What is the ruling on breaking an oath after revealing a secret I swore to keep, in order to warn someone whose identity had been impersonated? And am I required to offer expiation?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
You are not obligated to fulfill your oath to this person not to tell anyone. You may break it and inform your friend, because concealing this would harm your friend, whose identity this person impersonated and whose secrets he interfered with. You must offer expiation for breaking an oath. However, if you swore based on the belief that it was your friend, and had you known the truth, you would not have sworn, then expiation is not obligatory upon you when you break the 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/152191
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 152191
- 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