Do I Need to Expiate for a Broken Oath by Mistake?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

A girl asked me if I had this thing of hers, so I checked, and I couldn’t find it, so I said no. She said, “Check again,” so I checked again but still couldn’t find it, so I said no.

Everyone was looking at me, and her whole gang surrounded me. I was feeling really scared and wanted this to just be finished, so I said, “Wallah, I don’t have it.” But then, when I went home and was just looking again, I saw it.

I was so horrified that I didn’t see it at that time. Do I have to do the consequences of breaking an oath, or does this not count because it was on purpose?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

No. You are not required to do any expiation for this oath as you affirmed something that you believed to be true.

This is known as the frivolous (or unintentional) oath (al-yamin al-laghw). Regarding this oath, Allah Most High says,

“Allah will not hold you accountable for unintentional oaths, but for what you intended in your hearts. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Forbearing.” [Quran; 2:225]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.