Is Expiation Required for Breaking a Conditional Promise Made to Allah?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Is expiation (kaffara) required for breaking a conditional promise made to Allah after repenting?

Answer

I pray you are well.

A conditional promise made to Allah is not an oath.

For example, someone may say, “O Allah, if I pass my exam, I will never eat eggs again,” and then later they begin eating eggs regularly. This is not considered an oath.

The Difference Between a Promise and an Oath

A broken oath requires expiation (kaffara) because a person is using the name of Allah Most High to affirm something, deny something, or impose something upon themselves.

Allah’s name has sanctity. When someone says, “I will not do this,” and affirms it by mentioning Allah’s name, then goes against it, there is a contravention. That is why expiation has been legislated.

However, if it is simply a promise between you and Allah, then no, you do not need to perform an expiation.

Expiation is a specific ruling for oaths. If you have not sworn an oath in this situation, then you do not need to do so.

Do Not Impose Hardships Upon Yourself

Generally, one should not impose things upon themselves that Allah and His Messenger have not imposed.

There was one of the awliya who promised Allah he would not eat eggs because he loved them. Later, when craving eggs, he went into a village to get some, and a crowd mistakenly beat him, thinking he was a thief. Afterward, someone offered him food and asked, “Do you like eggs?” He reflected on himself about eating them after such an ordeal.

The lesson is that one should not make such promises, especially in matters requiring willpower.

Turn Back to Allah if You Slip

Willpower is finite and can be eroded over time. Even if you feel frustrated with yourself, do your best and seek other ways to improve.

If you slip, then turn back to Allah in repentance (tawba). That is the way forward.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr. Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr. Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.