Can A Person Make Such Oath/Swear
You’re right that in the hadith the Prophet ﷺ did not explicitly say, “I declare this haram for myself.” He said words like “I will not do it” and took an oath. But in Islamic law, the issue is not the exact sentence used — it is the legal implication of the act. When a person takes an oath to permanently abstain from something that Allah has declared lawful, the effect of that oath is treating a halal thing as haram upon oneself, even if the word “haram” is never spoken. That is precisely why the Qur’an intervened. Surah al-Tahrim does not criticize the Prophet ﷺ for the wording of his statement; it corrects the principle behind it — that no one, not even a prophet, may bind themselves in a way that effectively changes Allah’s boundaries. This is also why the verse immediately explains the law of expiation for oaths, and then addresses the believers generally: if you take such an oath, break it properly, do not live under it. So the lesson is not that every promise becomes haram — rather: A personal promise or reassurance to a spouse is allowed. But an oath that permanently forbids a lawful matter upon oneself is not meant to be upheld; it should be broken with kaffarah. Also, hadith are always tied to context. This incident happened in a very specific domestic situation involving the Prophet ﷺ, whose personal actions could unintentionally become religious precedent for the ummah. That risk does not exist in the same way for ordinary people, which is why the Qur’an clarified the rule immediately — to prevent misunderstanding. Allah does not declare things haram without reason, and He does not want His servants to burden themselves unnecessarily. Islam regulates outcomes and meanings, not just literal words. The core principle remains:You may make personal commitments, but you may not turn what Allah made halal into a permanent self-prohibition.