The Ruling on Delaying the Feeding in Expiation
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Question:
One of the expiations for breaking an oath is feeding ten poor people. Is it permissible to feed one of them now and the rest after a week, because ten poor people may not be available all at once? And if I feed one person ten times, does that count as having fed ten poor people?
Answer:
It is obligatory to seek out ten people, so if you feed one person and repeat that, it is not sufficient; rather, it must be ten, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said in His Noble Book in Surat al-Ma'idah:[Al-Ma'idah 5:89]
It is necessary to seek out the ten, even if it takes multiple days. However, one must hasten to do so as much as possible. If feeding them is spread out over different days, there is no harm in that. But you must strive and seek out ten, and hasten to discharge the expiation. Alternatively, you may clothe them with clothing that is sufficient for prayer, or provide them with lunch or dinner, for this is sufficient according to the aforementioned verse.
One of the expiations for breaking an oath is feeding ten poor people. Is it permissible to feed one of them now and the rest after a week, because ten poor people may not be available all at once? And if I feed one person ten times, does that count as having fed ten poor people?
Answer:
It is obligatory to seek out ten people, so if you feed one person and repeat that, it is not sufficient; rather, it must be ten, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said in His Noble Book in Surat al-Ma'idah:
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
لاَ يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الأَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍIt is necessary to seek out the ten, even if it takes multiple days. However, one must hasten to do so as much as possible. If feeding them is spread out over different days, there is no harm in that. But you must strive and seek out ten, and hasten to discharge the expiation. Alternatively, you may clothe them with clothing that is sufficient for prayer, or provide them with lunch or dinner, for this is sufficient according to the aforementioned verse.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.