The Oath that Obligates one to Pay Expiation

كُلُّ يَمِينٍ حَلَفْتَ عَلَيْهَا لَكَ فِيهَا مَنْفَعَةٌ فِي أَمْرِ دِينٍ أَوْ دُنْيَا فَلَا شَيْ‌ءَ عَلَيْكَ فِيهَا وَ إِنَّمَا تَقَعُ عَلَيْكَ الْكَفَّارَةُ فِيمَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِ فِيمَا لِلَّهِ مَعْصِيَةٌ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ ثُمَّ تَفْعَلُهُ.

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Any oath that you take and it is for your benefits in the worldly or matters of hereafter, then there is nothing on you. Expiation is payable only when you take an oath in disobedience to Allah if you did not do it then you do it.”’

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ لَيْسَ كُلُّ يَمِينٍ فِيهَا كَفَّارَةٌ أَمَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْهَا مِمَّا أَوْجَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ فَفَعَلْتَ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ فِيهَا الْكَفَّارَةُ وَ أَمَّا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مِمَّا أَوْجَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ فَفَعَلْتَهُ فَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ فِيهِ الْكَفَّارَةَ.

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Every kind of oath does not make one liable to expiation. If the matter is what Allah has made obligatory on you to do and you take an oath not to do it but you do it there is no expiation on you. If it is not of the matters that Allah has made obligatory on you to do and y

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ وَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الْيَمِينُ الَّتِي تَلْزَمُنِي فِيهَا الْكَفَّارَةُ فَقَالا مَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا لِلَّهِ فِيهِ طَاعَةٌ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَلَمْ تَفْعَلْهُ فَعَلَيْكَ فِيهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ وَ مَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا لِلَّهِ فِيهِ الْمَعْصِيَةُ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ تَرْكُهُ وَ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَعْصِيَةٌ وَ لَا طَاعَةٌ فَلَيْسَ هُوَ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ[1].

“I once asked abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about the kind of oath for which I owe expiation. They said, ‘It is when you take an oath for an act in which there is obedience to Allah if you do it and you do not do it, then there is expiation on you. If you take an oath for an act in which there is d

سَأَلْتُهُ عَمَّا يُكَفَّرُ مِنَ الْأَيْمَانِ فَقَالَ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ فَفَعَلْتَهُ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ إِذَا فَعَلْتَهُ وَ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْكَ وَاجِباً أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ ثُمَّ فَعَلْتَهُ فَعَلَيْكَ الْكَفَّارَةُ.

“I once asked one of the two Imam, (abu Ja‘far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about the case of the kind of oath which requires one to pay an expiation. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is when you are obligated to do something and you take an oath not to do it but you do it then there is nothing on you when you do it.

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَيُّ شَيْ‌ءٍ الَّذِي فِيهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ مِنَ الْأَيْمَانِ فَقَالَ مَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا فِيهِ الْبِرُّ فَعَلَيْهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ إِذَا لَمْ تَفِ بِهِ وَ مَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِمَّا فِيهِ الْمَعْصِيَةُ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ فِيهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ إِذَا رَجَعْتَ عَنْهُ وَ مَا كَانَ سِوَى ذَلِكَ مِمَّا لَيْسَ فِيهِ بِرٌّ وَ لَا مَعْصِيَةٌ فَلَيْسَ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the kind of oath that makes expiation obligatory. He (the Imam) said, ‘If you take an oath for doing something which is a virtuous deed, there is expiation if you do not do it. If you take an oath to do something which is an act of disobedience you do not owe anything if you d

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُقْسِمُ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ فِي الطَّعَامِ لِيَأْكُلَ فَلَمْ يَطْعَمْ هَلْ عَلَيْهِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْكَفَّارَةُ وَ مَا الْيَمِينُ الَّتِي تَجِبُ فِيهَا الْكَفَّارَةُ فَقَالَ الْكَفَّارَةُ فِي الَّذِي يَحْلِفُ عَلَى الْمَتَاعِ أَنْ لَا يَبِيعَهُ وَ لَا يَشْتَرِيَهُ ثُمَّ يَبْدُو لَهُ فِيهِ فَيُكَفِّرُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَ إِنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ وَ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ إِتْيَانُهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ تَرْكِهِ ف

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who takes an oath for a man to eat food but does not eat; if there is expiation on him and the kind of oath that makes expiation obligatory. He (the Imam) said, ‘Expiation is obligatory when one takes an oath not to sell an asset or buy but then he changes hi

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنِ الْأَيْمَانِ وَ النُّذُورِ وَ الْيَمِينِ الَّتِي هِيَ لِلَّهِ طَاعَةٌ فَقَالَ مَا جَعَلَ لِلَّهِ فِي طَاعَةٍ فَلْيَقْضِهِ فَإِنْ جَعَلَ لِلَّهِ شَيْئاً مِنْ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ فَلْيُكَفِّرْ يَمِينَهُ وَ أَمَّا مَا كَانَتْ يَمِينٌ فِي مَعْصِيَةٍ فَلَيْسَ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ.

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about oath and Nadhr (a commitment) and swearing about that which is an act of obedience to Allah. He (the Imam) said, ‘What is an act of obedience you must do it. If one makes a commitment then does not fulfill, one must pay expiation; but if it is an oath in sin, then it does not have

كُلُّ يَمِينٍ حَلَفَ عَلَيْهَا أَنْ لَا يَفْعَلَهَا مِمَّا لَهُ فِيهِ مَنْفَعَةٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ فَلَا كَفَّارَةَ عَلَيْهِ وَ إِنَّمَا الْكَفَّارَةُ فِي أَنْ يَحْلِفَ الرَّجُلُ وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَزْنِي وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَشْرَبُ الْخَمْرَ وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَسْرِقُ وَ اللَّهِ لَا أَخُونُ وَ أَشْبَاهِ هَذَا وَ لَا أَعْصِي ثُمَّ فَعَلَ فَعَلَيْهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ فِيهِ.

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Every act for which one takes an oath not to do it and the act is beneficial in this and in the hereafter, there is no expiation for it. Kaffarah (expiation) becomes obligatory when one takes an oath and says, ‘By Allah I will not commit fornication, by Allah I will not drink wine, by All

سَأَلْتُهُ عَمَّا يُكَفَّرُ مِنَ الْأَيْمَانِ فَقَالَ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ ثُمَّ فَعَلْتَهُ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْكَ وَاجِباً أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ ثُمَّ فَعَلْتَهُ فَعَلَيْكَ الْكَفَّارَةُ.

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the kinds of oath for which Kaffarah (expiation) is obligatory. He (the Imam) said, ‘If something is obligatory for you to do and you take an oath not to do it, then you do it, you do not owe anything. If what is not obligatory on you to do and you take an oath not to do it but yo

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ الْيَمِينُ الَّتِي تَجِبُ فِيهَا الْكَفَّارَةُ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ فَفَعَلْتَهُ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ لِأَنَّ فِعْلَكَ طَاعَةٌ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ فَحَلَفْتَ أَنْ لَا تَفْعَلَهُ فَفَعَلْتَهُ فَعَلَيْكَ الْكَفَّارَةُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘The oath that makes expiation obligatory is that which is about an act that is necessary for you to do. However, you take an oath not to do it but you do it. Expiation is not due on you because your act is in obedience to Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious. If it is something that yo