What is the atonement for breaking the oath?
ما هي كفارة اليمين؟
Islam provides a clear and merciful structure for making amends when a deliberate oath is broken. This structure prioritizes social welfare by benefiting the needy before allowing a purely physical act of worship like fasting.
يوفر الإسلام هيكلا واضحا ورحيما للتكفير عند نقض اليمين المنعقدة. ويعطي هذا الهيكل الأولوية للرعاية الاجتماعية من خلال إفادة المحتاجين قبل السماح بعمل عبادي بدني بحت مثل الصيام.
The Three Primary Options | الخصال الثلاث الأساسية
Atonement for a broken oath involves choosing one of these three initial acts:
كفارة اليمين لها ثلاث خصال يخير فيها المسلم:
1. Feeding the Poor
Feeding ten poor people, providing for each poor person half a saa' a standard weight measure of the country's staple foodstuff, which is equivalent to the average quality of food you feed your own family.
1. إطعام المساكين
إطعام عشرة مساكين لكل مسكين نصف صاع من قوت البلد، من أوسط ما يطعم الرجل أهله.
2. Clothing the Poor
Providing ten poor people with clothes that properly cover their private parts and enable them to perform Salah prayer while wearing them, ensuring their dignity is preserved.
2. كسوة المساكين
كسوة عشرة مساكين أي توفير لباس لكل واحد منهم، وهو ما يكفي لستر العورة وأداء الصلاة بشكل لائق.
3. Freeing a Bondsperson
Setting a bondsperson free, which emphasizes the great value Islam places on human liberty.
3. تحرير رقبة
تحرير رقبة، مما يؤكد على القيمة العظيمة التي يوليها الإسلام لحرية الإنسان.
The Alternative: Fasting | البديل: الصيام
If one finds none of these three financial options affordable, he should move to fasting. He should fast for three consecutive days, according to the majority of Fuqaha' jurists.
فإن لم يجد أحد هذه الثلاث بسبب ضيق الحال، انتقل إلى الصيام فيصوم ثلاثة أيام متتابعات في قول جمهور الفقهاء.
The Quranic Command | الأمر القرآني
Allah Almighty explicitly details this sequential ruling in the Quran:
(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.) Surah Al Ma'idah 5: 89.
قال الله تعالى: (لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَ ۖ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ ۖ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ ۚ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ) المائدة 5: 89.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Can I fast for three days instead of feeding ten poor people?
No, unless you cannot afford to feed them. Fasting is strictly an alternative for those who lack the financial means to fulfill the first three options.
Do the three days of fasting have to be consecutive?
Yes. According to the majority of Fuqaha (jurists), if a person must fast as their atonement, the three days should be fasted consecutively without a break.
What type of food should be given to the poor?
You must give half a saa' of the standard staple food of your country (like rice or wheat). The Quran specifies that it should be of the average quality that you would normally feed your own family.