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Is a single expiatory offering (kaffarat yamin) sufficient for repeatedly delaying Fajr prayer after making a vow, and does this fall under the category of a "vow of obstinacy" (nadh al-lajaj), and is expiation due every time the prayer is delayed, even if one is unable to pay?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The basic principle is the obligation to fulfill a vow, as Allah Almighty says, "And let them fulfill their vows," and as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him; and whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him." However, the vow mentioned is a "vow of obstinacy" (nadhir lajaj), and its maker has the choice between fulfilling the vow or offering an expiation for an oath (kaffarat yamin).

The expiation for an oath is: feeding ten poor persons from the average of what you feed your own families, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. And whoever cannot find [the means], then fasting for three days.

If your intention was for the vow to be repeated with each instance of delaying prayer, then you owe a hundred [dirhams] or an expiation for an oath for each delay. If you cannot find [the means] to feed or clothe, then you must fast three days for each breach. However, if you did not intend repetition, then you owe only one expiation.

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

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