When Breaking Your Oath Brings You Closer to Allah
Breaking an Oath for Greater Taqwa: The Principle of Choosing Righteousness Over Oaths
Summary
This lecture discusses a hadith from Riyadul Saliheen regarding oaths and the principle of taqwa (reverence of Allah). The speaker explains that when a person swears an oath but later discovers that breaking the oath and pursuing a different action is closer to taqwa and obedience to Allah, they should break the oath and pursue the righteous action instead. The narration is illustrated through the historical context of the Battle of Tabuk, where the Prophet Muhammad initially swore not to take poor companions on the expedition due to lack of resources, but later broke this oath when additional supplies became available, allowing them to join. The speaker clarifies that while breaking an oath for a greater good is permissible, the person must still perform kaffarah (expiation) for breaking the oath, which involves feeding or clothing ten poor people, freeing a slave, or fasting for three days.
Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.
Okay.
[Silence]
I want to see your.
[Silence]
Gentlemen, my gentlemen.
[Silence]
Alhamdulillah.
[Silence]
Continuing in authored by the sixth chapter, the chapter of reverence of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
[Silence]
Muslim on the authority of who narrates that I heard the messenger of Allah say whoever swears an oath and then finds that something contrary to that oath is closer to tapa than the oath that he took and they are in conflict. then he should go with that which is closer to tawa. The point of this narration is the very end. He sums it up and this could this could as well be a principle on its own and that is where our prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam says he should go to that which is more revering of Allah that which is more fearful of Allah that which is more obedient to Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says And do not ever use Allah and your oaths as an excuse to not be just and good with people and others. He says, Do not ever use your oaths and do not ever use Allah as an excuse to refrain from being righteous, from righteousness, from obedience, from making peace between people and doing what is good. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says this that in no circumstance will Allah allow his servant to use him as an excuse to be bad or to use him as an excuse to refrain from all that is good. So when a person swears by Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala to do something or not to do something and then something that is more obedient to Allah, something that is more revering of Allah, something that is more closer to tawa presents itself and the only thing standing between him and that thing is his oath. than he is to break his oath and go with that which is of more righteousness, more of righteousness. And this exact thing happened with the prophet sallall.aii am and there's a reason for this narration and Noah doesn't mention it here in this in this chapter but this occurrence happened when the companions were gearing up for the battle of Tabuk and the battle of Tabuk the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam had obligated every able-bodied man who had the ability to join the army was to join and to go for this battle. And it was presumed to be be a very decisive battle yet a very difficult trek and a very and a very dangerous battle in itself. And it was the largest battle to date in the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam's time. And so some of the very very poor impoverished Muslim had come to the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. They had nothing. They barely had clothing to wear and they wanted to go and the resources that they were using had already been stretched to their limits. And so the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam said I can't take you. We we physically don't have the ability to take you. We don't have anything for you to ride on. We don't have the gear. We don't have the weapons. We don't have We just physically can't take you. And they continue to push and prod and they wanted to go with the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. These are of the best of the companions. They had some of them had never missed a battle with the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam. And so it broke their hearts that they were unable to accompany the prophet sallall.aii wasallam in this battle. And he was was then so strong in telling them over and over that we can't take you. We just don't have the ability. we don't have the room to where he swore by Allah he would not take them for them to cease desist and then one of the companions came and he had more animals to ride on more you know he had the equipment for them and so suddenly it became possible to take some of them. And so the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam sent for them to come to join. So the companions that were there, they said, "Had you not swore that you would not take them?" And so he said, And so then he said this narration and in another addition he said and he is to do the expeation for breaking his oath. So that little addition there helps us in knowing the ruling for someone who does that. You break an oath in order to go with that which is closer to tawa that which is more pleasing to Allah. Do you then do you then do the kaf for breaking your oath? The is what do we know? The.
[Silence]
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says those who break their oath. The experation for doing such is to feed 10 poor people or to clothe them or to free a slave. If a person is unable to do these things, then he is to fast for three days. And so just because the person broke their oath to do what is more pleasing to Allah doesn't mean that the oath is not still binding. The oath still is binding and the person then is to do the kafur the expeation. And the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam in this instance broke that oath in order to accommodate those companions to battle. But then he sallallah.aii wasallam instructed that whoever did does such that they perform the experation the kaf and he perform the experation as well. And so this all feeds into the general command of Allah. And aid one another in righteousness and do not aid one another in sinfulness and enmity. Subhan Allah.
[Silence]
In a moment. But.