Definition of the oath of idle talk and the difference between it and a deliberate oath
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Question:
We return to the question of our brother Ahmad Shu'ban, in which he asks: What is meant by the idle talk in oaths for which Allah does not hold one accountable, and what is the deliberate nature of an oath that makes expiation obligatory when it is broken?
Answer:
Allah the Exalted says:[Al-Baqarah 2:225] except for the face before Him. [Al-Baqarah 2:225] This is in Surat al-Baqarah, and He says in Surat al-Ma'idah: [Al-Ma'idah 5:89].
Idle talk refers to oaths that are not intended, which slip out of a person without intent, such as saying "By Allah, I will not do such and such" or "By Allah, I did not do such and such" without meaning it; these are things that habitually slip out of a person, and there is nothing wrong with them. As for the intended oaths, which a person says deliberately and intentionally, such as "By Allah, I will not burden that person" with the intention of it, or "By Allah, I did not do such and such" with the intention of it, these are the deliberate, complex oaths that the heart earns; the tongue says them and the heart intends them, desires them, and aims at them. For example, "By Allah, I will not burden so-and-so," "By Allah, I will not visit so-and-so," or "By Allah, I did not do such and such," with the intention of it. These are the complex oaths. If it is a lie, and it is not an oath, there is no expiation for it; rather, it is repentance. But if it is regarding a future action that is required, such as "By Allah, I will not burden so-and-so" or "By Allah, I will not visit him," then if he breaks his oath, he owes an expiation. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
We return to the question of our brother Ahmad Shu'ban, in which he asks: What is meant by the idle talk in oaths for which Allah does not hold one accountable, and what is the deliberate nature of an oath that makes expiation obligatory when it is broken?
Answer:
Allah the Exalted says:
Allah does not impose blame upon you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He imposes blame upon you for what your hearts have earned. And Allah is Forgiving and Forbearing.
لَّا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُbut He imposes blame upon you for what your hearts have earned
وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا كَسَبَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْAllah will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths
يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَIdle talk refers to oaths that are not intended, which slip out of a person without intent, such as saying "By Allah, I will not do such and such" or "By Allah, I did not do such and such" without meaning it; these are things that habitually slip out of a person, and there is nothing wrong with them. As for the intended oaths, which a person says deliberately and intentionally, such as "By Allah, I will not burden that person" with the intention of it, or "By Allah, I did not do such and such" with the intention of it, these are the deliberate, complex oaths that the heart earns; the tongue says them and the heart intends them, desires them, and aims at them. For example, "By Allah, I will not burden so-and-so," "By Allah, I will not visit so-and-so," or "By Allah, I did not do such and such," with the intention of it. These are the complex oaths. If it is a lie, and it is not an oath, there is no expiation for it; rather, it is repentance. But if it is regarding a future action that is required, such as "By Allah, I will not burden so-and-so" or "By Allah, I will not visit him," then if he breaks his oath, he owes an expiation. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ ابن باز Alsheikh Binbaz»، 3688 - تعريف يمين اللغو والفرق بينها وبين عقد اليمين - نور على الدرب — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.