My father breaks many oaths; is it permissible for me to pay the expiation for him with his knowledge, and then inform him that I have paid the expiation of the oath on his behalf?
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The questioner : My father breaks many oaths; is it permissible for me to pay the expiation for him without his knowledge, and then inform him that I have paid the expiation of the oath on his behalf?
The Shaykh : First, I advise your father to stop swearing so much. If he is afflicted with frequent swearing, let him pair it with saying "if Allah wills." When a person swears to something and says "if Allah wills," he does not break the oath. He also gains another benefit from saying "if Allah wills," which is that Allah facilitates for him what he intended. It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Sulayman ibn Dawud, the noble prophet, said, "By Allah, I will go around tonight with ninety women, and each one of them will give birth to a boy who will fight in the cause of Allah." It was said to him, "Say: if Allah wills." He did not say it, so he went around with the ninety women, and one of them gave birth to a half-person, and not a single complete child came to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 3856Sahih (Darussalam) So, advise your father to stop swearing so much. If he is afflicted with frequent swearing, let him pair his oath with saying "if Allah wills" so that he is not obligated to pay an expiation if he breaks his oath.
As for paying the expiation on his behalf, it is known that the expiation is only obligatory upon the one who swore. He is the one responsible for it, and he is the one who must perform it for himself. If you want to perform it on his behalf, inform him first before you perform it, and say to him: "I want to pay the expiation for the oath you broke." If he remains silent and does not prevent you, and you perform it on his behalf, there is no blame on you. However, if you perform it on his behalf first, before he authorizes you, and then inform him of it and he approves it, this is a matter of hesitation for me. It may be said that there is no harm in it because he approved it. It may also be said that it does not benefit him, because performing an obligatory religious duty requires the intention of the one upon whom it is obligatory, and here there is no intention from the one upon whom it is obligatory. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The second question is from a listener named Mashal, who says that.
The Shaykh : First, I advise your father to stop swearing so much. If he is afflicted with frequent swearing, let him pair it with saying "if Allah wills." When a person swears to something and says "if Allah wills," he does not break the oath. He also gains another benefit from saying "if Allah wills," which is that Allah facilitates for him what he intended. It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Sulayman ibn Dawud, the noble prophet, said, "By Allah, I will go around tonight with ninety women, and each one of them will give birth to a boy who will fight in the cause of Allah." It was said to him, "Say: if Allah wills." He did not say it, so he went around with the ninety women, and one of them gave birth to a half-person, and not a single complete child came to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If he had said: 'If Allah wills,' he would not have broken his vow, and this would have been a means to help him to get what he wanted.
لو قال: إن شاء الله لم يحنث، وكان درَكاً لحاجته، ولقاتلوا في سبيل اللهAs for paying the expiation on his behalf, it is known that the expiation is only obligatory upon the one who swore. He is the one responsible for it, and he is the one who must perform it for himself. If you want to perform it on his behalf, inform him first before you perform it, and say to him: "I want to pay the expiation for the oath you broke." If he remains silent and does not prevent you, and you perform it on his behalf, there is no blame on you. However, if you perform it on his behalf first, before he authorizes you, and then inform him of it and he approves it, this is a matter of hesitation for me. It may be said that there is no harm in it because he approved it. It may also be said that it does not benefit him, because performing an obligatory religious duty requires the intention of the one upon whom it is obligatory, and here there is no intention from the one upon whom it is obligatory. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The second question is from a listener named Mashal, who says that.