What are the consequences of violating a written covenant between a person and their Lord, which has a duration of 15 days and contains ten points, knowing that the intention was not to make an oath? Is anything required if the commitment exceeds 50% but does not reach 100%? What are the consequences of repeatedly failing to fulfill the same points in separate covenants?
The Sharia (Islamic law) encourages fulfilling covenants, especially those made with Allah and concerning religious matters, as stated in the Almighty's قول: "And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have covenanted" (An-Nahl: 91). Whoever covenants with Allah concerning an act of obedience or an act of drawing closer to Him, it is considered a nazr (vow) and an yamin (oath), according to the most preponderant opinions of the scholars. If one does not fulfill their covenant, an expiation for breaking an oath (kaffarat yamin) becomes obligatory, which is feeding ten needy people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave, or fasting for three days for those who cannot afford the former. The expiation is not repeated if the failure to fulfill the covenant for the same points recurs, because the oath is dissolved by the first breach, unless one intended to repeat the expiation or the wording of the oath indicated so.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/146163