What Should I Do after Performing a Sin Attached to an Oath or a Vow?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

In which category would such fastings fall(wajib or fard):

I sweared that I would fast for 15 days when I do a specific sin and the other case is that I said, I would fast 15 days but that time I didn’t swear.

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

The first statement (swearing by Allah that you would fast for 15 days upon committing a specific sin) is an oath attached to the realization of a condition (namely, the sin).

In this situation, you have the choice between fulfilling this oath by fasting for 15 days and performing the expiation of breaking this oath. [‘Ala’ al-din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Please see this answer for the details on how to expiate a broken oath: What is the Expiation for Breaking an Oath?

The second statement (imposing on yourself to fast for 15 days upon committing a specific sin) is outwardly a vow but inwardly an oath because this vow is attached to the realization of a condition you don’t want to happen (namely, the sin).

In this situation, you also have the choice between fulfilling this oath by fasting for 15 days and performing the expiation of breaking this oath. [‘Ala’ al-din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya; Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Allah, Most High, says: “Allah will not call you to account for your thoughtless oaths, but He will hold you accountable for deliberate oaths. The penalty for a broken oath is to feed ten poor people from what you normally feed your own family, or to clothe them, or to free a bondsperson. But if none of this is affordable, then you must fast three days. This is the penalty for breaking your oaths. So be mindful of your oaths. This is how Allah makes things clear to you, so perhaps you will be grateful.” [Quran, 5:89]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha’ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.