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Is it obligatory to fast only three days for the many oaths and covenants whose number I do not remember, or to fast three days for each oath and covenant, in the event of inability to feed or free, and is it permissible to intend expiation for any oath without specifying it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Frequent swearing is religiously reproachable. Covenants with Allah must be fulfilled, and it is forbidden to break them. The majority of scholars hold that an expiation is required for every oath that was not fulfilled. If the number of oaths is unknown, one should strive to ascertain it until certainty or a strong presumption of being absolved is achieved. The Hanbali school permits a single expiation for multiple oaths in some cases. Fasting as an expiation for an oath is only permissible if one is unable to feed or clothe the needy. It is not necessary to specify the oath when performing the expiation; rather, it suffices to fast for the number of oaths broken.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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