The Method of Expiation for an Oath and the Ruling on Paying It in Cash
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner (A. S.) asks: What is the method for feeding or clothing ten poor people? Is it required that they be from separate households, or is it sufficient if they are from one household? Is it possible for money to take the place of feeding or clothing?
Answer:
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) made the expiation for an oath to be feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said in Surat al-Ma'idah: [Al-Ma'idah: 89] the verse.
If a person swears an oath that he will not do such-and-such, or that he will do such-and-such, or that he will not speak to so-and-so, and then he breaks his oath; he must pay this expiation. If he says, "By Allah, I will not visit so-and-so," and then visits him, or "By Allah, I will not travel," and then travels, or the like of that; this expiation is upon him: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. He has the choice among the three. The feeding is half a sa' for each person, which is one and a half kilograms of the staple food of the land, whether dates, rice, wheat, or barley. Half a sa', one and a half kilograms for each person, whether in one house or in multiple houses.
If there is one house with ten poor people, a woman and her poor children, or a man and his poor children, ten in total, that is sufficient. Or two houses, with five in each house, and he gives to them, that is sufficient. Or he clothes them, giving each person an izar (lower garment) and a rida' (upper garment), or a shirt, that is sufficient. Likewise, freeing a slave if it is facilitated; freeing a slave is sufficient. If he cannot do this, nor that, nor that; he fasts for three days. It is better for these days to be consecutive. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
The questioner (A. S.) asks: What is the method for feeding or clothing ten poor people? Is it required that they be from separate households, or is it sufficient if they are from one household? Is it possible for money to take the place of feeding or clothing?
Answer:
Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) made the expiation for an oath to be feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said 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. 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 أَيْمَانَكُمْIf a person swears an oath that he will not do such-and-such, or that he will do such-and-such, or that he will not speak to so-and-so, and then he breaks his oath; he must pay this expiation. If he says, "By Allah, I will not visit so-and-so," and then visits him, or "By Allah, I will not travel," and then travels, or the like of that; this expiation is upon him: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. He has the choice among the three. The feeding is half a sa' for each person, which is one and a half kilograms of the staple food of the land, whether dates, rice, wheat, or barley. Half a sa', one and a half kilograms for each person, whether in one house or in multiple houses.
If there is one house with ten poor people, a woman and her poor children, or a man and his poor children, ten in total, that is sufficient. Or two houses, with five in each house, and he gives to them, that is sufficient. Or he clothes them, giving each person an izar (lower garment) and a rida' (upper garment), or a shirt, that is sufficient. Likewise, freeing a slave if it is facilitated; freeing a slave is sufficient. If he cannot do this, nor that, nor that; he fasts for three days. It is better for these days to be consecutive. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.