bankrupt, and its god is entangled in the very idolatry it claims to condemn.