What Should I Do If I Broke Multiple Oaths but Do Not Remember Their Exact Number?
Question: Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah. Schola, I have a question regarding an oath (Yameen). I previously took oaths in the name of Allah a few times. For instance, I swore by Allah that I would not listen to music anymore, along with a few other similar oaths. However, I broke them later on. Currently, I do not precisely remember the exact number of separate oaths I made. I estimate it to be around 6, but I am not certain. Some of these oaths might also have been regarding the same matter. I am a student. At present, I have around 5,000 BDT in savings, which I keep for emergency needs. Another point is that, without having clear knowledge on the matter, I have already observed 6 fasts with the intention of fulfilling the expiation for the oaths. Now, I do not know what should I do?
Summary:
If the questioner swore several oaths and then broke them, then if all the oaths concerned the same action, for example, saying, "By Allah, I will not listen to music," and then repeating the oath concerning the same matter before offering expiation, one expiation is sufficient. However, if the oaths concerned different actions, then the basic ruling is that each oath requires a separate expiation. If he does not know the number of oaths, he should make a reasonable effort to determine the number and act according to what he considers most likely. Allah does not burden him with what he does not know. As for his fasting six days before knowing the ruling, this does not suffice if he is able to feed or clothe the poor, because Allah has prescribed fasting as an alternative when one is unable to feed or clothe the poor or free a slave. If he possesses enough money to offer the expiation, then he must feed or clothe the poor, and his fasting will be considered voluntary fasting rather than expiation.
Answer:
First: The Expiation for an Oath in the Quran
From the Qur'an:
- [Al-Ma'idah: 89]
"Allah will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for breaking what you intended of oaths. So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your own families, or clothing them, or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find the means, then a fast of three days."
This verse indicates that the expiation gives a choice between: Feeding ten needy people; Clothing them; or Freeing a slave. If a person is unable to do any of these three, he then moves on to fasting.
Second: Does Fasting Suffice When One Is Able to Feed the Poor? No, it does not suffice.
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz رحمه الله said:
"It is not permissible to begin with fasting when one is able to feed or clothe the poor or free a slave. Fasting is only for the one who is unable to do that."
Third: Is One Expiation Sufficient if the Oaths Are Repeated? If all the oaths concern the same matter, and the person did not offer expiation for the first oath before repeating the oath, then one expiation is sufficient.
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله said regarding the ruling on repeated oaths concerning a single action:
"Every oath concerning the performance of one action or the abandonment of one thing, even if repeated, requires only one expiation if he had not offered expiation for the first oath."
However, if the oaths concern different actions, then each oath requires a separate expiation.
Fourth: What Should a Person Do if He Forgets the Number of Oaths? If a person does not know with certainty how many oaths he made, he should make a reasonable effort to determine the number and act according to what he considers most likely, because Allah, the Most High, says:
From the Qur'an:
- [At-Taghabun: 16]
"So fear Allah as much as you are able."
If he considers it most likely that there were six oaths, he should proceed on that basis, unless it becomes clear to him that some of them concerned the same matter, in which case one expiation is sufficient for the oaths concerning that matter.
Fifth: What About the Money He Has? The fact that he possesses around 5,000 Bangladeshi Taka does not, by itself, mean that he is unable to offer the expiation. Rather, what matters is whether he is able to offer the expiation for the oath without suffering harm, neglecting an obligatory expense, or depriving himself of a necessary need. If he is able to pay for feeding or clothing the poor from this money, then he must do so, and fasting does not suffice. However, if this money is only sufficient for his essential needs and he is genuinely unable to offer the expiation, then he moves on to fasting. Conclusion: If all the oaths concerned the same matter and were made before offering expiation, then one expiation is sufficient. If they concerned different matters, then each oath requires a separate expiation. If he does not know the number of oaths, he should make a reasonable effort to determine the number and act according to what he considers most likely. Allah does not burden him with what he does not know. Fasting does not suffice when one is able to feed or clothe the poor. Therefore, the six days he fasted do not suffice as expiation for the oaths if he is able to offer the expiation. Rather, he must offer expiation by feeding or clothing the poor according to the number of expiations that are obligatory upon him. However, if he is genuinely unable to do so, then fasting is what is prescribed.
And Allah knows best.
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