Expiation for an Oath: Is it permissible to give the entire expiation to two or three people, and is it necessary that it be in the same country where the person resides?

Question:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Regarding the expiation for an oath, is it necessary to feed ten poor people, or is it permissible to give the entire expiation to two or three? And is it necessary that it be in the same country where the person resides?

Answer:
For the expiation of an oath, it is necessary to include the number of poor people specified by Allah, which is ten, by feeding ten poor people, giving each poor person half a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of food, which is approximately one and a half kilograms of the staple food of the country. If he limits it to some of them, this expiation is not valid for him until he completes the ten, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) specified feeding ten poor people, or clothing them by giving each poor person a garment if he is in a country where garments are worn, or an izar (lower garment) and a rida' (upper garment) if he is in a country where the izar and rida' are worn, or freeing a slave. He has a choice between these three things. If he does not find any of these three, he fasts for three days. Thus, it combines a choice and a sequence: a choice among the three attributes—feeding, clothing, and freeing—and a sequence between these three and fasting. It is not necessary to pay the expiation for the oath in the country where he is; if he pays it in another country, that is sufficient. Yes.