in a conditional context, so it encompasses every instance of swearing an oath, whatever form that oath may take. If a person sees that a course other than the one to which he has sworn is better—whether he has sworn to refrain from something good and sees that doing it is better than leaving it, or has sworn to do something evil and sees that refraining from it is better than doing it—the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has commanded him to do what is better and make expiation for his oath.

The wording here, “concerning an oath,” is—and Allah knows best—an instance of using a verbal noun to denote the object of the action. The matter sworn to is called an “oath,” just as “creation” may denote what is created, “beating” what is beaten, and “sale” what is sold, and so forth.

Likewise, both al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded in the two Sahīhs:

“Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī, in the account of himself and his companions, related that when they came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask him for mounts, he said: ‘By Allah, I will not provide you with mounts, and I have none to give you.’ Then he said: ‘By Allah, if Allah wills, whenever I swear an oath and then see that another course is better, I do what is better and release myself from the oath.’”

Another version in the two Sahīhs reads:

“I make expiation for my oath and do what is better.”

Muslim narrated in his Sahīh that ‘Adī ibn Hātim said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“If one of you swears an oath and then sees that another course is better, he should make expiation for it and do what is better.”

Another version, also recorded by Muslim, reads:

“Whoever swears an oath and then sees that another course is better should make expiation for it and do what is better.”

This Sunnah has also been narrated from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, through channels other than