Is a pledge to abandon a sin considered an oath that requires expiation?
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Question:
If someone says, "I pledge to Allah that I will abandon this sin," but then returns to it, is this an oath for which an expiation is required?
Answer:
Yes, a covenant with Allah is an oath. If one makes a covenant with Allah that he will not do such-and-such, and then he does it, he owes the expiation for an oath. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:[At-Tawbah 9:75-77] because they broke their covenant with Allah, which they had promised, and because they used to lie. So if one makes a covenant with Allah, it is an oath, and it is obligatory for him to fulfill it. Fulfill the covenant with Allah when you make covenants with Him. [Al-Isra 17:34] It is obligatory to fulfill the covenant with people, so how much more so is it obligatory to fulfill the covenant with Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He? Yes.
If someone says, "I pledge to Allah that I will abandon this sin," but then returns to it, is this an oath for which an expiation is required?
Answer:
Yes, a covenant with Allah is an oath. If one makes a covenant with Allah that he will not do such-and-such, and then he does it, he owes the expiation for an oath. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:
(75) And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous." (76) But when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused. (77) So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him
وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِن فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ فَلَمَّا آتَاهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُAnd fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned.
وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل المعاهدة على ترك الذنب تعتبر حلفًا ويترتب عليه كفارة؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.