Some Rulings on the Expiation of an Oath

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

Question:
We move on to other places and other messages as well. A message reached the program from one of the listening brothers, saying: Hammad Abd al-Rahman al-Shawaf from al-Dawadimi.
Our brother sent a somewhat lengthy message as well, and in it he says: I learned of this noble verse, which is the saying of Allah the Exalted:

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. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be grateful.

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 أَيْمَانَكُمْ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

[Al-Ma'idah: 89]. Can a person feed ten poor people, but if he does not find poor people, and he knows only one or two poor people, is it permissible to give the expiation in money to these poor people, or to feed the single poor person ten times because I do not know more than that?
Second: Is it permissible to give the expiation to the poor people as rice, wheat, or raisins without preparing food for them in his house?
Third: Is the expiation to be done in order, or does he choose as he wishes?
I ask you to answer me on these issues. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
It is obligatory to seek out the ten, and it is not permissible to settle for one, even if he repeats it for him ten times; because Allah specified ten poor people,

the feeding of ten needy people

إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ

[Al-Ma'idah: 89]. So it is obligatory to seek them out, even if they are not in his town, or even in another town where he transports it to them. There is no harm in taking it out of the staple food of his town, such as rice, dates, wheat, raisins, dried yogurt, or other staple foods of his town, and giving it to them, or cooking it and inviting them to it. He invites them to cooked, prepared food in his house, even if they are scattered, such as inviting two one day, two another day, four another day, and two another day. There is no harm in that, whether he gathers them or separates them.
It is not permissible to give them dirhams, but rather either food, or clothing, or freeing a slave; this is what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:

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

وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا عَقَّدْتُمُ الأَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ

[al-Ma'idah:89] He is given the choice: if he wishes, he feeds; if he wishes, he clothes; if he wishes, he frees a slave. It is not permissible for him to give them dirhams, but he has only these three options: either feeding, or clothing, or freeing a slave. If he is unable to do any of the three mentioned, he moves to fasting, which is fasting for three days, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has explainedYes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas