Fatwa ID: 05168
Answered by: Maulana Nabil Khan
Question
What is the kaffarah of breaking an oath? And can he break his oath and pay the kaffarah.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
When an oath is broken there are a number of methods to expedite the sin of breaking an oath.
- Emancipation of a slave. This is not possible in today’s era.
- Feeding 10 destitute people. This needs to be done with a minimum of 2 meals a day consisting of at least average market food value. A person may feed 1 person for 10 days or 10 different individuals. The monetary value of such foodstuff can also be given to the needy.
- Providing essential clothing for 10 individuals. The clothing must be of average value and enough to cover the entire ‘awra’ (majority of the body) without the expectation of it being returned to you.
- If one cannot fulfill any of the requirements in the above-mentioned methods then the last option is to fast for 3 consecutive days.
As for the second question. “can a person break an oath intentionally and resort to paying the ‘Kaffarah’?”
One of the fundamental purposes of the Kaffarah being established in Islam is so that humans do not take oaths leniently nor act carelessly within their vows. Therefore when an oath is made it should be adhered to and fulfilled to its fullest extent unless the oath is regarding something impermissible or immoral, then they must break and complete the Kaffarah.
Reference:
Radd Al-Muhtaar Volume 5, pg 503
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Nabil Khan
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
