The Ruling on the Expiation for an Oath and Is It Permissible in Money?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Is it permissible to pay the expiation for an oath in money? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The Shaykh: The expiation for an oath is not paid in money. Allah has clarified it in His great Book. He, the Exalted, says: [Al-Ma'idah: 89]. This is the expiation for an oath that Allah has clarified in His great Book: food, or clothing, or freeing a slave. So whoever cannot do so fasts for three days. If he is poor and unable, he fasts for three days.
Some of the common people think that fasting comes first. No, fasting does not come first. What comes first is feeding, clothing, and freeing a slave. This is what comes first. And whoever is unable to do the three, whether male or female, fasts for three days. And whoever is not unable, it is obligatory for him to feed, or clothe, or free a slave.
Feeding ten poor people from the middle of the food of his household, the middle of the food that he consumes, whether he eats corn, or rice, or barley, or something else. And likewise, if he clothes them, he clothes them with clothing that suffices them for prayer, or he frees a slave.
As for money, no, he does not pay in money. This is the position of the majority of the scholars, and it is the truth; because this is contrary to what Allah has prescribed. Money is contrary to what Allah has prescribed. So it is obligatory to give what was mentioned before, of food, or clothing, or freeing a slave. So whoever is unable fasts for three days. As for money, no.
Q: Is the disagreement regarding the choice?
There is a disagreement regarding fasting for three days: some of them hold that they must be consecutive, and this is well known from Ibn Mas'ud: three consecutive days. And some of the scholars said: it is not a condition. But fasting them consecutively is more preferable and more cautious, and it is the saying of a group of the scholars, and it is well known from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. So what should be done is that they be consecutive, three consecutive days. This is what should be done by the believing man and the believing woman.
Is it permissible to pay the expiation for an oath in money? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The Shaykh: The expiation for an oath is not paid in money. Allah has clarified it in His great Book. He, the Exalted, says:
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
لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا عَقَّدْتُمُ الْأَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْSome of the common people think that fasting comes first. No, fasting does not come first. What comes first is feeding, clothing, and freeing a slave. This is what comes first. And whoever is unable to do the three, whether male or female, fasts for three days. And whoever is not unable, it is obligatory for him to feed, or clothe, or free a slave.
Feeding ten poor people from the middle of the food of his household, the middle of the food that he consumes, whether he eats corn, or rice, or barley, or something else. And likewise, if he clothes them, he clothes them with clothing that suffices them for prayer, or he frees a slave.
As for money, no, he does not pay in money. This is the position of the majority of the scholars, and it is the truth; because this is contrary to what Allah has prescribed. Money is contrary to what Allah has prescribed. So it is obligatory to give what was mentioned before, of food, or clothing, or freeing a slave. So whoever is unable fasts for three days. As for money, no.
Q: Is the disagreement regarding the choice?
There is a disagreement regarding fasting for three days: some of them hold that they must be consecutive, and this is well known from Ibn Mas'ud: three consecutive days. And some of the scholars said: it is not a condition. But fasting them consecutively is more preferable and more cautious, and it is the saying of a group of the scholars, and it is well known from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. So what should be done is that they be consecutive, three consecutive days. This is what should be done by the believing man and the believing woman.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.