Can I Revoke an Oath That Invokes Harm Upon Myself?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I made an oath asking Allah to make me blind, deaf, or disabled if I committed a certain sin, intending to scare myself from committing it. I haven’t broken the oath or committed a sin, but I fear I might in the future. Can I revoke the oath, and what is the solution?

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.

The Obligation to Abstain from the Sin

If you commit the sin you intend to refrain from, you will break the oath and must give an expiation (kaffara). However, you should seek forgiveness for making such statements. Do not lose hope.

If one swears an oath by Allah Most High and conditions it with an occurrence he desires, in your case, the sin you want to refrain from, it is obligatory for them to follow through and fulfill the oath, in this case, by abstaining from committing the sin. However, if you break it, you will give an expiation (kaffara). [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab; ’Ala’uddin ‘Ibn ’Abidin, Al-Hadiyya al-’Ala’iyya]

Expiation for a Broken Oath

• Freeing a slave (not applicable in these times), or
• Providing clothing for ten poor people (clothing must be able to cover enough of the body for prayer to be valid) – or,
• Feeding ten poor people one meal (the monetary value of the food donated to 10 poor people suffices).

If none of the above is within one’s ability, one must fast for three consecutive days. [‘Ala’uddin Ibn ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]

May Allah Most High guide us to what pleases Him, forgive us for our shortcomings, and alleviate our difficulties, Amin.

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

Related

• Is Expiation Required for Each Instance You Break an Oath?
• Oaths Archives – SeekersGuidance
• Expiation for a Broken Oath – SeekersGuidance
• What Are the Words That Make an Oath Binding? – SeekersGuidance
• Vows and Oaths: Keep Repeating the Mistake. Do I have to keep repeating – IslamQA
• Can I Only Feed One Meal As Expiation for Breaking an Oath? – SeekersGuidance
• How Do I Repent from Intentionally Broken Oaths? – SeekersGuidance
• What Is the Expiation (Kaffara) of Breaking an Oath? – SeekersGuidance
• Oaths Archives – SeekersGuidance

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.