Am I a Disbeliever for Breaking My Oath?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam Aleykum,

I  have been suffering from severe waswasa (baseless misgivings). To stop myself, I swore on Allah’s name that if I do not stop now I will be a disbeliever. I was not able to keep the oath. Am I a disbeliever now? I have also had my nikaah (marriage) done, is my marriage still valid?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

No, you have not become a disbeliever by breaking your oath of disbelief, namely, and in your case, the resolve to refrain from an action conjoined with an affirmation of disbelief otherwise.

The jurists explain that such an oath is only problematic when it is combined with an acceptance and contentment of falling into disbelief. In the absence of such resolution, it would not take a person outside the faith.

Consequently, your marriage is clearly unaffected. And you would need to pay the expiation (kaffara) for nullifying your oath. Expiation for a broken oath

[‘Ala’ al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]

Please also see: A reader on waswasa baseless misgivings and: What are the consequences of an oath of disbelief

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.