The Ruling on Breaking an Oath for the Purpose of Reconciliation Between People

Question:
He also asks: What is the ruling on one who swears an oath while acting as a reconciler between two parties, and then breaks it?

Answer:
This is a general statement, but it is explained according to what the expression entails. If he says, “By Allah, I will not do such and such,” or “I will not visit you,” or “By Allah, I will help you with such and such,” or “By Allah, so-and-so did not do such and such,” or “he did not do such and such,” in the course of reconciliation, then his oath, with the intention of reconciliation, is an oath that harms no one, and there is no blame on him for that. Or if he says, “By Allah, so-and-so said such and such about you,” or “By Allah, the group praised you and thanked you, saying, ‘He is our companion,’ and so on,” to reconcile between them; or if he says, “By Allah, I will visit you and help you with the task if you reconcile and leave this discord,” then he must fulfill this for them, because a promise has its significance, and fulfilling a promise is among the characteristics of the believer. Allah said regarding Isma'il: [Maryam:54].
He should not break the promise, because breaking a promise is among the characteristics of the people of hypocrisy. The hypocrite, when he promises, breaks his word. If he breaks it, he owes the expiation for an oath, in addition to being described with the characteristics of the people of hypocrisy in breaking the promise. He also owes the expiation for the oath if he says, “By Allah, I will visit you on such and such a day,” or “By Allah, I will help you,” and does not do so. He owes the expiation for the oath, and he bears the disgrace of breaking the promise. He may commit a sin, according to the one who says that fulfilling a promise is obligatory, which is the apparent indication of the evidence. Or he may not commit a sin, but he has fallen into one of the characteristics of the people of hypocrisy, which he should avoid. The apparent indication of the Shari'ah evidence is that fulfilling a promise is obligatory, and breaking it is forbidden, and it is among the characteristics of the people of hypocrisy. Therefore, it is not befitting for the reconciler or the one who guides to break a promise, because this undermines future reconciliations. He should never break a promise; rather, he should fulfill the promise and strive to do so.
And so with the other oaths: whatever of them is a lie for the sake of reconciliation, and no harm results to anyone, there is no blame on him in the reconciliation itself. This is as in the authentic hadith from Umm Kulthum, the daughter of 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt. She said: I heard the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say: She said: So, in reconciliation, a lie that does not harm people is permissible, but it benefits the group by reconciling between them and does not harm others. Yes.