There is no textual authority here, so it must be applied to the certainty, which is the least that the noun covers. Ibn Abi Musa said: A 'zaman' (time) is three months. Talha al-Aquli said: The 'hin' (period), 'zaman' (time), and 'umr' (lifetime) are one [in meaning]; because in custom, people do not distinguish between them, and people intend by that to denote distance. Thus, if it were applied to the little, it would be applied contrary to the intention of the swearer. 'Dahr' (an age) also bears the possibility of being like 'hin' for this reason. Regarding 'ba'id' (far), 'maliyan' (a long while), and 'tawilan' (long), he said: It is more than a month. This is the view of Abu Hanifa, because this is the opposite of the little, so it is not permissible to apply it to its opposite. If he were to apply 'umr' to forty years, it would be appropriate, due to the saying of Allah the Almighty, informing us about His Prophet (peace be upon him): 'Indeed, I remained among you a lifetime [umran] before it.' That was forty years, so the speech must be applied to it. Furthermore, a lifetime, in most cases, is only a long duration, so it should not be interpreted otherwise.

Section: If he swears not to speak to him for the 'dahr' (the age), or the 'abad' (the eternity), or the 'zaman' (the time), this applies to eternity; because that is with the alif and lam (definite article), and it is for comprehensiveness, so it entails the entire age.

Section: If he swears regarding 'days', they are three; because that is the minimum of the plural. Allah the Almighty said: 'And remember Allah during [specific] numbered days.' These are the days of Tashriq. If he swears regarding 'months', they are three; because that is the minimum of the plural. If he swears regarding 'shuhur' (months), Abu al-Khattab chose that they are three, for the same reason. Others said: His oath covers twelve months, due to the saying of Allah the Almighty: 'Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months.' Because 'shuhur' is a plural of multitude (jam' al-kathra), and its minimum is ten, so it is not applied to what the plural of paucity (jam' al-qilla) is applied to.