Chose to do what is more righteous even after an oath
A beggar came to ʿAdī b. Hatim and he begged him to give him the price of a servant, or the approximate price of the slave. He said: I have nothing to give you except my coat of mail and my helmet. I will, however, write to my family to give that to you, but he did not agree to that. Thereupon ʿAdī became upset and said: By Allah, I will not give you anything. The person ˹then˺ agreed.
Whereupon he said: By Allah, had I not heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying:" He who took an oath, but then found something more pious in the sight of Allah, he should ˹break the oath˺ and do that which is more pious," I would not have broken the oath.
جَاءَ سَائِلٌ إِلَى عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ فَسَأَلَهُ نَفَقَةً فِي ثَمَنِ خَادِمٍ أَوْ فِي بَعْضِ ثَمَنِ خَادِمٍ۔ فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ عِنْدِي مَا أُعْطِيكَ إِلاَّ دِرْعِي وَمِغْفَرِي فَأَكْتُبُ إِلَى أَهْلِي أَنْ يُعْطُوكَهَا۔ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَرْضَ۔ فَغَضِبَ عَدِيٌّ فَقَالَ: أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لاَ أُعْطِيكَ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ رَضِيَ۔
فَقَالَ: أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَوْلاَ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ ثُمَّ رَأَى أَتْقَى لِلَّهِ مِنْهَا فَلْيَأْتِ التَّقْوَى۔» مَا حَنَّثْتُ يَمِينِي۔