Does an oath take effect by uttering it in the heart without verbalization, and by merely uttering the object of the oath without uttering the condition of the oath?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
An oath is not constituted by mere intention of the heart. Rather, it must be uttered verbally, such as saying "By God," and be accompanied by an action, such as saying "I will certainly do such-and-such." Uttering only one of them is not sufficient. The utterance must also be audible to the person himself, as stated in the : "Indeed, Allah has forgiven my Ummah for what their souls whisper – or what they speak to themselves – as long as they do not act upon it or utter it." Therefore, merely thinking about an oath is not considered an oath until it is verbally expressed.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/66575
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 66575
- 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