Do I Have to Give an Expiation if I Made an Oath Not to Perform an Act If Allah Forgave Me?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I made an oath in Itikaf not to perform such and such action if Allah forgave me. Still, I’m not entirely sure whether I have to follow this oath as it involves something of the unknown, so would I give an expiation (kaffara) of it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question. Allah Most High accept your ‘itikaf.
If you were to commit the action, you would give an oath. I understand it must be something you wanted to stop doing that made you take an oath like this. However, one should refrain from this type of wording. Nonetheless, we can all fall into this type. You will give an expiation if you were to break the oath.
The Method of the Expiation
The method of the Expiation of an oath (or vow is as follows):
The expiation of an oath is:
1. Freeing a slave. (which is not applicable today) or,
If one wishes, he may clothe ten destitute people, [giving] each of them one garment or more, the minimum of [each] being that in which salah is valid, [or]
If one wishes, he may feed ten destitute people.
2. If one is incapable of any of these three things, one fast for three consecutive days. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Check the related links:
Have I Broken my Oath? – SeekersGuidance
Will Allah Forgive My Worst Sins? – SeekersGuidance
Oath Archives – SeekersGuidance
Purification of the Heart for Youth: Diseases of the Heart and Their Cure – YouTube
The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – YouTube
Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart: Hamza Yusuf: 9780985565909: Amazon.com: Books (Book)
Prayer of Repentance: Salat al-Tawba – SeekersGuidance
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org)?
I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
