Question
What is the Kaffarah (expiation) for breaking a kasam (oath)?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب
Answer
The Kaffarah (expiation) for breaking an oath is to free a slave or to feed ten poor people or to clothe them; a person has the prerogative to choose either of these options for Kaffarah.
If one is unable to do any of these three, then he must fast for three consecutive days.
Additional Details:
– The poor people must be fed until they are full for both meals (morning and evening). The same ten people are to be fed for both meals; feeding a different set of ten people will not fulfill the requirement.
One may feed all ten people in one day or one may feed each of them separately over ten days or one may feed one person for both meals over ten days.
-Regarding clothing, it is to be sufficient to cover most of the body and is to be of a quality that a middle-class person would wear.
An easier method:
Instead of feeding, one may give each of the ten poor people the amount equivalent to Sadaqat-ul-Fitr, i.e. half a صاع of wheat or approximately 1.92 kg of wheat, or one may simply give its monetary equivalent. This will fulfill the Kaffarah.
If one wishes to give this amount to one poor person instead of ten, he must give it over ten different days. Giving the total amount all at once will count as one day’s meal. Therefore, to give to one person, it must be given over ten days, i.e. give the amount of Sadaqat-ul-Fitr to that person daily for ten days.
Note : A ‘poor’ person (Miskeen) refers to a Muslim who is eligible to receive Zakah, meaning someone who qualifies as poor in Islamic law.
It is mentioned in Holy Quran:
لا يُؤاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمانِكُمْ وَلكِنْ يُؤاخِذُكُمْ بِما عَقَّدْتُمُ الْأَيْمانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعامُ عَشَرَةِ مَساكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيامُ ثَلاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ذلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمانِكُمْ إِذا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمانَكُمْ كَذلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آياتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
(المائدة: 89)
Translation:
Allah does not hold you responsible for your oaths taken by misunderstanding; however, He does hold you responsible for oaths which you have made binding (upon yourselves); so the expiation of such oaths is the feeding of ten needy people with the average (food) you feed your family with, or to clothe them, or to free one slave; and for one who does not have the means for any of these, he is to fast for three days; this is the expiation of your oaths when you have sworn; and guard (fulfil) your oaths; this is how Allah explains His verses to you, so that you may be grateful.
It is mentioned in Binayah :
کفارۃ الیمین عتق رقبۃ۔۔۔ و ان شاء کسا عشرۃ مساکین۔۔۔و ان شاء اطعم عشرۃ مساکین ۔۔۔فان لم یقدر علی احد ھذہ الاشیاء الثلاثۃ صیام ثلاثۃ ایام متتابعات
(Al-Binayyah Sharh al-Hidaiya, Volume 6, Page 32, Published in Quetta)
Answered by: Arslan Raza (Ask Mufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 28th May 2024