Al-Qawa'id al-Nuraniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (340)

Al-Qawa'id al-NuraniyyaIbn Taimiya

Thus, if a man swears by means of a vow, divorce, or manumission that he will not act righteously, be mindful of Allah, or make peace, he faces one of two outcomes. If he abides by his oath, he has made these things, through his oath, an obstacle to acting righteously, being mindful of Allah, and making peace between people. But if he breaks it, divorce takes effect and he becomes obligated to perform what he vowed. Yet losing his family and property may take him even further from righteousness and piety than the matter about which he swore. If he abides by his oath, he abandons righteousness and piety; and if he gives up his family and property, he likewise abandons righteousness and piety. These things thus become, through his oath, an obstacle to acting righteously and being mindful of Allah. He can escape this predicament only through expiation. This is the meaning indicated by the sunnah.

The two Sahih collections relate from Hammām, from Abū Hurayra, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “By Allah, for one of you to persist in his oath concerning his family is more sinful in Allah’s sight than for him to offer the expiation Allah has prescribed for him.” Al-Bukhārī also related from Ikrima, from Abū Hurayra, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever obstinately persists regarding his family [by an oath] is guilty of a greater sin.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) thus stated that obstinately persisting in an oath concerning the swearer’s family is a greater sin than making expiation. Obstinacy means persisting in a dispute. Hence a man is described as obstinate when he persists in disputation. For this reason, scholars call this “a vow of obstinacy and anger”: a person obstinately persists until he makes it binding, and then persists in refusing to break it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) thus made clear that obstinately persisting in an oath is a greater sin than making expiation. This applies generally to all oaths.

Furthermore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abd al-Rahmān ibn Samura: “If you swear an oath and then see that something else is better, do what is better and make expiation for

فَإِذَا حَلَفَ الرَّجُلُ بِالنَّذْرِ أَوْ بِالطَّلَاقِ أَوْ بِالْعَتَاقِ أَنْ لَا يَبَرَّ وَلَا يَتَّقِيَ وَلَا يُصْلِحَ، فَهُوَ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ: إِنْ وَفَّى ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ جَعَلَ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءَ عُرْضَةً لِيَمِينِهِ أَنْ يَبَرَّ وَيَتَّقِيَ وَيُصْلِحَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ. وَإِنْ حَنِثَ فِيهَا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ الطَّلَاقُ وَوَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ فِعْلُ الْمَنْذُورِ، فَقَدْ يَكُونُ خُرُوجُ أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ عَنْهُ أَبْعَدَ عَنِ الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى مِنَ الْأَمْرِ الْمَحْلُوفِ عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنْ أَقَامَ عَلَى يَمِينِهِ تَرَكَ الْبِرَّ وَالتَّقْوَى، وَإِنْ خَرَجَ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ تَرَكَ الْبِرَّ وَالتَّقْوَى، فَصَارَتْ عُرْضَةً لِيَمِينِهِ أَنْ يَبَرَّ وَيَتَّقِيَ، فَلَا يَخْرُجُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْكَفَّارَةِ، وَهَذَا الْمَعْنَى هُوَ الَّذِي دَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ السُّنَّةُ. فَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ همام عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: " «وَاللَّهِ لَأَنْ يَلِجَ أَحَدُكُمْ بِيَمِينِهِ فِي أَهْلِهِ آثَمُ لَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ كَفَّارَتَهُ الَّتِي افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ» "، وَرَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ أَيْضًا مِنْ حَدِيثِ عكرمة عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: " «مَنِ اسْتَلَجَ فِي أَهْلِهِ [بِيَمِينٍ] فَهُوَ أَعْظَمُ إِثْمًا» ". فَأَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنَّ اللَّجَاجَ بِالْيَمِينِ فِي أَهْلِ الْحَالِفِ أَعْظَمُ إِثْمًا مِنَ التَّكْفِيرِ. وَاللَّجَاجُ: هُوَ التَّمَادِي فِي الْخُصُومَةِ، وَمِنْهُ قِيلَ: رَجُلٌ لَجُوجٌ: إِذَا تَمَادَى فِي الْمُخَاصَمَةِ، وَلِهَذَا تُسَمِّي الْعُلَمَاءُ هَذَا: نَذْرَ اللَّجَاجِ وَالْغَضَبِ، فَإِنَّهُ يَلِجُ حَتَّى يُعَقِّدَهُ، ثُمَّ يَلِجُ فِي الِامْتِنَاعِ مِنَ الْحِنْثِ، فَبَيَّنَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنَّ اللَّجَاجَ بِالْيَمِينِ أَعْظَمُ إِثْمًا مِنَ الْكَفَّارَةِ، وَهَذَا عَامٌّ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَيْمَانِ. وَأَيْضًا فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لِعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ: " «إِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، فَائْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَكَفِّرْ عَنْ