Warning Against Oaths and Explanation of Their Expiation
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Regarding the expiation of oaths, we want you to teach us what its amount is? A person sometimes swears by Allah and then does not fulfill his oath. If I do not know the exact number, what is obligatory upon me?
First: We must know that a person should not frequently make oaths, for Allah mentioned the frequent making of oaths in a form of blame, saying: [Al-Qalam: 10] And some scholars said regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah: 89] meaning: Do not make many oaths.
Second: If it happens that he swears, let him connect his oath by saying: "If Allah wills"; because if he connects his oath by saying "If Allah wills," he does not break it, even if he contradicts what he swore to. This is an easy matter. If a person accustoms his tongue to saying "If Allah wills" with every oath, it becomes easy for him.
Third: If he swears, the oath is of two types: an oath not intended, which is what passes from a person without intention,For example, he says: Are you going with me to so-and-so?He said: No, by Allah! I am not going. Sit down?He said: No, by Allah! I am not sitting. This is not an oath for which one is held accountable, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah: 89] And you did not resolve it in your heart, but it passed on your tongue out of habit. This does not harm.
Fourth: An oath regarding the past does not have an expiation. But if the person is truthful, he is a truthful, pious person. And if he is lying, he is sinful,If you say: By Allah! I did not do such-and-such. Here, there is no expiation upon you, even if you did it; because it is regarding something in the past. There is absolutely no expiation for the past. But either you are truthful, and you are pious, or you are lying, and you are sinful.
If the oath is regarding the future, and you intended to make it with a firm intention, and you did not say "If Allah wills" in it, and then you contradicted what you swore to, then the expiation is upon you.
The expiation is of four types: Feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave, or fasting three days. But the first three are a choice; do whichever you wish of them. And the fourth, which is fasting, is if you are unable to do the first three, then fast three days.
Feeding ten poor people has two manners: The first manner: That you prepare food, lunch or dinner, and then invite ten people to eat lunch or dinner.
The second manner: That you give the ten people food, rice with meat. Two and a half sa' of rice with meat is sufficient for the ten people.
If you swore multiple oaths, if the thing sworn upon is one thing, one expiation suffices for you. And if it is multiple, then there is an expiation for each oath.An example of that is: If you said: By Allah! I will not enter this house.
This is an oath,Then another person met you and said: Let's go to so-and-so.
I said: By Allah! I will not enter his house.
This is an oath,Then a third person said to you: Let's go to so-and-so.
So I said: By Allah! I will not enter his house.
This is also a third oath, but the thing sworn upon is one thing. This suffices you with one expiation; because the thing sworn upon is one thing.
As for when the thing sworn upon is multiple, we look: if the oath is one, one expiation suffices.For example, you say: By Allah, I will not enter this house, nor will I speak to so-and-so, nor will I ride this car.
The thing sworn upon is now multiple, but the oath is one. This also suffices him with one expiation.
As for when the oaths and the things sworn upon are multiple, then you have an expiation for each one. And if you doubt whether you have ten expiations or five, make it five; because the certainty is what is known, and what is more is doubtful.
First: We must know that a person should not frequently make oaths, for Allah mentioned the frequent making of oaths in a form of blame, saying:
And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer
وَلا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَهِينٍAnd keep your oaths
وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْSecond: If it happens that he swears, let him connect his oath by saying: "If Allah wills"; because if he connects his oath by saying "If Allah wills," he does not break it, even if he contradicts what he swore to. This is an easy matter. If a person accustoms his tongue to saying "If Allah wills" with every oath, it becomes easy for him.
Third: If he swears, the oath is of two types: an oath not intended, which is what passes from a person without intention,For example, he says: Are you going with me to so-and-so?He said: No, by Allah! I am not going. Sit down?He said: No, by Allah! I am not sitting. This is not an oath for which one is held accountable, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Allah 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
لا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا عَقَّدْتُمُ الْأَيْمَانَFourth: An oath regarding the past does not have an expiation. But if the person is truthful, he is a truthful, pious person. And if he is lying, he is sinful,If you say: By Allah! I did not do such-and-such. Here, there is no expiation upon you, even if you did it; because it is regarding something in the past. There is absolutely no expiation for the past. But either you are truthful, and you are pious, or you are lying, and you are sinful.
If the oath is regarding the future, and you intended to make it with a firm intention, and you did not say "If Allah wills" in it, and then you contradicted what you swore to, then the expiation is upon you.
The expiation is of four types: Feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave, or fasting three days. But the first three are a choice; do whichever you wish of them. And the fourth, which is fasting, is if you are unable to do the first three, then fast three days.
Feeding ten poor people has two manners: The first manner: That you prepare food, lunch or dinner, and then invite ten people to eat lunch or dinner.
The second manner: That you give the ten people food, rice with meat. Two and a half sa' of rice with meat is sufficient for the ten people.
If you swore multiple oaths, if the thing sworn upon is one thing, one expiation suffices for you. And if it is multiple, then there is an expiation for each oath.An example of that is: If you said: By Allah! I will not enter this house.
This is an oath,Then another person met you and said: Let's go to so-and-so.
I said: By Allah! I will not enter his house.
This is an oath,Then a third person said to you: Let's go to so-and-so.
So I said: By Allah! I will not enter his house.
This is also a third oath, but the thing sworn upon is one thing. This suffices you with one expiation; because the thing sworn upon is one thing.
As for when the thing sworn upon is multiple, we look: if the oath is one, one expiation suffices.For example, you say: By Allah, I will not enter this house, nor will I speak to so-and-so, nor will I ride this car.
The thing sworn upon is now multiple, but the oath is one. This also suffices him with one expiation.
As for when the oaths and the things sworn upon are multiple, then you have an expiation for each one. And if you doubt whether you have ten expiations or five, make it five; because the certainty is what is known, and what is more is doubtful.