Must a mother offer expiation for an oath (kaffarat yamin) because of her vow to help a poor family for life, knowing that the family members are no longer poor and there are other families more in need?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The mother must fulfill her vow according to her intention. If she intended to help a specific family for the rest of their lives, she is not permitted to break the vow or divert it to others. However, if she did not have a specific intention, and the reason for the vow was the poverty and need of that family, then she may stop the vow to them or divert it to others if that reason ceases to exist. This is because a vow is like an oath, and its expiation is the expiation of an oath.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/138594
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 138594
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy