What is the expiation for oaths sworn by a person afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and is repentance obligatory beforehand in such cases, and how is the expiation to be rendered in terms of the type of food, the number of beneficiaries, and the time of its disbursement?

We advise the person afflicted with waswas (obsessive whispering/doubts) to ignore these whispers and not to give in to them, and not to swear excessively, in compliance with Allah’s saying: "And do not make [your oath by] Allah an obstruction to your oaths" and "And guard your oaths." If the person with waswas swears an oath or breaks it under the influence of waswas, then there is no blame upon him. Otherwise, expiation is incumbent upon him for every broken oath. It is preferable to forgive someone whom one swore not to forgive, and then to offer expiation for the oath. Sincere repentance erases sins but does not waive the expiation. The expiation for an oath is feeding ten needy 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 [must] fast for three days. The amount of food for each needy person is half a sa' (approximately 1.5 kg), or a meal for lunch and dinner. It is permissible to give the expiation to poor Muslim laborers who are not obligated to be supported by the person giving the expiation. It is not permissible to give it to those whom one is obligated to support. What is required is to feed ten needy persons at once or separately.