Join over 4 million Quran learners from more than 180 countries
Ayah
Word by Word
لَا
Not
يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ
will call you to account
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
بِٱللَّغۡوِ
for the thoughtless utterances
فِيٓ
in
أَيۡمَٰنِكُمۡ
your oaths
وَلَٰكِن
but
يُؤَاخِذُكُم
He will call you to account
بِمَا
for what
عَقَّدتُّمُ
you contracted
ٱلۡأَيۡمَٰنَۖ
(of) the oath
فَكَفَّـٰرَتُهُۥٓ
So its expiation
إِطۡعَامُ
(is) feeding
عَشَرَةِ
(of) ten
مَسَٰكِينَ
needy people
مِنۡ
of
أَوۡسَطِ
average
مَا
(of) what
تُطۡعِمُونَ
you feed
أَهۡلِيكُمۡ
your families
أَوۡ
or
كِسۡوَتُهُمۡ
clothing them
أَوۡ
or
تَحۡرِيرُ
freeing
رَقَبَةٖۖ
a slave
فَمَن
But whoever
لَّمۡ
(does) not
يَجِدۡ
find
فَصِيَامُ
(that), then fasting
ثَلَٰثَةِ
(for) three
أَيَّامٖۚ
days
ذَٰلِكَ
That
كَفَّـٰرَةُ
(is the) expiation
أَيۡمَٰنِكُمۡ
(of) your oaths
إِذَا
when
حَلَفۡتُمۡۚ
you have sworn
وَٱحۡفَظُوٓاْ
And guard
أَيۡمَٰنَكُمۡۚ
your oaths
كَذَٰلِكَ
Thus
يُبَيِّنُ
makes clear
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
لَكُمۡ
to you
ءَايَٰتِهِۦ
His Verses
لَعَلَّكُمۡ
so that you may
تَشۡكُرُونَ
(be) grateful
لَا
Not
يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ
will call you to account
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
بِٱللَّغۡوِ
for the thoughtless utterances
فِيٓ
in
أَيۡمَٰنِكُمۡ
your oaths
وَلَٰكِن
but
يُؤَاخِذُكُم
He will call you to account
بِمَا
for what
عَقَّدتُّمُ
you contracted
ٱلۡأَيۡمَٰنَۖ
(of) the oath
فَكَفَّـٰرَتُهُۥٓ
So its expiation
إِطۡعَامُ
(is) feeding
عَشَرَةِ
(of) ten
مَسَٰكِينَ
needy people
مِنۡ
of
أَوۡسَطِ
average
مَا
(of) what
تُطۡعِمُونَ
you feed
أَهۡلِيكُمۡ
your families
أَوۡ
or
كِسۡوَتُهُمۡ
clothing them
أَوۡ
or
تَحۡرِيرُ
freeing
رَقَبَةٖۖ
a slave
فَمَن
But whoever
لَّمۡ
(does) not
يَجِدۡ
find
فَصِيَامُ
(that), then fasting
ثَلَٰثَةِ
(for) three
أَيَّامٖۚ
days
ذَٰلِكَ
That
كَفَّـٰرَةُ
(is the) expiation
أَيۡمَٰنِكُمۡ
(of) your oaths
إِذَا
when
حَلَفۡتُمۡۚ
you have sworn
وَٱحۡفَظُوٓاْ
And guard
أَيۡمَٰنَكُمۡۚ
your oaths
كَذَٰلِكَ
Thus
يُبَيِّنُ
makes clear
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
لَكُمۡ
to you
ءَايَٰتِهِۦ
His Verses
لَعَلَّكُمۡ
so that you may
تَشۡكُرُونَ
(be) grateful
Translation
Allāh will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless1 in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths. So its expiation2 is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] - then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths.3 Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses [i.e., revealed law] that you may be grateful.
Footnotes
1 i.e., what is sworn to only out of habit of speech or what one utters carelessly without true intent.
2 i.e., that for a deliberate oath.
3 i.e., do not take oaths indiscriminately or swear to do that which is sinful, requiring expiation.
