held responsible for it being otherwise than what you swore upon. "But He will hold you responsible for what you have formally sworn," meaning: that which you swore upon intentionally.
"So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy persons from the average of that which you feed your own families." Mujahid said: The average of what you feed your family is the most filling of it. "Or their clothing, or the freeing of a slave." So if he wishes, he may free a mature slave, and if he wishes, a young one. And everything in the Quran followed by "or" (aw) implies that one is given a choice; he may perform whichever of those he wishes. "And whoever cannot find [the means]"—meaning: whoever cannot find any of these three things: the food, the clothing, or the emancipation—"then a fast of three days." Qatadah said: And it is in the reading (qira'ah) of Ibn Mas'ud: "then a fast of three consecutive days."
Surah al-Ma'idah from verse (90) to verse (91).
يكون كَمَا حَلَفت عَلَيْهِ ﴿وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذكُم بِمَا عقدتم الْأَيْمَان﴾ أَيْ: مَا حَلَفْتُمْ فِيهِ مُتَعَمِّدِينَ.
﴿فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوسط مَا تطْعمُونَ أهليكم﴾ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ:
أَوْسَطُ مَا تُطْعِمُ أَهْلَكَ: أَشْبَعُهُ ﴿أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِير رَقَبَة﴾ فَإِنْ شَاءَ أَعْتَقَ رَقَبَةً كَبِيرَةً، وَإِنْ شَاءَ صَغِيرَةً. وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ (أَوْ) فَهُوَ فِيهِ مُخَيَّرٌ؛ يَفْعَلُ أَيَّ ذَلِكَ شَاءَ ﴿فَمن لم يجد﴾ أَيْ: فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ مِنْ هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثَةِ الْأَشْيَاءِ مِنَ: الطَّعَامِ، أَوِ الْكِسْوَةِ، أَوِ الْعِتْقِ ﴿فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَة أَيَّام﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: وَهِيَ فِي قِرَاءَةِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ﴿فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ مُتَتَابِعَات﴾.
سُورَة الْمَائِدَة من الْآيَة (٩٠) إِلَى الْآيَة (٩١).
