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What is the ruling on feeding ten fasting individuals instead of ten needy persons as expiation for an oath, and is it permissible to offer two riyals for each needy person as expiation for an oath?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

In the expiation for an oath (kaffarat al-yamin), ten needy persons (masakin) must be fed, not fasting individuals unless they are also needy. What is obligatory is to feed them, not to give them the monetary value of the food, according to the majority of scholars. However, the Hanafis and Ibn Taymiyyah permitted giving the monetary value if it is more beneficial for the needy. The amount of money should be equivalent to the cost of an average meal of what the person performing the expiation typically eats. It is not sufficient to pay two riyals to each needy person if that amount does not equate to the value of a meal. It is generally the case that the value of a meal in Saudi Arabia is not less than ten riyals.

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

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