22. Oaths and Vows
٢٢۔ كتاب الأيمان والنذور
There were two brothers among the Ansar who shared an inheritance. When one of them asked the other for the portion due to him, he replied: If you ask me again for the portion due to you, all my property will be devoted to the decoration of the Ka'bah. Umar said to him: The Ka'bah does not need your property. Make atonement for your oath and speak to your brother. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: An oath or vow to disobey the Lord, or to break ties of relationship or about something over which one has no control is not binding on you.
أَنَّ أَخَوَيْنِ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ كَانَ بَيْنَهُمَا مِيرَاثٌ فَسَأَلَ أَحَدُهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ الْقِسْمَةَ فَقَالَ إِنْ عُدْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنِ الْقِسْمَةِ فَكُلُّ مَالٍ لِي فِي رِتَاجِ الْكَعْبَةِ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ إِنَّ الْكَعْبَةَ غَنِيَّةٌ عَنْ مَالِكَ كَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ وَكَلِّمْ أَخَاكَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لاَ يَمِينَ عَلَيْكَ وَلاَ نَذْرَ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الرَّبِّ وَفِي قَطِيعَةِ الرَّحِمِ وَفِيمَا لاَ تَمْلِكُ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: A vow is binding in those things by which the pleasure of Allah is sought, and an oath to break ties of relationship is not binding.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ نَذْرَ إِلاَّ فِيمَا يُبْتَغَى بِهِ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ وَلاَ يَمِينَ فِي قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: An oath or a vow about something over which a human being has no control, and to disobey Allah, and to break ties of relationship is not binding. If anyone takes an oath and then considers something else better than it, he should give it up, and do what is better, for leaving it is its atonement. Abu Dawud said: All sound traditions from the Prophet ﷺ say: "He should make atonement for his oath," except those versions which are not reliable. Abu Dawud said: I said to Ahmad: Yahya b. Sa'id (al-Qattan) has transmitted this tradition from Yahya b. 'Ubaid Allah. He (Ahmad b. Hanbal) said: But he gave it up after that, and he was competent for doing it. Ahmad said: His (Yahya b. 'Ubaid Allah's) tradition are munkar (rejected) and his father is not known.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ نَذْرَ وَلاَ يَمِينَ فِيمَا لاَ يَمْلِكُ ابْنُ آدَمَ وَلاَ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ فِي قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ وَمَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَى غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَلْيَدَعْهَا وَلْيَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ فَإِنَّ تَرْكَهَا كَفَّارَتُهَا