If a person swears to do something and then realizes that it is not beneficial, should he abandon it and fast for three days?
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The questioner : If a person swears to do something and then realizes that it is not beneficial, should he abandon it and fast for three days? And when he fasts, should these three days be consecutive, or one day in each week, for example? We ask for guidance, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : If a person swears to something, it may be obligatory for him to break his oath, it may be forbidden for him to break his oath, it may be that breaking the oath is the stronger position, or it may be that not breaking it is the stronger position. If he swears to do something forbidden, it is not permissible for him to do it, because an oath does not make the forbidden permissible. In this case, it is obligatory for him to break his oath. If he swears not to pray in congregation, and he is one for whom congregational prayer is obligatory, then the congregation is not dropped from him by his oath; rather, it is obligatory for him to pray, and this is breaking the oath. So, breaking the oath is obligatory when the oath involves dropping an obligation or doing a forbidden act. Sometimes breaking the oath is the stronger position, such as if he swears to leave a recommended practice (sunnah) and says, "By Allah, I will not pray the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) after the midday prayer." We would tell him: Pray, because an oath does not drop the recommendation of what is recommended. Sometimes not breaking the oath is the stronger position, meaning it is stronger for the person to remain with his oath, and that is the original rule. The original rule is that a person is required to keep his oath and not break it, especially if he swears to leave something where leaving it is better; in that case, it is better for him to leave it.
From these guidelines, the answer to the questioner's question can become clear, but we clarify it anyway. We say: If he swears to something and sees that there is no benefit in it and that leaving it is better, it is better for him to break his oath. In this case, he must pay the expiation (kaffarah). However, the expiation for an oath is not, as the questioner said, to fast for three days. Rather, the expiation for an oath consists of four things: three in which he has a choice, and the fourth in a specific order. The three in which he has a choice are feeding, clothing, and freeing a slave. The fourth is fasting if he does not find these three. Let us listen to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:89] These are three in which he has a choice: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave [Al-Ma'idah 5:89] But how do we feed the poor people? We have two ways to feed them. The first way is to prepare a lunch or dinner and invite ten poor people to eat lunch or dinner.
The second way is to give them uncooked food, and the amount is a quarter of a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) by the Prophet's sa' of rice or wheat. A quarter of the Prophet's sa' is equivalent to five sa' by our known sa' here, meaning that one sa' is for five poor people. So, it is one-fifth of the sa' currently available to us, or a quarter of the Prophet's sa' is approximately one kilogram of rice. This amount of rice is distributed to the poor people. It is good to include with it something to sustain them, such as meat or other food. There is no difference whether these ten poor people are in one house or in separate houses.
The questioner : For example, if they were a family, Your Eminence?
The Shaykh : If they were a family, for example, ten people, he gives them the entire expiation, and that is sufficient.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : As for if he does not find them—if he does not find poor people, or does not find what to feed them or clothe them, or does not find a slave, either because he cannot afford its price or because there are no slaves—then in this case, he fasts for three days. They must be consecutive, and he does not separate them except for a valid religious excuse. The evidence for this is the recitation of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:196] He used to recite it: Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : If a person swears to something, it may be obligatory for him to break his oath, it may be forbidden for him to break his oath, it may be that breaking the oath is the stronger position, or it may be that not breaking it is the stronger position. If he swears to do something forbidden, it is not permissible for him to do it, because an oath does not make the forbidden permissible. In this case, it is obligatory for him to break his oath. If he swears not to pray in congregation, and he is one for whom congregational prayer is obligatory, then the congregation is not dropped from him by his oath; rather, it is obligatory for him to pray, and this is breaking the oath. So, breaking the oath is obligatory when the oath involves dropping an obligation or doing a forbidden act. Sometimes breaking the oath is the stronger position, such as if he swears to leave a recommended practice (sunnah) and says, "By Allah, I will not pray the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) after the midday prayer." We would tell him: Pray, because an oath does not drop the recommendation of what is recommended. Sometimes not breaking the oath is the stronger position, meaning it is stronger for the person to remain with his oath, and that is the original rule. The original rule is that a person is required to keep his oath and not break it, especially if he swears to leave something where leaving it is better; in that case, it is better for him to leave it.
From these guidelines, the answer to the questioner's question can become clear, but we clarify it anyway. We say: If he swears to something and sees that there is no benefit in it and that leaving it is better, it is better for him to break his oath. In this case, he must pay the expiation (kaffarah). However, the expiation for an oath is not, as the questioner said, to fast for three days. Rather, the expiation for an oath consists of four things: three in which he has a choice, and the fourth in a specific order. The three in which he has a choice are feeding, clothing, and freeing a slave. The fourth is fasting if he does not find these three. Let us listen 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. So 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
لا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا عَقَّدْتُمُ الأَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍBut whoever cannot find [or afford it] - then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths
فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْThe second way is to give them uncooked food, and the amount is a quarter of a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) by the Prophet's sa' of rice or wheat. A quarter of the Prophet's sa' is equivalent to five sa' by our known sa' here, meaning that one sa' is for five poor people. So, it is one-fifth of the sa' currently available to us, or a quarter of the Prophet's sa' is approximately one kilogram of rice. This amount of rice is distributed to the poor people. It is good to include with it something to sustain them, such as meat or other food. There is no difference whether these ten poor people are in one house or in separate houses.
The questioner : For example, if they were a family, Your Eminence?
The Shaykh : If they were a family, for example, ten people, he gives them the entire expiation, and that is sufficient.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : As for if he does not find them—if he does not find poor people, or does not find what to feed them or clothe them, or does not find a slave, either because he cannot afford its price or because there are no slaves—then in this case, he fasts for three days. They must be consecutive, and he does not separate them except for a valid religious excuse. The evidence for this is the recitation of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
a fast of three days
فَصِيَامُ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍSo fasting three consecutive days
فصيام ثلاثة أيام متتابعةThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you.