Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (15/158)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

“By Allah, we will not eat.” So they all swore oaths. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, then said, “This is from Satan,” and he ate; and they ate afterward. The next morning, they went to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and informed him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, “You were the most faithful to your oath and the best of them.” (1) He did not instruct him to offer expiation.

The scholars differed concerning this hadith. Some of them said that he did not instruct him to offer expiation because expiation was already known, and Abu Bakr’s action fell under breaking an oath when doing so is better. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Abd al-Rahman ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him: “When you swear an oath and then see something else that is better than it, offer expiation for your oath and do what is better.” (2) Thus, this was a case of breaking an oath for the sake of what was better, and expiation is not waived thereby.

Other scholars said: In reality, this was not a breaking of the oath, because Abu Bakr did not intend to bind them by it; rather, he intended to honor them through it, and that honor was achieved. Then those who declined to eat also intended to honor him, so honor was achieved on both sides. This was the view preferred by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him. He said: Breaking an oath means incurring sin. Abu Bakr did not intend to bind them, nor did they intend to cause Abu Bakr to break his oath. Each of them intended to show honor, and that honor was achieved. Therefore, there was no breaking of the oath. There is no doubt that the indication of the hadith of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, for the view preferred by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, is clear.

(1) Reported by al-Bukhari in The Book of Etiquette, chapter: “What Is Disliked of Anger and Distress in the Presence of a Guest” (6140), and by Muslim in The Book of Drinks, chapter: “Honoring the Guest and the Merit of Giving Him Preference” (2057), on the authority of Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. This is Muslim’s wording. (2) Its sourcing has previously been given on p. 126.

والله ما نأكل، فحلفوا كلهم، فقال أبو بكر ﵁: هذا من الشيطان وأكل، وأكلوا بعد ذلك، فلما أصبحوا غدوا إلى النبي ﷺ وأخبروه، فقال النبي ﷺ لأبي بكر ﵁: «أنت أبرهم وخيرهم» (١)، ولم يأمره بالكفارة. وهذا الحديث اختلف فيه العلماء، فبعضهم قال: لم يأمره بها؛ لأن الكفارة معلومة، وفعل أبي بكر ﵁ من باب الحنث في اليمين إذا كان خيراً، وقد قال النبي ﷺ لعبد الرحمن بن سمرة ﵁: «إذا حلفت على يمين فرأيت غيرها خيراً منها فكفِّر عن يمينك، وائت الذي هو خير» (٢)، فهذا من باب الحنث للخير، والكفارة لا تسقط به. وقال بعض العلماء: ليس هذا حنثاً في الواقع؛ لأن أبا بكر لم يقصد إلزامهم بذلك، وإنما قصد إكرامهم به، والإكرام حصل، ثم هؤلاء الذين أبوا أن يأكلوا قصدوا إكرامه أيضاً، فالإكرام حصل من الطرفين، وهذا اختيار شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية ﵀، وقال: إن الحنث معناه الإثم، فأبو بكر ما قصد الإلزام، وهم ما قصدوا تحنيث أبي بكر، فكل منهم قصد الإكرام، والإكرام قد حصل، فحينئذ لا يكون هناك حنث، ولا شك أن دلالة حديث أبي بكر ﵁ على ما اختاره شيخ

(١) أخرجه البخاري في الأدب/ باب ما يكره من الغضب والجزع عند الضيف (٦١٤٠)، ومسلم في الأشربة/ باب إكرام الضيف وفضل إيثاره (٢٠٥٧) عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي بكر ﵄، وهذا لفظ مسلم. (٢) سبق تخريجه ص (١٢٦).