What is the religious ruling on a husband's oath to his wife when he said to her: "If you utter these words again, you are unlawful to me," then he reconciled with her, saying: "Don't cry; it's as if I said nothing, I have retracted my oath," and is their subsequent marital intimacy considered unlawful? And what expiation is incumbent upon the husband for this oath?

If a husband makes the prohibition of his wife contingent on her uttering specific words, then he does not violate his oath unless she articulates them. If his intention was hurtful speech, and she uttered it forgetfully, then according to the Shafi'is and those who agree with them, he is not considered to have violated his oath. If a violation does occur, then if the husband intended by his oath of prohibition an oath by Allah, he is obligated to offer an expiation for an oath (kaffarat yamin (definition)), and likewise if he had no specific intention. This oath cannot be retracted or canceled, but it is dissolved by the words uttered by the wife if the wording of the oath does not necessitate repetition.