Zakir Naik – What if a Muslim Makes Promises and Oaths to Allah but Fails to Keep them

Zakir Naik
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The importance of making a commitment to Allah is discussed, including tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests, tests,
AI: Transcript ©
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This question from the whatsapp, Nanjiba from Bangladesh.

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If someone promises to Allah that he will

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not commit such and such a sin he

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did that and he makes an unreal promise

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to Allah which he cannot keep what should

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he do?

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And if a student observes three fasts in

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the name of Allah as an expiation for

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breaking an oath and if he hears from

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many that ten poor people should be fed

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or clothed if he also promises Allah that

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he will give clothes or food to ten

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poor people for all the promises he has

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made to Allah in his life which he

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could not keep and he breaks his oath

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now he has to give clothes or food

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to ten poor people as expiation for breaking

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the same oath again.

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Nanjiba from Bangladesh says that if someone promises

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to Allah and does not keep that promise

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what should he do?

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Here you have to make a differentiation between

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a promise to Allah and an oath to

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Allah.

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There is two difference.

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When you promise something it is you are

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telling Allah ok I will do this, I

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will do that.

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That's different than taking an oath.

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If you take an oath it should have

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certain clause.

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Like how Allah takes an oath of fig

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Allah takes an oath of lasar, fajar, then

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of the mountains.

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So when you take an oath, you take

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oath of something and taking oath is of

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different types.

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What scholars say.

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So promises something else that ok I promise

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that I will do something, I promise I

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will be good, I promise I will be

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truthful that's different.

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Making a commitment to Allah but taking oath

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is different.

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An oath, normally the prophet said, sahabas always

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said, there are many sahih hadith said that

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the prophet discouraged us from taking oaths.

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Oath means, you said that if I pass

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the examination I will go for umrah.

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Or if I pass the examination I will

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give charity of one thousand dollars to the

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poor people.

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So this type of oath the prophet discouraged.

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It says that taking oath does not change

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the qadr.

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It only makes a miser person give in

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charity.

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So when you are taking an oath, there

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are different types of oaths.

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Some oaths which are good to take, some

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oath which are not good to take.

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Some amubah.

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The oath that if you ask and you

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take an oath of Allah that if so

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and so thing happens, I will do this

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sort of worship.

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It's not encouraged.

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It's not haram.

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Because you are putting a stipulation to Allah

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that ok if I pass the examination, I

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will pray two rakat nafil, I will go

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for umrah.

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And if you do that act, if you

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pass the examination, it is as though you

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are forced to do it.

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You are not doing it out of your

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own free will.

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That's one of the reasons.

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Second is that as though you are bartering

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with Allah.

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That if my sickness is cured, I will

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go for umrah.

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If my sickness is cured, I will fast

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ten days.

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Whatever it is.

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So the Prophet said the qadr is not

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changed.

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What's going to happen, you want to happen.

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What's written in your destiny will happen.

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So if you take an oath with bartering

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something with Allah, it's not encouraged in Islam.

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It's not haram but it's not encouraged.

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The Prophet said it only makes a miser

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person give charity.

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So miser person says that ok if I

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get healthy, I will give thousand dollars.

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Ok, the miser person doesn't give charity.

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So at least he will give thousand dollars.

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So the Prophet personally preferred give charity.

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Ok, I have decided I will give charity

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today.

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Thousand dollars.

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Very good.

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I decided I will give charity two thousand.

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Very good.

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But if you say I will pass, then

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I will give charity, it's not encouraged.

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So oath means you are bartering something.

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If this thing happens, I will do this.

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So these types of oath Allah says in

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the Quran in Surah Maidah chapter number 5

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verse number 89 that that if the oath

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is unintentional Allah will forgive it.

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But if it's an intentional oath then if

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you do not keep it, if you do

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not fulfill the oath, give a kaffarah kaffarah

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you mean, give kaffarah give expiation of feeding

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ten poor people, miskeen people and feed them

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the same way how you feed your family.

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So if you are a rich person and

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you spend maybe hundred dollars per meal, so

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feed ten people with hundred dollars each.

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If you are a poor person who feeds

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maybe one dollar per meal, so feed ten

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people with one dollar.

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Or clothe ten people.

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Same way you clothe your family.

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Or free a slave.

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So this is the condition put by Allah

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subhanahu wa ta'ala in Surah Maidah chapter

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number 5 verse number 89 that if it's

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an unintentional oath Allah will forgive but if

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it's intentional and if it's an oath done

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by you and if you do not fulfill

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it, feed ten people, poor people, how you

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feed your family or clothe ten people or

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you free a slave.

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If you cannot do this, then you fast

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for three consecutive days.