Tafsir
God will not take you to task for a slip, contained, in your oaths, which is what the tongue utters spontaneously, without intending to swear an oath, such as when one says, 'No, by God', or 'Yes, by God'; but He will take you to task for that to which you have pledged (read 'aqadtum, 'aqqadttum or 'aaqadttum) oaths, where you have sworn an oath intentionally; the expiation thereof, of the oath if you break it, is the feeding of ten of the needy, for each needy person one mudd measure, of the midmost food, from which, you feed your families, that is, the closest or the principal [food you consume], neither better, nor worse; or the clothing of them, with what may be [properly] called clothes, such as a shirt, a turban, or a loin cloth - it is not sufficient that these [items] mentioned be given only to one needy person, according to al-Shaafi'ee; or the setting free of a, believing, slave, as applies in the expiation for slaying or repudiation through zihaar, interpreting the general [stipulation] in a restricted sense; and whoever does not find the means, for any one of the [expiations] mentioned, then the fasting of three days, as an expiation for him - as it appears [in this verse], it is not obligatory to follow the [above] sequence [of alternatives when making an expiation], and this is the opinion of al-Shaafi'ee. That, which is mentioned, is the expiation of your oaths if you have sworn, and have broken them; but keep your oaths, do not break them, unless it be for a righteous deed or setting right between people, as stated in the verse of soorat al-Baqara [Q. 2:225]. So, in the same way that He has explained to you what has been mentioned, God makes clear to you His signs, so that you might be thankful, to Him for this.
"Unintentional Oaths
Allah says;
لَا يُوَاخِذُكُمُ اللّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ
Allah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths,
We mentioned the subject of unintentional oaths in Surah Al-Baqarah, all praise and thanks are due to Allah, and so we do not need to repeat it here. We also mentioned that the Laghw in oaths refers to one's saying, ""No by Allah,"" or, ""Yes, by Allah,"" unintentionally.
Expiation for Breaking the Oaths
Allah said,
وَلَـكِن يُوَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الَايْمَانَ
but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths.
in reference to the oaths that you intend in your hearts,
فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ
for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten poor,
who are needy, not able to find necessities of the life.
Allah's statement,
مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ
on a scale of the Awsat of that with which you feed your own families;
According to Ibn Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Ikrimah,
means, ""On the average scale of what you feed your families.""
Ata Al-Khurasani commented on the Ayah,
""From the best of what you feed your families.""
Allah's statement,
أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ
or clothe them,
refers to clothing each of the ten persons with what is suitable to pray in, whether the poor person was male or female. Allah knows best.
Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas said that;
the Ayah means a robe or garment for each poor person (of the ten).
Mujahid also said that;
the least of clothing, referred to in the Ayah, is a garment, and the most is whatever you wish.
Al-Hasan, Abu Jafar Al-Baqir, Ata, Tawus, Ibrahim An-Nakhai, Hammad bin Abi Sulayman and Abu Malik said that;
it means (giving each of the ten poor persons) a garment each.
Allah's statement,
أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ
or free a slave,
refers to freeing a believing slave.
In the Muwatta of Malik, the Musnad of Ash-Shafii and the Sahih of Muslim, a lengthy Hadith was recorded that;
Umar bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami said that he once had to free a slave (as atonement) and he brought a black slave girl before the Messenger of Allah, who asked her;
أَيْنَ اللهُ
Where is Allah?
She said, ""Above the heavens.""
He said,
مَنْ أَنَا
Who am I?
She said, ""The Messenger of Allah.""
He said,
أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُوْمِنَة
Free her, for she is a believer.
There are three types of expiation for breaking deliberate oaths, and whichever one chooses, it will suffice, according to the consensus (of the scholars).
Allah mentioned the easiest, then the more difficult options, since feeding is easier than giving away clothes, and giving away clothes is easier than freeing a slave.
If one is unable to fulfill any of these options, then he fasts for three days for expiation, just as Allah said,
فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ
But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he should fast for three days.
Ubayy bin Ka`b and Ibn Mas`ud and his students read this Ayah as follows,
""Then he should fast three consecutive days.""
Even if this statement was not narrated to us as a part of the Qur'an through Mutawatir narration, it would still be an explanation of the Qur'an by the Companions that has the ruling of being related from the Prophet.
Allah's statement,
ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ
That is the expiation for the oaths when you have sworn.
means, this is the legal way to atone for deliberate oaths,
وَاحْفَظُواْ أَيْمَانَكُمْ
And protect your oaths.
Do not leave your broken oaths without paying the expiation for them, according to the meaning given by Ibn Jarir.
كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمْ ايَاتِهِ
Thus Allah makes clear to you His Ayat,
and explains them to you,
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
that you may be grateful."
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
