Expiation for Unfulfilled Oaths

“(Then for the) expiation feed ten Masakin…

And the saying of Allah in Surat al-Maida:

 فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ

for expiation, feed then indigent persons,

on a scale of the average for the food of your families; (5:89)

Hadith # 6708

Narrated Ka`b bin 'Ujra:

I came to the Prophet (pbuh) and he said to me, "Come near." So I went near to him and he said, "Are your lice troubling you?" I replied, "Yes."

He said, "Shave your head and make expiation in the form of fasting, Sadaqa (giving in charity), or offering a sacrifice."

The sub-narrator Aiyub said,

"Fasting should be for three days, and the Nusuk (sacrifice) is to be a sheep, and the Sadaqa is to be given to six poor persons."

When is expiation due upon the rich and the poor?

Hadith # 6709

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, "I am ruined!" The Prophet (pbuh) said, "What is the matter with you?" He said, "I had sexual relation with my wife (while I was fasting) in Ramadan."

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Have you got enough to manumit a slave?" He said, "No."

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Can you fast for two successive months?" The man said, "No."

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Can you feed sixty poor persons?" The man said, "No."

Then the Prophet (pbuh) said to him, "Sit down," and he sat down. Afterwards an 'Irq, i.e., a big basket containing dates was brought to the Prophet (pbuh) and the Prophet (pbuh) said to him, "Take this and give it in charity."

The man said, "To poorer people than we?" On that, the Prophet (pbuh) smiled till his premolar teeth became visible, and then told him, "Feed your family with it."

The man who helped another person to make an expiation

Hadith # 6710

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to Allah's Messenger (pbuh) and said, "I am ruined!" The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, "What is the matter?" He said, "I have done a sexual relation with my wife (while fasting) in Ramadan." The Prophet said to him?" "Can you afford to manumit a slave?" He said, "No." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Can you fast for two successive months?" He said, "No." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Can you feed sixty poor persons?" He said, "No." Then an Ansari man came with an Irq (a big basket full of dates).

The Prophet said (to the man), "Take this (basket) and give it in charity." That man said, "To poorer people than we, O Allah's Messenger (pbuh)? By Him Who has sent you with the Truth! There is no house in between the two mountains (of the city of Medina) poorer than we."

So the Prophet (pbuh) said (to him), "Go and feed it to your family."

For expiation one should feed ten poor persons

Hadith # 6711

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to the Prophets and said, "I am ruined!" The Prophet (pbuh) said, "What is the matter with you?" He said, "I have done a sexual relation with my wife (while fasting) in Ramadan" The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, "Can you afford to manumit a slave?" He said, "No." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Can you fast for two successive months?" He said, "No." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Can you feed sixty poor persons?" He said, "I have nothing."

Later on an Irq (big basket) containing dates was given to the Prophet, and the Prophet (pbuh) said (to him), "Take this basket and give it in charity."

The man said, "To poorer people than we? Indeed, there is nobody between its (i.e., Medina's) two mountains who is poorer than we."

The Prophet then said, "Take it and feed your family with it."

The Sa' of Al-Madina, and the Mudd of the Prophet (saws)

Hadith # 6712

Narrated Al-Ju'aid bin `Abdur-Rahman:

As-Sa'ib bin Yazid said,

"The Sa' at the time of the Prophet (pbuh) was equal to one Mudd plus one-third of a Mudd of your time, and then it was increased in the time of Caliph `Umar bin `Abdul `Aziz."

Hadith # 6713

Narrated Nafi`:

Ibn `Umar used to give the Zakat of Ramadan (Zakat-al-Fitr) according to the Mudd of the Prophet, the first Mudd, and he also used to give things for expiation for oaths according to the Mudd of the Prophet.

Abu Qutaiba said, "Malik said to us, 'Our Mudd (i.e., of Medina) is better than yours and we do not see any superiority except in the Mudd of the Prophet!'

Malik further said, to me, 'If a ruler came to you and fixed a Mudd smaller than the one of the Prophet, by what Mudd would you measure what you give (for expiation or Zakat-al-Fitr?'

I replied, 'We would give it according to the Mudd of the Prophet' On that, Malik said, 'Then, don't you see that we have to revert to the Mudd of the Prophet ultimately?'"

Hadith # 6714

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said,

"O Allah! Bestow Your Blessings on their measures, Sa' and Mudd (i.e., of the people of Medina).

“…Or manumit a slave…”

Hadith # 6715

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"If somebody manumits a Muslim slave, Allah will save from the Fire every part of his body for freeing the corresponding parts of the slave's body, even his private parts will be saved from the Fire) because of freeing the slave's private parts."