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So if you make an oath, the best

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the Prophet said is do it.

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As long as the oath is not a

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haram oath.

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Now there are some oaths which are haram.

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For example, you say that I will go

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to Dargah and put ten candles on the

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Dargah.

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So this is wrong.

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Or if you say that I have taken

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an oath or done commitment.

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One is a commitment, one is a promise,

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there is a difference.

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And if you say that if this thing

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happen I'll do this, if this thing happen

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I'll do idol worship.

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Idol worship is haram.

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So anything you say, if I pass the

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examination, I will do idol worship.

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Idol worship is haram.

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So in these conditions, if you commit if

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you take an oath of doing a sin

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then the Prophet said don't do the sin,

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give the kafara.

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So if you have given an oath to

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commit a sin or given a promise to

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commit a sin don't do that sin, do

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a kafara of feeding ten people or clothing

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ten people or freeing a slave.

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If you cannot afford it then you can

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fast for three consecutive days.

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There are some things which is not a

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sin but you can't afford to do.

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You say that if I pass the examination

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I will give ten thousand dollars charity.

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You don't even earn a thousand dollars, I

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will give ten thousand dollars.

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Suppose you say that if I pass the

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examination I'll go for Hajj and you are

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sick.

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Then * doesn't permit you.

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So if you make an oath which you

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cannot fulfill, it's not a haram oath, going

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to Hajj is good giving ten thousand charity

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is good so then you give kafara.

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That is feed ten people, poor people, equivalent

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to how you feed your family or cloth

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ten people or free your slave.

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If you can't afford this then fast three

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consecutive days.

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So one oath which is haram, you should

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not do it, only give kafara.

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One oath is which you have committed but

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you cannot do it because you can't afford

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to do it or you are not healthy,

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you don't have the money.

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Then the third type is which is mubah,

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okay if I pass I will give charity

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and you have the money then you give

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charity.

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This is optional.

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One thing is there which is oaths which

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are good.

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That you have said you'll do this without

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putting a condition to Allah subhana wa ta

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'ala I have committed to Allah that this

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year I'll give charity of ten thousand dollars

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and your business goes down.

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Oath is good, it's not against anything.

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It's not saying that only this happened.

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You have given a commitment, you have given

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an oath to Allah that this thing I

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will do this year and your business goes

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down.

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You had the intention so if you have

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given the oath and your business goes down

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you cannot give ten thousand dollars, okay feed

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ten people.

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Can't feed ten people, clothe ten people or

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free a slave.

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Cannot do this, fast three consecutive days.

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So one is something which is haram you

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should not do it, give kafara.

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One is you have said something, you don't

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have the capacity one is you had the

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capacity but then the business didn't go well

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so at that time the best is to

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fulfil the oath.

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Whatever oath you have given to Allah unless

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it's a sin, unless it's haram best is

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to fulfil.

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You cannot say if you have the money,

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your business is done very well, you promised

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ten thousand dollars, why give ten thousand dollars

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feeding ten people will only cost me hundred

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dollars, cost me only two hundred dollars, why

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give ten thousand dollars.

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So this is wrong.

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The Prophet said if your business is done

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well, if you have given the oath, fulfil

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the oath first.

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If you cannot then the kafara is there

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or if it's an oath which is committing

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a sin.

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So you have to differentiate between this.

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So based on all this the answer is

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very clear cut that if you promise something

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if it's not a sin you have to

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do it.

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And then again the questioner has asked that

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he has made many promises he hasn't fulfilled

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for each promise he hasn't fulfilled he has

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to either feed ten people or he has

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to each oath that he has taken, if

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he doesn't fulfil either feed ten people or

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clothe ten people or be a slave or

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three consecutive days.

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So then if he says okay, I will

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feed ten people or clothe ten people or

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fast three consecutive days and he doesn't do

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this also so if he has not done

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ten oaths he hasn't kept and this eleventh

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one, so he has to give eleven times

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to ten people you can't say only once

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is sufficient, no if he cannot afford it

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at least he should fast for each oath

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three days so if ten if from ten

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oaths he has taken and he has not

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fulfilled it, then he has to fast ten

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into three thirty, three consecutive days, if you

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want to take a gap, take a gap

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again three consecutive days and the last one

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which he did, he did not fulfil, again

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he has to fast another three days for

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that.

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So for every oath that commitment you have

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given to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala there

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is a difference you should understand that I

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will not do a sin you are telling

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Allah that is different than doing an oath

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and a commitment, both are different so if

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you have given an oath and a commitment,

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then you have to fulfil, can't fulfil, then

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there is a ghafara.

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Hope that answers the question.

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