He swore to his companion that he would eat with him, but the companion refused. Does he break his oath?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Regarding an oath of hospitality, does the other person break the oath? For example, if I swear to a person that I will honor him, and he refuses, do I break my oath?

Answer:
Yes. If you swear to a person that he will do something and he does not do it, then you break your oath and you owe the expiation. This is the same as if you swore that he would eat from this food, or that he would enter your house, and he refused. According to the majority of scholars, you are required to pay the expiation. However, the Shaykh al-Islam chose the opinion that if you swore that he would sit here in this place, and he did not, you do not break your oath because you honored him, since the act of honoring took place, even if the person you swore about did not do what was asked of him. But the majority say no, because he contradicted the oath, and this constitutes breaking the oath.