Manumission of Mudabbar, Umm Walad, a Mukatab for expiation;

Hadith # 6716

Narrated `Amr:

Jabir said: An Ansari man made his slave a Mudabbar and he had no other property than him. When the Prophet (pbuh) heard of that, he said (to his companions), "Who wants to buy him (i.e., the slave) for me?"

Nu'aim bin An-Nahham bought him for eight hundred Dirhams. I heard Jabir saying, "That was a coptic slave who died in the same year."

If somebody manumits a slave for expiation, for whom will the slave’s Wala be?

Hadith # 6717

Narrated `Aisha:

She intended to buy Barira (a slave girl) and her masters stipulated that they would have her Wala'.

When `Aisha mentioned that to the Prophet (pbuh) ; he said, "Buy her, for the Wala' is for the one who manumits."

To say: “Insha'Allah” while taking an oath

Hadith # 6718

Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari:

I went to Allah's Messenger (pbuh) along with a group of people from (the tribe of) Al-Ash`ari, asking for mounts. The Prophet (pbuh) said, "By Allah, I will not give you anything to ride, and I have nothing to mount you on."

We stayed there as long as Allah wished, and after that, some camels were brought to the Prophet and he ordered that we be given three camels. When we set out, some of us said to others, "Allah will not bless us, as we all went to Allah's Messenger (pbuh) asking him for mounts, and although he had sworn that he would not give us mounts, he did give us." So we returned to the Prophet; and mentioned that to him.

He said, "I have not provided you with mounts, but Allah has. By Allah, Allah willing, if I ever take an oath, and then see that another is better than the first, I make expiration for my (dissolved) oath, and do what is better and make expiration."

Hadith # 6719

Narrated Hammad:

the same narration above ,

"I make expiation for my dissolved oath, and I do what is better, or do what is better and make expiation."

Hadith # 6720

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet Solomon said, "Tonight I will sleep with (my) ninety wives, each of whom will get a male child who will fight for Allah's Cause." On that, his companion (Sufyan said that his companion was an angel) said to him, "Say, "If Allah wills (Allah willing)."

But Solomon forgot (to say it). He slept with all his wives, but none of the women gave birth to a child, except one who gave birth to a halfboy.

Abu Huraira added:

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "If Solomon had said, "If Allah will" (Allah willing), he would not have been unsuccessful in his action, and would have attained what he had desired." Once Abu Huraira added: Allah apostle said, "If he had accepted."

To make expiation for one’s oath

Hadith # 6721

Narrated Zahdam al-Jarmi:

We were sitting with Abu Musa Al-Ash'sari, and as there were ties of friendship and mutual favors between us and his tribe. His meal was presented before him and there was chicken meat in it. Among those who were present there was a man from Bani Taimillah having a red complexion as a non-Arab freed slave, and that man did not approach the meal. Abu Musa said to him, "Come along! I have seen Allah's Messenger (pbuh) eating of that (i.e., chicken)." The man said, "I have seen it (chickens) eating something I regarded as dirty, and so I have taken an oath that I shall not eat (its meat) chicken."

Abu Musa said, "Come along! I will inform you about it (i.e., your oath). Once we went to Allah's Messenger (pbuh) in company with a group of Ash'airiyin, asking him for mounts while he was distributing some camels from the camels of Zakat.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, 'By Allah! I will not give you mounts, and I have nothing to mount you on.' After we had left, some camels of booty were brought to Allah's Apostle and he said, "Where are those Ash`ariyin? Where are those Ash`ariyin?" So we went (to him) and he gave us five very fat good-looking camels. We mounted them and went away, and then I said to my companions, 'We went to Allah's Messenger (pbuh) to give us mounts, but he took an oath that he would not give us mounts, and then later on he sent for us and gave us mounts, perhaps Allah's Messenger (pbuh) forgot his oath. By Allah, we will never be successful, for we have taken advantage of the fact that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) forgot to fulfill his oath. So let us return to Allah's Messenger (pbuh) to remind him of his oath.' We returned and said, 'O Allah's Messenger (pbuh)! We came to you and asked you for mounts, but you took an oath that you would not give us mounts) but later on you gave us mounts, and we thought or considered that you have forgotten your oath.'

The Prophet (pbuh) said, 'Depart, for Allah has given you Mounts. By Allah, Allah willing, if I take an oath and then later find another thing better than that, I do what is better, and make expiation for the oath.' "

two other narrations through Zahdam as above

Hadith # 6722

Narrated `Abdur-Rahman bin Samura:

Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said,

"(O `Abdur-Rahman!) Do not seek to be a ruler, for, if you are given the authority of ruling without your asking for it, then Allah will help you; but if you are given it by your asking, then you will be held responsible for it (i.e. Allah will not help you).

And if you take an oath to do something and later on find another thing, better than that, then do what is better and make expiation for (the dissolution of) your oath."