Taking many oaths and fulfilling none


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Q 5: A person took many oaths and fulfilled none of them; what should he do?


A: First: He has to avoid taking oaths often; because Allah (Praised and Exalted be He) says, And make not Allâh’s (Name) an excuse in your oaths against your doing good and acting piously He (Glorified be He) also (Part No. 23; Page No. 31) says, And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much). He should also repent to Allah of that and seek His Forgiveness; may Allah (Praised and Exalted be He) accept his repentance.Second: The broken oath or oaths he mentioned, if they were made for one issue, he has to offer one Kaffarah (expiation) for them all and if they were made for many issues, he has to offer one Kaffarah for each broken oath. There are no Kaffarahs for the oaths he does not remember. The Kaffarah is feeding ten Miskins (needy people) or clothing them or setting free a Muslim slave. If he cannot afford any of these alternatives, he has to fast for three days. It is better for these days to be successive according to the saying of Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He), Allâh will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation feed ten Masâkîn (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothe them or manumit a slave. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.




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