É. Apor , I. Ormos (ed.): Goldziher Memorial Conference, June 21–22, 2000, Budapest.

DÉVÉNYI, Kinga: Information Exchange Before the Internet: On law aqsama alá lláh la-abarrahu in Goldziher's Correspondence

KINGA DÉVÉNYI English translation: Cairo, 13 Shawwäl 1317 [15 February 1900] The perfect man, the excellent scholar, the high-minded professor, the most erudite Ignaz Goldziher, may God protect him and guard him eternally. My yearning to see you in person has so much filled my heart and embraced my bosom that I am neither capable of giving it a satisfying description nor can my tongue explain it as it would deserve. I received from your Honour, by the hands of our brother, the distinguished Herz Bey, an obliging letter and a distinguished line in which by the kindness of your nature and the gentleness of your character - you placed your confidence and trust in me. I am as grateful to you for this attention as is the garden to the clouds. May God help me in answering what your brilliant talent and critical mind considered as problematical and I ask Him to guide me to the right [answer], 1 can tell that the meaning of the hadith "inna min cibäd Alläh man law aqsama ' aid lldh la-abarrahu"

w is that from the servants of God there are persons from among whom if one of them had asked something from God swearing on him, then God answered his demand and gave him what he wanted and fulfilled it [i.e. his oath] for the merits of righteousness, [i.e. it is] God [who fulfils] and not the swearing person. But this applies only to those who worshipped God with true worship, obeyed His orders and kept away from His prohibitions and were faithful to Him in their work like Uways al-Qaranl and Anas ibn al-Nadr when he swore by God to his Messenger (God bless him and grant him salvation!) that al-Rubayyi

c bint al-Nadr's tooth will not be broken after she had broken the tooth of a young girl. The family of the young girl asked for retaliation upon al-Rubayyi

c, but since Anas had sworn, God inspired the adversaries of al-Rubayyi

c to forgive. So they did forgive, and thus the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him salvation!) did not have her tooth broken. So God fulfilled for Anas his oath and did not disappoint him in his intention. On the contrary, He inspired the adversaries to forgive. This is because God knows about his trust in God's favour and benevolence in [fulfilling] his right not to be disappointed. After the adversaries have forgiven, the Messenger of God (God bless him and grant him salvation!) said "

inna min libäd Alläh man law aqsama 'alá lläh la-abarrahu \ i.e. since He knows him to belong to his sincere servants whom He loves and who love Him, so that His love of them attained [such a high degree] that He (be praised!) grants their requests and listens to their prayers and does not thwart their demands. 1

0 This hadith occurs in all the major collections several times. al-Bukhäri, for example, mentions it seven times of which two occurrences (Tafsir 317 ad Q 68 and Aymän 8) are also quoted by Goldziher (1906), 36. 26