If a person swears an oath regarding something he believed to be true, and it later becomes clear that the opposite of what he swore to is the case, is the expiation obligatory upon him?
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The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. If a person swears an oath regarding a matter, believing that what he swore to is true, but it later becomes clear that the opposite of what he swore to is the case, is the expiation obligatory upon him?
The Shaykh:
If he swore regarding a matter, believing that he was truthful in it, whether in negation or affirmation, then there is no sin upon him; because he did not intend to lie. This falls under the category of the idle oath (laghw al-yamin) about which Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:225]. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Did you remind us about the expiation, Shaykh Salim?
The Shaykh:
There is no expiation in this case. Swearing regarding a past matter, whether by negation or affirmation, if one is lying intentionally, then there is sin in it, and its expiation is repentance, seeking forgiveness, and not returning to it. However, if the oath is regarding a future possible matter, then this is the oath that is established, and the expiation becomes obligatory if one violates it. For example, if he swears that he will do something and does not do it, or swears that he will not do something and does it, then the expiation is obligatory upon him.
The presenter:
So, in a case like this, the expiation you mentioned is not obligatory.
The Shaykh:
For a past matter, whether negated or affirmed, the expiation is not obligatory. But if it was intentional, then she is sinful and must repent and seek forgiveness. If it was not intentional, then there is no sin upon her?
The presenter:
Praise be to Allah. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. If a person swears an oath regarding a matter, believing that what he swore to is true, but it later becomes clear that the opposite of what he swore to is the case, is the expiation obligatory upon him?
The Shaykh:
If he swore regarding a matter, believing that he was truthful in it, whether in negation or affirmation, then there is no sin upon him; because he did not intend to lie. This falls under the category of the idle oath (laghw al-yamin) about which Allah the Exalted said:
Allah does not impose blame upon you for what is unintentional in your oaths
لَّا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْThe questioner:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Did you remind us about the expiation, Shaykh Salim?
The Shaykh:
There is no expiation in this case. Swearing regarding a past matter, whether by negation or affirmation, if one is lying intentionally, then there is sin in it, and its expiation is repentance, seeking forgiveness, and not returning to it. However, if the oath is regarding a future possible matter, then this is the oath that is established, and the expiation becomes obligatory if one violates it. For example, if he swears that he will do something and does not do it, or swears that he will not do something and does it, then the expiation is obligatory upon him.
The presenter:
So, in a case like this, the expiation you mentioned is not obligatory.
The Shaykh:
For a past matter, whether negated or affirmed, the expiation is not obligatory. But if it was intentional, then she is sinful and must repent and seek forgiveness. If it was not intentional, then there is no sin upon her?
The presenter:
Praise be to Allah. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، إذا حلف الإنسان على أمر كان يعتقده، فاتضح بعد ذلك عكس ما حلف عليه، هل تجب عليه الكفارة؟ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.