The Expiation for Breaking an Oath: Feeding Ten Poor Persons or Fasting Three Days?

Question: Salam wa alakium, what is the preferred ruling on breaking an oath fasting 3 days or feeding 10 people? Can the 3 days be split up or do they have to be consecutive? What should the cost come out to for feeding 10 people? JazakAllahu Khair

Summary:

The strongest view is that the expiation for breaking an oath is according to the order mentioned by Allah, the Exalted: Feeding ten poor persons, or Clothing them, or Freeing a slave. If one is unable to do any of these three, then he moves on to fasting three days. Accordingly, feeding is better than fasting. Rather, fasting is not legislated except when one is unable to feed, clothe, or free a slave. The stronger view is that it is recommended for the three days of fasting to be consecutive, though it is permissible to separate them. Nevertheless, fasting them consecutively is more precautionary and avoids scholarly disagreement. As for feeding, each poor person should be given what would be considered a satisfying meal from the average food that a person normally feeds his family, or the equivalent of approximately half a saʿ of the staple food of the country.

Answer:

First: What Is the Expiation for an Oath?

From the Qur'an:

  • Surat al-Maʾidah 5:89
    “Allah will not call you to account for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will call you to account for what you have bound yourselves to by oath. Its expiation is feeding ten poor persons from the average of that which you feed your families, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. But whoever cannot find the means, then he must fast three days.”

    Allah, Glorified and Exalted, first mentioned feeding, clothing, or freeing a slave, and then said: “But whoever cannot find the means…”

Meaning: whoever is unable to perform any of these three options then moves on to fasting.

From the Salaf:

  • Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
    “If he cannot find what he can feed ten poor persons with, then he fasts.”

    This is the view of the majority of the Salaf and later scholars.

Second: Which Is Better, Fasting or Feeding? The stronger view is that this question does not arise for one who is capable, because Allah did not make fasting an equal choice alongside feeding. Rather, He made it a substitute only when one is unable to perform the other options. Accordingly: A person who is capable of feeding does not move on to fasting. Whoever fasts despite being capable of feeding has not fulfilled the expiation in the manner commanded by Allah, according to the majority of scholars. This is the position of the majority of jurists and the madhhab of Malik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafiʿi, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Third: Must the Three Days of Fasting Be Consecutive? The scholars differed regarding this issue. The First View: That consecutiveness is obligatory. They cited as evidence the recitation reported from some of the Companions: “Then fasting three consecutive days.” The Second View: That consecutiveness is not obligatory. Their evidence is that the noble verse says: “Then fasting three days.” And it does not mention consecutiveness. This was the view chosen by Ibn Hazm and preferred by a number of scholars. The Stronger View: That fasting the three days consecutively is recommended, more complete, and more precautionary. However, if a person fasts them separately, it is still valid, because Allah mentioned the three days in general terms without restricting them Fourth: The Amount Required to Feed Ten Poor Persons

From the Qur'an:

  • [Surat al-Maʾidah 5:89]
    “From the average of that which you feed your families...”

    Meaning: from ordinary, moderate food, not the finest food nor the poorest quality food.

The scholars have two well-known views regarding its measurement. The First View: Each poor person should be given half a ṣāʿ. This is the position of many of the Salaf and a group of jurists. Half a ṣāʿ is approximately: 1.5 kilograms of rice, or A similar amount of the common staple food. Therefore, ten poor persons would receive approximately: 15 kilograms of rice. The Second View: That each poor person should be given a satisfying meal. This was the view chosen by a number of contemporary scholars, including Muhammad ibn Salih al-ʿUthaymin. Fifth: What Is the Cost of Feeding? There is no fixed monetary amount in the Sharīʿah, because prices vary from one country to another. Rather, the obligation is to fulfill the feeding required by the Sharīʿah. For example: If an average meal in your country costs 10 Canadian dollars per poor person, then the total would be 100 Canadian dollars. If it costs 15 Canadian dollars per poor person, then the total would be 150 Canadian dollars. What matters is that ten poor persons actually receive the required feeding.

From the Sunnah:

  • Sahih MuslimAbu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated,
    Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever swears an oath and then sees something else that is better than it, let him do what is better and expiate his oath.”

It is also established from a number of the Companions that they would feed people in the expiation of oaths and would not move on to fasting except when unable to do so. Final Answer: The stronger view is: The expiation for an oath, for one who is able, is feeding ten poor persons or clothing them, and one does not move on to fasting except when unable to do so. Feeding is given precedence over fasting by the explicit text of the Qur'an. Fasting three days is only for one who is unable to feed. It is preferable that the days be consecutive, though if they are separated, that is sufficient according to the stronger view. The amount of feeding for each poor person is either a satisfying meal or approximately half a saʿ of the common staple food. The cost of feeding varies according to the country and local prices, and there is no fixed Sharʿi monetary amount.

And Allah knows best.

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