Oaths (Yamīn) & Vows (Nadhr)

What Is an Oath, and What Is a Vow?

An oath (yamīn, plural aymān) is to affirm or bind oneself to something by invoking the name of Allah or one of His attributes — for example, "By Allah, I will do such-and-such," or "I will not." A vow (nadhr) is to oblige upon oneself an act of worship that was not originally obligatory — for example, "If Allah cures me, I will fast three days for His sake." The two are distinct in nature: an oath calls Allah to witness a statement, while a vow imposes a fresh obligation on the person. Yet the sharī‘ah links them closely, because a vow of obedience must be fulfilled, and a vow that cannot lawfully be fulfilled is treated with the very expiation of an oath.

Not every utterance that sounds like an oath actually binds. The laghw — the idle, unintended oath that runs off the tongue in the course of speech, such as "No, by Allah" and "Yes, by Allah" without any resolve behind it — carries no consequence and no expiation. Allah holds a person to account only for what the heart deliberately intends and contracts.

Swear Only by Allah

A binding oath is sworn by Allah alone — by His Name or by one of His attributes. It is forbidden to swear by anything else: not by one's father, not by the Ka‘bah, not by one's life, not by the Prophet ﷺ, and not by "my honour" or "my trust." The Prophet ﷺ was explicit that whoever wishes to swear must swear by Allah or else hold his tongue.

The reason for the prohibition is that an oath magnifies and exalts the one sworn by, and no created thing deserves that exaltation. This is why the scholars count swearing by other than Allah among the forms of minor shirk. The remedy, if it slips from someone, is to renew tawḥīd at once. The Prophet ﷺ taught that whoever swears by an idol should immediately affirm the oneness of Allah.

Breaking an Oath for Something Better

An oath is not a prison. If a person swears to do — or not to do — a particular thing, and then sees that a different course is better in the sight of Allah, he is commanded to take the better course and to pay the expiation for the oath he broke. Keeping an oath is not virtuous when the oath itself locks a person out of good; here the sunnah is to break it and expiate.

The scholars discuss whether it is better to expiate before acting on the alternative or after; both are reported in the narrations of this hadith and both are permissible. What matters is that the expiation is due once the oath is broken, whether the breaking was for a better cause or simply a change of course.

Expiation of a Broken Oath (Kaffārat al-Yamīn)

When a binding oath is broken, its expiation is fixed by the Qur’an and comes in graded options. The first stage is a free choice between three: feeding ten needy persons from the average of what one feeds one's own family, or clothing ten needy persons, or freeing a slave. Only the one who finds none of these within his means moves to the second stage — fasting three days.

The order is important: the three options of the first stage are on takhyīr — a genuine free choice, in whatever order one wishes — while fasting is a substitute reserved for the one genuinely unable to fulfil any of the first three. The expiation is a single kaffārah per oath broken; repeatedly saying "by Allah" over one and the same matter counts as one oath.

The Ruling on Vows (Nadhr)

A vow to obey Allah must be fulfilled, and it becomes binding upon the one who made it. A vow to disobey Allah must never be carried out — no vow can license a sin. This is the clear teaching of the Prophet ﷺ.

Although fulfilling a righteous vow is obligatory and praised, the making of vows is discouraged. The Prophet ﷺ described the vow as something that changes nothing of Allah's decree — it neither hastens nor delays what He has written; it merely draws wealth or effort out of a miserly person who would not otherwise have given it. A believer worships and gives generously from the outset, without bargaining with his Lord.

Where the Scholars Differ (Ikhtilāf)

On the settled foundations there is agreement; the differences lie in details, and each view is held by respected imams arguing from the texts. On the amount and manner of feeding in kaffārat al-yamīn: the Ḥanafīs permit giving the monetary value of the food, and measure roughly a ṣā‘ of dates/barley or half a ṣā‘ of wheat per person, whereas the majority (Mālikīs, Shāfi‘īs, Ḥanbalīs) require actual food and differ over the measure, many specifying about a mudd per person. All agree the standard is "the average of what you feed your own families."

On the three days of fasting: must they be consecutive? The Ḥanafīs and Ḥanbalīs require them to be continuous — supported by the well-known reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd, "three consecutive days" — while the Shāfi‘īs and (in the well-known view) the Mālikīs permit them to be separated, since the verse says only "three days." Both positions are respected.

On a vow of sin or of the impossible, and the vow of anger/argument (nadhr al-lajāj): it is forbidden to carry out a vow of disobedience, but is there an expiation? The majority hold that such a vow is not fulfilled and its expiation is the expiation of an oath, resting on the Prophet's ﷺ words that the expiation of a vow [that cannot be kept] is the expiation of an oath. Some, including a view of the Shāfi‘īs, hold there is nothing owed for a vow of pure sin. The safer and more widely-taught practice is to abandon the sinful act and pay kaffārat al-yamīn.

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