Is the aunt's saying "By God" in the context of joking that included lying considered an oath or a question by God, and what are the implications of that regarding the expiation of an oath, whether she intended an answer or not? And what is the ruling on intentional lying to someone who asked by God or swore by God to tell the truth, and is it considered a false oath (yamin ghamus) or a binding oath (mun'aqidah), and is expiation required for it?
What happened to you is not considered an oath as long as you did not swear by one of the names of Allah Almighty or by one of His attributes. An oath is only valid when it is verbally uttered, not merely by intention. It is recommended for you to fulfill the oath of one who swore you by Allah, so that you may tell him the truth. However, if you do not do so, there is no sin upon you. It is never permissible to lie.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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