What are the consequences for a husband if he swears an oath to his wife saying: "By God, I will treat you like my sister," intending thereby to abstain from some forms of marital interaction, such as kissing, but not divorce, and then he retracts his oath; is he required to offer an expiation for breaking an oath (kaffarat yamin) or an expiation for zihar?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
This is an oath to abstain from enjoying one's wife. If the husband retracts his oath and does what he had abstained from, then he must offer expiation for breaking an oath: feeding ten poor persons or clothing them. If he cannot find them, then he must fast for three days.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/130882
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 130882
- 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