316 - باب ندب من حلف على يمين فرأى غيرها خيرا منها أن يفعل ذلك المحلوف عليه ثم يكفر عن يمينه Chapter 316 Desirability of Expiating the Oath taken by a Person who afterwards Breaks it for a better Alternative 1715 -

316 - باب ندب من حلف على يمين فرأى غيرها خيرا منها أن يفعل ذلك المحلوف عليه ثم يكفر عن يمينه
Chapter 316
Desirability of Expiating the Oath taken by a Person who afterwards Breaks it for a better Alternative

1715 - عن عبد الرحمن بن سمرة رضي الله عنه قال قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم : [ وإذا حلفت على يمين فرأيت غيرها خيرا منها فأت الذي هو خير وكفر عن يمينك ] متفق عليه
1715. `Abdur-Rahman bin Samurah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to me, "When you take an oath and consider something else to be better than it, make expiation for your oath and choose the better alternative.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary: What we learn from this Hadith is that if a person has taken an oath to do something but subsequently realizes that it is better to forego the oath, he should expiate for the oath rather than sticking to it because it is easier to expiate for the oath than to suffer a loss, be it in religion or otherwise.

1716 - وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : [ من حلف على يمين فرأى غيرها خيرا منها فليكفر عن يمينه وليفعل الذي هو خير ] رواه مسلم
1716. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "When you swear an oath and consider something else to be better than it, make expiation for your oath and do the thing that is better.''
[Muslim].

1717 - وعن أبي موسى رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : [ إني والله إن شاء الله لا أحلف على يمين ثم أرى خيرا منها إلا كفرت عن يميني وأتيت الذي هو خير ] متفق عليه
1717. Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily, I swear by Allah, if Allah wills, I shall not swear to do something but that if I consider something else to be better than it, then I shall make expiation for my oath and adopt the thing that is better.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

1718 - وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم : [ لأن يلج أحدكم في يمينه في أهله آثم له عند الله تعالى من أن يعطي كفارته التي فرض الله عليه ] متفق عليه
قوله [ يلج ] بفتح اللام وتشديد الجيم : أي يتمادى فيها ولا يكفر
وقوله [ آثم ] هو بالثاء المثلثة أي : أكثر إثما
1718. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Persistence in respect of his oath about his family is more sinful with Allah than the payment of its expiation prescribed by Allah.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary:
1. "Ahl'' means wife, children and other members of one's family. For example, if a man takes an oath regarding some matter relating to his wife, although the act he has forbidden himself is better for him, it will be sinful to stick to the oath. Far less than this sin would be the breaking of the oath to normalize his relation with his wife and children. The essence of all these Ahadith is that if one comes to realize that, after taking an oath, his oath was wrong, then he must break the oath and do what he had vowed not to do. There are different forms of breaking the oaths. For instance, if one has taken an oath that he will drink alcohol, it will be obligatory for him to break his oath. Or if one takes an oath to not to do a thing which is desirable, or taken an oath to do something which is not desirable, then it will be desirable to break the oath. Similarly, if one takes an oath to not to do something permissible then the act of breaking the oath will also come in the category of permissible.
2. The expiation of an oath is necessary. This can be done by means of feeding ten poor persons, or by providing clothes to a similar number of persons, or by setting a slave free. If one does not have the capacity to do any of the three acts, then he should observe fast for three days..
3. If, in spite of realizing that the act one has vowed not to do is better, one still sticks to his oath, he would be then more sinful.
4. The teachings and practices of the Prophet (PBUH) tell us that to adopt the better course is preferable to sticking to the oath.

317 - باب العفو عن لغو اليمين وأنه لا كفارة فيه وهو ما يجري على اللسان بغير قصد اليمين كقوله على العادة لا والله وبلى والله ونحو ذلك
Chapter 317
Expiation of Oaths

قال الله تعالى ( المائدة 89 ) : { لا يؤاخذكم الله باللغو في أيمانكم ولن يؤاخذكم بما عقدتم الأيمان فكفارته إطعام عشرة مساكين من أوسط ما تطعمون أهليكم أو كسوتهم أو تحرير رقبة فمن لم يجد فصيام ثلاثة أيام ذلك كفارة أيمانكم إذا حلفتم واحفظوا أيمانكم }
Allah, the Exalted, says:
"Allah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten Masakin (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothe them or manumit a slave. But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he should observe fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths when you have sworn. And protect your oaths (i.e., do not swear much).'' (5:89)

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