Does Breaking a Promise to Allah Most High to Not Sin Necessitates an Expiation (Kaffara)?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I promised Allah (Most High) to pay expiation (kaffara) every time I watch porn. Due to weaknesses, it seems that I go back to it after every ten days or so. Do I have to pay kaffara every time or once?
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.
In your case, an expiation (kaffara) is not due. It is only due when one takes an oath (Yamin) like, “by Allah…” when making a promise.
You have promised Allah (Most High) that you will pay an expiation (kaffara) for each time you watch porn, yet you continue to do so. Although you promise Allah (Most High) that you will not sin, no expiation is required because it is a promise without an oath. You will seek forgiveness from Allah (Most High) and repent.
There is a difference between making a promise “to Allah” versus “by Allah.” A promise “to Allah” is legally a promise, while a promise “by Allah” is legally an oath.
You have to ask yourself what exactly you intended and worded.
Please read and look at the links below, subscribe, and follow. Also, read and follow the links in How Do I Overcome a Pornography Addiction?
I want to advise you to connect yourself to on-the-ground local reliable scholars, seeking their advice and finding ways to avoid situations where you are likely to slip. Some burdens cannot be carried by yourself alone.
Related:
- Pornography Archives
- Purify Your Gaze – The Safe Place For Healing From Unwanted Sexual Behaviors.
- What Is the Ruling If Someone Makes an Oath Not to Make Any Oaths, Vows, and Promises to Allah?
- The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained. [Video]
- Purification of the Heart by Hamza Yusuf.
- Istikhara, The Prayer of Seeking Guidance: The Ultimate Guide – A Reader.
- How Does One Perform The Prayer Of Need (Salat al-Haja)?
- Prayer of Repentance: Salat al-Tawba.
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.
