has excused them, as Allah the Exalted says, “Allah will not hold you accountable for what is unintentional in your oaths.” ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—explained that this refers to a person’s casual remark in the course of conversation: “No, by Allah,” or “Yes, by Allah,” when no oath is intended. Such words bring no liability: the speaker is not sinful, is not deemed to have broken an oath, and no expiation (kaffārah) is due.
By contrast, when someone deliberately formulates a firm oath—saying, for example, “By Allah, I will not do such-and-such,” or “By Allah, I shall certainly do such-and-such”—then fails to keep it, expiation becomes obligatory. The options are:
- freeing a slave,
- feeding ten needy people, or
- clothing them.
Allah began the verse with feeding because it is the easiest of the three: “Its expiation is to feed ten needy people with the average of what you feed your own families, or to clothe them, or to free a slave.” If one lacks the means for any of these, he must fast three consecutive days, without a break in between.
This reflects the vast mercy of Allah: the oaths that repeatedly slip from people’s tongues without conscious intent carry neither sin nor expiation, for such occurrences are frequent. Nevertheless, Allah commands, “And safeguard your oaths”—meaning: do not indulge in excessive swearing, and do not neglect the expiation when you do invalidate an oath. Guard them, for an oath is a serious matter. Hence Allah called its violation ḥinth (perjury), and the Prophet ﷺ used the same term. Were it not for Allah’s mercy, anyone who swore would be bound to fulfill it; yet, out of His grace, He allowed a person to turn away from what he swore, provided it is not sinful. Allah alone grants success.
As for feeding, one kilogram of rice per needy person is more than adequate.