Oaths and Vows

This subtopic gathers questions on swearing by God and breaking an oath, with its expiation. It also holds vows, their binding force and expiation, and conditional oaths that are not divorce formulas.

Questions readers ask here:

Oaths sworn by divorce belong under Divorce Wording, Oaths and Conditions.

172 questions

Does the emission of pre-seminal fluid (madhy) – without semen or arousal – constitute a breach of an oath after swearing to abandon masturbation, especially given the inability to expiate the oath?
What is the ruling regarding someone who gave testimony, then forgot it and swore an oath to that effect, then retracted their oath and reinstated the original testimony they gave while a minor, and what is the expiation due for that?
How can one atone for swearing a false oath on the Qur’an and repeating the sin, despite sincere repentance?
Will God punish me by not letting me enter the college I desire, because I vowed to Him not to return to insults, then broke my vow? And what should I do for Him to bestow His forgiveness upon me?
Is it permissible not to fulfill a vow that stipulated wearing a jubah and abandoning skirts and trousers, knowing that 15 years have passed since the vow was made and that it is difficult to wear a jubah in the summer?
Must I fulfill the vow of a thousand rak'ahs I pledged for my son's recovery, or can I expiate it or give charity on its behalf?
Is expiation incumbent upon one who swore not to go to the mobile clothing tent, intending to avoid paying money and riding the bus, then went there on foot and entered for free?
Is what the questioner said considered a vow: "O Lord, if such and such happens, I swear by Allah that I will be constant in prayer"? And is he sinful for abandoning prayer to get rid of whispers, and what should he do now?
What is the ruling on not fulfilling a vow to abstain from alcohol after the father's recovery, and what is its expiation?
Is expiation for an oath obligatory, despite doubt as to whether it was taken and as to its wording, in order to دفع the doubts that control one’s self?
Is it permissible to cut one's hair after the cancellation of an occasion for which an oath was taken not to cut it beforehand?
Am I obligated to offer expiation (kaffarah) for an oath after swearing by Allah three times to buy a car within days, and I did not fulfill that, and what is the expiation and how is it performed, and am I obligated to fulfill the oath and buy the car?
Does Allah forgive one who swore to flee from war, while being unsure if he uttered that oath due to waswas?
Is there any consequence for me because I broke my promise to Allah not to return to masturbation, given that I went back to it a week after repenting?
Is breaking a covenant with God after repentance and weeping unforgivable, and what should be done now?
Is expiation obligatory for one who swore a false oath upon the Qur’an nine years ago with the intention of giving false testimony, and then the aggrieved party dropped the case?
Is expiation obligatory upon one who swore an oath not to marry while a child, then wished to marry after reaching puberty?
Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow of fasting two consecutive years after committing masturbation and smoking, knowing that the vow was made five days after abstaining from these actions?
Is expiation obligatory upon one who swore by Allah to recover his money, but it was not returned to him?
What should one do if he swore to perform the Tahajjud prayer but was unable to sleep, and consequently only performed the Qiyam al-Layl prayer?
Is the phrase "My brother, you are the most foolish of God's creation, by God" considered a Ghamus oath or merely a form of hyperbole?
Is it possible to change a vow to memorize Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-Imran to something else, for fear of not being able to fulfill it, knowing that the time for fulfilling the vow has not yet come?
Does practicing masturbation invalidate the vow made by the questioner to stop it, if things are fine and he does not go for medical examinations, knowing that he does not remember the exact wording of the vow?
What is the ruling on past oaths, and what should I do for Allah to forgive me, and is it obligatory to offer expiation for every oath when their number is unknown?

Oaths and Vows

Does the emission of pre-seminal fluid (madhy) – without semen or arousal – constitute a breach of an oath after swearing to abandon masturbation, especially given the inability to expiate the oath?

What is the ruling regarding someone who gave testimony, then forgot it and swore an oath to that effect, then retracted their oath and reinstated the original testimony they gave while a minor, and what is the expiation due for that?

How can one atone for swearing a false oath on the Qur’an and repeating the sin, despite sincere repentance?

Will God punish me by not letting me enter the college I desire, because I vowed to Him not to return to insults, then broke my vow? And what should I do for Him to bestow His forgiveness upon me?

Is it permissible not to fulfill a vow that stipulated wearing a jubah and abandoning skirts and trousers, knowing that 15 years have passed since the vow was made and that it is difficult to wear a jubah in the summer?

Must I fulfill the vow of a thousand rak'ahs I pledged for my son's recovery, or can I expiate it or give charity on its behalf?

Is expiation incumbent upon one who swore not to go to the mobile clothing tent, intending to avoid paying money and riding the bus, then went there on foot and entered for free?

Is what the questioner said considered a vow: "O Lord, if such and such happens, I swear by Allah that I will be constant in prayer"? And is he sinful for abandoning prayer to get rid of whispers, and what should he do now?

What is the ruling on not fulfilling a vow to abstain from alcohol after the father's recovery, and what is its expiation?

Is expiation for an oath obligatory, despite doubt as to whether it was taken and as to its wording, in order to دفع the doubts that control one’s self?

Is it permissible to cut one's hair after the cancellation of an occasion for which an oath was taken not to cut it beforehand?

Am I obligated to offer expiation (kaffarah) for an oath after swearing by Allah three times to buy a car within days, and I did not fulfill that, and what is the expiation and how is it performed, and am I obligated to fulfill the oath and buy the car?

Does Allah forgive one who swore to flee from war, while being unsure if he uttered that oath due to waswas?

Is there any consequence for me because I broke my promise to Allah not to return to masturbation, given that I went back to it a week after repenting?

Is breaking a covenant with God after repentance and weeping unforgivable, and what should be done now?

Is expiation obligatory for one who swore a false oath upon the Qur’an nine years ago with the intention of giving false testimony, and then the aggrieved party dropped the case?

Is expiation obligatory upon one who swore an oath not to marry while a child, then wished to marry after reaching puberty?

Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow of fasting two consecutive years after committing masturbation and smoking, knowing that the vow was made five days after abstaining from these actions?

Is expiation obligatory upon one who swore by Allah to recover his money, but it was not returned to him?

What should one do if he swore to perform the Tahajjud prayer but was unable to sleep, and consequently only performed the Qiyam al-Layl prayer?

Is the phrase "My brother, you are the most foolish of God's creation, by God" considered a Ghamus oath or merely a form of hyperbole?

Is it possible to change a vow to memorize Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-Imran to something else, for fear of not being able to fulfill it, knowing that the time for fulfilling the vow has not yet come?

Does practicing masturbation invalidate the vow made by the questioner to stop it, if things are fine and he does not go for medical examinations, knowing that he does not remember the exact wording of the vow?

What is the ruling on past oaths, and what should I do for Allah to forgive me, and is it obligatory to offer expiation for every oath when their number is unknown?