When Is the Expiation of an Oath Deemed Achieved?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

When you pay Kaffarah to expiate a broken oath to a charitable organisation, must you wait for the money to actually reach the 10 people before the oath is actually considered expiated?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Yes, a vitiated oath is only deemed expiated for when the payment has reached its intended recipients. The same would apply for other payments, obligatory [such as zakat] or otherwise.

Practically, it is useful to ascertain whether a given charity has proper procedures in place to ensure that (1) the expiation is paid for soundly, and (2) it is taken care of in a timely manner.

Please also see this answer.

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.