The Prophet ﷺ said to me: 'Abd al-Rahman b. Samurah, when you swear an oath and consider something else to be better than it, do the thing that is beter and make atonement for your oath. Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad (b. Hanbal) permitting to make atonement before breaking the oath.  

لِيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ سَمُرَةَ إِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ يَمِينَكَ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih from his father from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever makes an oath and then sees that something else would be better than it, should do kaffara for his oath and do what is better." Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "Anyone who says that he has a vow but does not mention the name of Allah, is still obliged to make the kaffara for an oath (if he breaks it)". Malik said, "Emphasis is when a man swears one thing several times, repeating the oath in his speech time after time. For instance, the statement, 'By Allah, I will not decrease it from such-and-such,' sworn three times or more. The kaffara of that is like the kaffara of one oath. If a man swears, 'I will not eat this food or wear these clothes or enter this house,' that is all in one oath, and he is only obliged to do one kaffara. It is the same for a man who says to his wife, 'You are divorced if I clothe you in this garment or let you go to the mosque,' and it is one entire statement in the normal pattern of speech. If he breaks any of that oath, divorce is necessary, and there is no breaking of oath after that in whatever he does. There is only one oath to be broken in that." Malik said, "What we do about a woman who makes a vow without her husband's permission is that she is allowed to do so and she must fulfill it, if it only concerns her own person and will not harm her husband. If, however, it will harm her husband, he may forbid her to fulfill it, but it remains an obligation against her until she has the opportunity to complete it."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ حَلَفَ بِيَمِينٍ فَرَأَى غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَلْيُكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَلْيَفْعَلِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ۔ قَالَ يَحْيَى : سَمِعْتُ مَالِكًا يَقُولُ: مَنْ قَالَ: عَلَيَّ نَذْرٌ، وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ شَيْئًا، إِنَّ عَلَيْهِ كَفَّارَةَ يَمِينٍ. قَالَ مَالِكٌ : فَأَمَّا التَّوْكِيدُ، فَهُوَ حَلِفُ الْإِنْسَانِ فِي الشَّيْءِ الْوَاحِدِ، يُرَدِّدُ فِيهِ الْأَيْمَانَ، يَمِينًا بَعْدَ يَمِينٍ، كَقَوْلِهِ: وَاللهِ، لَا أَنْقُصُهُ مِنْ كَذَا، أَوْ كَذَا، يَحْلِفُ بِذلِكَ مِرَارًا. ثَلَاثًا، أَوْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذلِكَ. قَالَ: فَكَفَّارَةُ ذلِكَ وَاحِدَةٌ، مِثْلُ كَفَّارَةِ الْيَمِينِ. قَالَ مَالِكٌ : فَإِنْ حَلَفَ رَجُلٌ، فَقَالَ: وَاللهِ لَا آكُلُ هذَا الطَّعَامَ، وَلَا أَلْبَسُ هذَا الثَّوْبَ، وَلَا أَدْخُلُ هذَا الْبَيْتَ. فَكَانَ هذَا فِي يَمِينٍ وَاحِدَةٍ. فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ كَفَّارَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ. وَإِنَّمَا ذلِكَ كَقَوْلِ الرَّجُلِ لِامْرَأَتِهِ: أَنْتِ الطَّلَاقُ، إِنْ كَسَوْتُكِ هذَا الثَّوْبَ، وَلَا أَذِنْتُ لَكِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ، يَكُونُ ذلِكَ نَسَقًا مُتَتَابِعًا، فِي كَلَامٍ وَاحِدٍ. فَإِنْ حَنِثَ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْ ذلِكَ وَاحِدٌ، فَقَدْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ الطَّلَاقُ، وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ فِيمَا فَعَلَ، بَعْدَ ذلِكَ، حِنْثٌ. إِنَّمَا الْحِنْثُ فِي ذلِكَ حِنْثٌ وَاحِدٌ. قَالَ مَالِكٌ : الْأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا فِي نَذْرِ الْمَرْأَةِ، أَنَّهُ جَائِزٌ عَلَيْهَا بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ زَوْجِهَا، يَجِبُ عَلَيْهَا ذلِكَ، وَيَثْبُتُ إِذَا كَانَ ذلِكَ فِي جَسَدِهَا، وَكَانَ ذلِكَ لَا يَضُرُّ بِزَوْجِهَا. وَإِنْ كَانَ ذلِكَ يَضُرُّ بِزَوْجِهَا كَانَ ذلِكَ عَلَيْهَا حَتَّى تَقْضِيَهُ.  

"The Prophet said to me: 'If you swear an oath, and you see something that is better, then do that which is better and offer expiation for your oath.'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 3789)   

لِي النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ سَمُرَةَ إِذَا آلَيْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ  

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'If you swear an oath, then you see something that is better, then do that which is better and offer expiation for your oath.'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 3790)  

قَالَ يَعْنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «إِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ»  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said to me, "O Abu Abdullah, do not seek power, for if you are given it due to a request, you will be burdened with it, and if you are given it without asking, you will be held accountable for it. And if you swear an oath on something, and then see something better than it, then go to what is better and expiate for breaking your oath."  

قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ 0 اللهِ ﷺ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ لَا تَسْأَلِ الْإِمَارَةَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وُكِلْتَ إِلَيْهَا وَإِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ أُعِنْتَ عَلَيْهَا وَإِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَائْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