What should a person do who forgot whether they uttered an oath or a promise to God, when the promise was in the heart?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A mere intention to take an oath or make a vow does not make anything binding, nor does it necessitate expiation. Rather, it is essential to utter the words with the tongue. If a person doubts whether they uttered the words with their tongue or not, the default is that they are free from obligation, and no expiation is required, especially if they are prone to obsessive doubts (waswasa); in such a case, they should cast aside these doubts.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/169778
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 169778
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy