Have I Broken an Oath Multiple Times If the Oath Contains Two Sins?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I took an oath not to masturbate or watch pornography. I made the oath all together. I broke this oath about 20 times and still haven’t made it up. I was making it up. I fasted for about two days, then returned to the sin. Do I have to fast six days for this oath (3 days for each sin I said I wouldn’t do), so like three days for Masturbation and 3 three days for looking at porn) or is it three days just for both? I also didn’t renew the oath yet. So I broke it 20 times but haven’t renewed it yet.

Also, say if I break it, would I have to fast again? I fasted for two days for it, then broke it today.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Your oath not to masturbate and watch pornography is one oath, and you have broken the oath around twenty times but haven’t fully expiate for it yet. You will only expiate for ruining it for the very first time. You will do the following:

Perform the expiation of an oath, which is either:

• Feeding ten poor people; or
• Clothing ten poor people.

If you cannot feed or clothe them, fasting for three consecutive days will cover it.

Feeding the ten poor people is with two satiating meals on one day, or feeding one poor person for ten days. An alternative is to give them/him the monetary equivalent of the food instead. The amount payable is the value of 2.6 kgs of wheat flour or 5.2 kgs of dates. [Maydani, al-Lubab Fi Sharh al-Kitab]

This amount was roughly the same in the past, but with wheat flour being much cheaper in our times, it would be superior to give value of the dates, although the former is valid nonetheless.

Clothing them is with a normal set of clothes of medium quality, or it’s monetary value.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.

Remain in Good Company

Continue staying in good company, and from now on, make a sincere intention to break this habit for the sake of Allah Most High and through His help. Try your hardest, first, by performing two Rakat of Repentance. See the link below. You must dig deep and pull out all your strength, patience, and will to eliminate this. You are capable, and Allah is with you. It won’t be easy. Remember that if you don’t do your all to fight this, it will destroy your health, future marriage, confidence, happiness, and possibly Hereafter. Repent now, and use the resources below to start on this journey.

Remember that Allah Most High will find you a way out, as He said in the Quran, “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide for him from sources he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Indeed, Allah has set a measure for all things.” [Quran, 65:2-3]

Related:

• How Do I Repent from Intentionally Broken Oaths? – SeekersGuidance
• What Is the Expiation (Kaffara) of Breaking an Oath? – SeekersGuidance
• Oaths Archives – SeekersGuidance

Please see these links as well and use the tips to overcome your habit:

• Purify Your Gaze – The Safe Place For Healing From Unwanted Sexual Behaviors
• A Reader on Pornography and Masturbation – SeekersGuidance
• I Am a Young Woman Addicted to Pornography. What Should I Do?
• How Can I Wean Myself off From Masturbation?
• Supplications for Stopping Masturbation
• How Can I Overcome My Habit of Masturbation?
• Is Masturbation Sinful? How Do I Stop?
• What Can I Do to Stop Masturbating?
• Purification of the Heart for Youth: Diseases of the Heart and Their Cure – YouTube
• The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – YouTube
• Purification of the Heart: by Hamza Yusuf. [Book]
• Prayer of Repentance: Salat al-Tawba – SeekersGuidance
• Etiquette of Marriage: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader
• Love, Marriage, and Relationships in Islam: All Your Questions Answered
• Purification of the Heart for Youth: Diseases of the Heart and Their Cure – YouTube
• The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – YouTube
• Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the 
• Prayer of Repentance: Salat al-Tawba – SeekersGuidance

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.