Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
tabarani:14362ʿUbayd b. Ghannām > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Jarīr > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Rufayʿ > Tamīm b. Ṭarafah

[Machine] I do not have anything to give you except my shield and forgiveness. So, I wrote to my family asking them to give it to you, but they refused. Then, my enemy became angry and said, "By Allah, I will not give you anything." Then, the man was pleased and said, "By Allah, if I had not heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Whoever swears an oath to do something and sees that it is more righteous to do something else, then he should do what is more righteous, but he should not break his oath.'"  

الطبراني:١٤٣٦٢حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ ثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ رُفَيْعٍ عَنْ تَمِيمِ بْنِ طَرَفَةَ قَالَ جَاءَ سَائِلٌ إِلَى عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ يَسْأَلُهُ نَفَقَةً فِي ثَمَنِ خَادِمٍ فَقَالَ

لَيْسَ عِنْدِي مَا أُعْطِيكَ إلَّا دِرْعِي وَمِغْفَرِي فَأَكْتُبُ إِلَى أَهْلِي أَنْ يُعْطُوكَهُمَا فَلَمْ يَرْضَ فَغَضِبَ عَدِيٌّ فَقَالَ وَاللهِ لَا أُعْطِيكَ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ رَضِيَ فَقَالَ وَاللهِ لَوْلَا أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ رَأَى مَا هُوَ أَتْقَى لِلَّهِ فَلْيَأْتِهِ وَلَكِنْ مَا حَنِثَ فِي يَمِينٍ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī

Chose to do what is more righteous even after an oath

muslim:1651aQutaybah b. Saʿīd > Jarīr > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz / Ibn Rufayʿ > Tamīm b. Ṭarafah

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.  

مسلم:١٦٥١aحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ رُفَيْعٍ عَنْ تَمِيمِ بْنِ طَرَفَةَ قَالَ

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۔  

ذِكْرُ خَبَرٍ ثَانٍ يُصَرِّحُ بِصِحَّةِ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ

ibnhibban:4346ʿAbdullāh b. Muḥammad al-Azdī > Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr b. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Rufayʿ > Tamīm b. Ṭarafah > ʿAdī b. Ḥātim > a man Jāʾah Fasaʾalah Nafaqah

[Machine] I have nothing to give you except my shield and my forgiveness, so write to my family to give it to you. But they were not satisfied, so they swore not to give you anything. Then the man agreed and said: "If it weren't for me hearing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Whoever takes an oath and then sees that there is something more righteous to do for the sake of Allah, then let him do what is more righteous,'" I would not have broken my promise.  

ابن حبّان:٤٣٤٦أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْأَزْدِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ رُفَيْعٍ عَنْ تَمِيمِ بْنِ طَرَفَةَ عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ أَنَّ رَجُلًا جَاءَهُ فَسَأَلَهُ نَفَقَةً فَقَالَ

مَا عِنْدِي شَيْءٌ أُعْطِيكَهُ إِلَّا دِرْعِي وَمِغْفَرِي فَأَكْتُبُ إِلَى أَهْلِي أَنْ تَعْطِيكَهَا فَلَمْ يَرْضَ فَحَلَفَ أَنْ لَا يُعْطِيَهُ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ رَضِيَ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ عَدِيٌّ لَوْلَا أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ « مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ ثُمَّ رَأَى مَا هُوَ أَتْقَى لِلَّهِ مِنْهَا فَلْيَأْتِ التَّقْوَى» مَا حَنَثْتُ  

bayhaqi:19848Abū Naṣr b. Qatādah > ʿAlī b. al-Faḍl b. Muḥammad b. ʿAqīl > Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥarrānī > ʿAlī b. al-Madīnī > Jarīr b. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Rufayʿ > Tamīm b. Ṭarafah

[Machine] He has nothing of mine except for my shield and forgiveness, so I will write to you to give it to my family." He said, "He did not agree." He said, "So Adi became angry and swore not to give him anything." He said, "The man was satisfied." He said, "He said, 'Had I not heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Whoever swears an oath and sees its consequences, let him fulfill it with piety.'"  

البيهقي:١٩٨٤٨أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو نَصْرِ بْنُ قَتَادَةَ أنبأ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَقِيلٍ أنبأ أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ الْحَرَّانِيُّ ثنا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمَدِينِيُّ ثنا جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ رُفَيْعٍ عَنْ تَمِيمِ بْنِ طَرَفَةَ قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ فَسَأَلَهُ نَفَقَةً أَوْ فِي ثَمَنِ خَادِمٍ فَقَالَ

لَهُ عَدِيُّ مَا عِنْدِي إِلَّا دِرْعِي وَمِغْفَرِي فَأَنَا أَكْتُبُ لَكَ إِلَى أَهْلِي تُعْطَهَا قَالَ فَلَمْ يَرْضَ قَالَ فَغَضِبَ عَدِيُّ فَحَلَفَ لَا يُعْطِيهِ شَيْئًا قَالَ فَرَضِيَ الرَّجُلُ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَوْلَا أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَى تُقَاءَهَا فَلْيَأْتِ التَّقْوَى مَا حَنَثَتْ  

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ قُتَيْبَةَ عَنْ جَرِيرٍ