The Expiation for an Oath and the Difference Between the Poor and the Needy
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
We move on to a message received from the city of Buraydah. The questioner (J. R.) asks: What is the expiation for swearing an oath? Are the workers who come to our country from abroad considered among the poor or the needy? And what is the difference between the poor and the needy?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter: This is the first paragraph, Your Eminence, the Shaykh, please proceed.
Answer:
The expiation for an oath is well known; Allah explained it in His great Book in Surat al-Ma'idah. He said—(Exalted and Majestic is He): [al-Ma'idah: 89]. The Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) explained it. The expiation for an oath is feeding ten needy people, each needy person receiving half a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of dates or something similar from the staple food of the country, or clothing consisting of a shirt, or an izar (lower garment) and a rida' (upper garment) for each person, or freeing a male or female slave. If one is unable to do any of these three, he fasts for three days. This is the expiation for an oath. Yes.
The presenter: He asks: Are the workers who come to our country from abroad considered among the poor or the needy? And what is the difference between the poor and the needy?
Answer: There is a detailed ruling regarding them: One who is known to be poor is given from zakah (the obligatory alms), provided he is a Muslim. He is given from zakah and voluntary charity if his livelihood is small, or if he has no livelihood, or if a livelihood has not become easy for him. He is given from voluntary charity whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. However, if he is a Muslim, he is given from zakah and from other sources. If he is a non-Muslim and is poor, it is safer to give him from other than zakah, unless he is a person whose heart is being reconciled (mu'allaf) who has a status such that if he is given from zakah and then embraces Islam, others will follow him in embracing Islam. In that case, there is no harm in giving him from zakah, because Allah has made a right for those whose hearts are being reconciled in zakah. They are the leaders and prominent figures whom others follow. This person is given from zakah. As for individual disbelievers and the general public of disbelievers, they are given from other than zakah if they are in need and poor.
The difference between the poor (faqir) and the needy (miskin) is that the poor person is the one who has nothing at all, or only a very small amount. The needy person, no, he has some of it, but he does not have the full maintenance. So the needy person is in a better state than the poor person.
And if one of them is mentioned generally, the other is included. If "the poor" is said, the needy is included in it. And if "the needy" is said, the poor is included in it. So when the poor and the needy are combined, as in the verse of zakah: [al-Tawbah: 60], the poor person is the one who has nothing at all, or has a very small amount, and the needy person is the one who has some of the maintenance, half of it, or two-thirds of it, meaning he has a good portion of it, but he does not have what completes his year. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence the Shaykh.
We move on to a message received from the city of Buraydah. The questioner (J. R.) asks: What is the expiation for swearing an oath? Are the workers who come to our country from abroad considered among the poor or the needy? And what is the difference between the poor and the needy?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter: This is the first paragraph, Your Eminence, the Shaykh, please proceed.
Answer:
The expiation for an oath is well known; Allah explained it in His great Book in Surat al-Ma'idah. He said—(Exalted and Majestic is He):
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. But 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
لا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا عَقَّدْتُمُ الأَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْThe presenter: He asks: Are the workers who come to our country from abroad considered among the poor or the needy? And what is the difference between the poor and the needy?
Answer: There is a detailed ruling regarding them: One who is known to be poor is given from zakah (the obligatory alms), provided he is a Muslim. He is given from zakah and voluntary charity if his livelihood is small, or if he has no livelihood, or if a livelihood has not become easy for him. He is given from voluntary charity whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. However, if he is a Muslim, he is given from zakah and from other sources. If he is a non-Muslim and is poor, it is safer to give him from other than zakah, unless he is a person whose heart is being reconciled (mu'allaf) who has a status such that if he is given from zakah and then embraces Islam, others will follow him in embracing Islam. In that case, there is no harm in giving him from zakah, because Allah has made a right for those whose hearts are being reconciled in zakah. They are the leaders and prominent figures whom others follow. This person is given from zakah. As for individual disbelievers and the general public of disbelievers, they are given from other than zakah if they are in need and poor.
The difference between the poor (faqir) and the needy (miskin) is that the poor person is the one who has nothing at all, or only a very small amount. The needy person, no, he has some of it, but he does not have the full maintenance. So the needy person is in a better state than the poor person.
And if one of them is mentioned generally, the other is included. If "the poor" is said, the needy is included in it. And if "the needy" is said, the poor is included in it. So when the poor and the needy are combined, as in the verse of zakah:
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِThe presenter : May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence the Shaykh.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.