What is the legal ruling concerning a mother’s oath upon her son not to maintain or touch his bicycle, where she swore: “By God, O so-and-so, if you maintain it or approach it or touch it, I will break it, and I will maintain it for you at a bicycle maintenance shop, for that is cheaper for me than your tampering with your clothes and your tampering with the house”? And the son maintained it outside the home, thinking that this did not fall within the oath.

An oath is based on the intention of the one swearing it. If you intended by your oath not to repair your bicycle specifically inside the house, then you have not broken your oath. However, if you intended not to repair it yourself, whether inside or outside the house, then you either fulfill your oath by breaking the bicycle or you break your oath. Breaking the oath is the determined course here if breaking the bicycle constitutes wasting money. In that case, you must offer an expiation for breaking an oath, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Whoever takes an oath and then sees something better than it, let him do that which is better and offer expiation for his oath." One should not be hasty in taking oaths.