Condition Three: that the oath be broken—that is, the person does what he had sworn to give up, or refrains from what he had sworn to perform—while acting voluntarily and aware of his oath. If he violates it out of forgetfulness or under duress, no expiation is required, for he bears no sin. The Prophet ﷺ said, “My community has been pardoned for what they do by mistake, out of forgetfulness, or under coercion.”

If he introduces an exception into his oath—such as saying, “By Allah, I will certainly do such-and-such, if Allah wills”—he is not deemed to have broken the oath when he fails to carry it out, provided he intended the exception and uttered it in immediate connection with the oath, either in wording or in legal effect. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever swears an oath and then says, ‘If Allah wills,’ will not be held liable,” reported by Aḥmad and others.

Should he lack the intention of making the oath conditional, saying “if Allah wills” merely for blessing and not as a true proviso, or should he delay uttering the phrase until after the oath has been completed, without excuse, the exception does not avail him. Another opinion states that the exception remains valid even if voiced only after finishing the oath; indeed, if someone present prompts him to say, “If Allah wills,” it would still benefit him. Shaykh al-Islām declared, “This is the correct view.”

Thus, breaking an oath may at times be obligatory, at times forbidden, and at times permissible.