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What is the ruling on a wife leaving the house after her husband swore, "By Allah, you will not leave the house again," if it was the husband himself who wanted her to leave?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

You bear no sin for breaking your oath to prevent your wife from going out if her going out is for a permissible purpose, but you must offer expiation for your oath. If there is a benefit in her going out, then your permission for her is commendable. The ruling on breaking an oath differs according to what was sworn upon: if the oath was to perform an obligation or avoid a prohibition, then breaking it is forbidden. If it was to perform a permissible act, then breaking it is permissible. If it was to perform a reprehensible act or avoid a commendable act, then breaking it is commendable. And if it was to perform a forbidden act or avoid an obligation, then breaking it is obligatory. The intention of the swearer particularizes and restricts the oath; if there is no intention, then one refers to the reason for the oath.

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

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