I am married, and I swore an oath and uttered the words "it is haram (forbidden) for me" regarding one of my friends, requiring him to do a certain action, and this action contains nothing of the haram or the forbidden.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I am married, and I swore an oath and uttered the words "it is haram (forbidden) for me" regarding one of my friends, requiring him to do a certain action, and this action contains nothing of the haram or the forbidden. However, out of some stubbornness, this friend refused to do the action I swore about. What is obligatory for me, O honorable Shaykh, in this case?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Before I answer the brother's question, I would like to offer advice to my Muslim brothers to be cautious about uttering such phrases as "it is haram (forbidden) for me" or the like, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Tahrim 66:1] and His saying the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah 5:87] Therefore, a person should not use these phrases in his oaths. If he does use them, we tell him: if you intended an oath, then the ruling of that statement is the ruling of an oath. If what you said comes to pass, then you owe nothing. If it does not come to pass, then you must pay the expiation for an oath. The expiation for an oath is one of four matters: three are by choice and one is in sequence. As for the three that are by choice, they are mentioned in the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah 5:89] One is given the choice between these three matters: if he wishes, he feeds ten poor people; if he wishes, he clothes them; or if he wishes, he frees a slave. As for feeding them, he is given the choice between cooking a meal for lunch or dinner and inviting them to eat it, or giving them food, such as rice, because it is among the middling foods we feed our people. The amount is six kilograms, and it is good to include some meat with it to make it substantial. As for clothing, he clothes these ten poor people with what is considered clothing by custom, and customs differ, meaning that clothing varies from place to place.
As for freeing a slave, it is known that one buys a slave or has a slave owned by him previously, and he frees him for this expiation.[Al-Baqarah 2:196] Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) recited: "so fasting three consecutive days" This is the expiation for an oath. So if one forbids something, then its expiation is this, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [At-Tahrim 66:1-2] Thus, Allah the Exalted made forbidding something an oath. Yes.
The questioner : We move on to a message sent by the listener Muqbil Jarad from North Yemen, Sa'dah. He says in his message: Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Before I answer the brother's question, I would like to offer advice to my Muslim brothers to be cautious about uttering such phrases as "it is haram (forbidden) for me" or the like, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ تَبْتَغِي مَرْضَاةَ أَزْوَاجِكَ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌO you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُوا لا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَSo its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave
فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍAs for freeing a slave, it is known that one buys a slave or has a slave owned by him previously, and he frees him for this expiation.
And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days
فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ(1) O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (2) Allah has already ordained for you [Muslims] the dissolution of your oaths
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ تَبْتَغِي مَرْضَاةَ أَزْوَاجِكَ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ * قَدْ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ تَحِلَّةَ أَيْمَانِكُمْThe questioner : We move on to a message sent by the listener Muqbil Jarad from North Yemen, Sa'dah. He says in his message: Honorable Shaykh.