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A short journey is deemed genuine travel: it satisfies the oath of one who swore, “I will certainly travel,” and it breaks the oath of one who swore, “I will not travel.” The same ruling applies to a brief sleep.
Whoever swears, “I will not employ So-and-so,” and then So-and-so serves him while he remains silent, is perjured. If, however, he swore, “I will not stay overnight”1 or “I will not eat in such-and-such town,” and then spends the night or eats outside its built-up area2, he is not perjured.
The act of an agent is counted as the act of the principal; therefore, if someone swears, “I will not do such-and-such,” and then appoints another person to do it on his behalf, he is perjured.
(1) In manuscripts J and N the reading is “la yabit” (“he must not spend the night”). (2) Manuscript A inserts the conjunction wa (“and”).
والسفر القصير: سفر يبر به من حلف: ليسافرن ويحنث به من حلف: لا يسافر.
وكذا النوم اليسير.
ومن حلف: لا يستخدم فلانا فخدمه وهو ساكت: حنث ولا يبات١ أو لا يأكل ببلد كذا فبات أو٢ أكل خارج بنيانه: لم يحنث.
وفعل الوكيل كالموكل فمن حلف: لا يفعل كذا فوكل فيه من يفعله: حنث
١ في "ج" و "ن" "لا يبت".
٢ في "أ" بالواو.