Is an Oath Deemed Null and Void If It Is Broken Once?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

I am a 14-year-old Muslim who works hard. However, a few days ago, I realized something that had been causing me great stress and pain. I made an oath a few years ago (out of nowhere) to memorize ten verses every day. That’s all.

Now, I had mostly forgotten about this, and when I did remember, I read that it had been broken and the oath had been removed or forgiven. However, I need to find out if this is correct. I have paid kaffara and heard that oaths are removed once broken.

Is this to say that I still have to memorize ten verses daily until I become a Hafiz? This is extremely difficult, and I will soon begin GCSEs. I worry about physical harm, like I have no appetite. I am constantly stressed.

Answer

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

Yes. An oath, once broken, is voided and no longer remains in effect. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

You are no longer obliged to memorize the ten verses since the oath was broken and expiated for. However, this should not stop you from the initial intention that caused the oath in the first place.

If you made the oath due to a desire to memorize the Quran and still have that desire, if you feel you can do it, you should take small steps towards that goal.

Virtues of Memorizing the Quran

The virtues of memorizing the Quran are immense. These virtues extend to this world as well. The blessing and favor Allah Most High shows to the one who has dedicated themself to the memorization of the Quran is great.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed from the magnification of Allah Most High is the honoring of the elderly Muslim, the carrier of the Quran (the one who memorized it) who does not transgress its limits and has not turned away from it, and the honoring of the just authority figure.” [Abu Dawud]

A Sign of Guidance

The desire to do something so beloved to Allah Most High has come into your heart, which is a sign that Allah Most High wants good for you through this avenue and others.

Allah Most High says, “Surely this (Quran) is only a reminder to the whole world—to whoever of you wills to take the Straight Way. But you cannot will (to do so), except by the Will of Allah, the Lord of all worlds.” [Quran, 81:27-29]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.