fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have made a covenant and do not} to His saying: {Lest a nation be more numerous than another nation} (66). A covenant must be fulfilled without an oath, so with an oath it is even more imperative; for Allah the Almighty has said: {And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have made a covenant} and He said: {O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts} (67). For this reason, He forbade the breaking of an oath, and the prohibition implies unlawfulness, and He blamed them for it, and struck for them the example of the one who unraveled her yarn after it was strong, into fibers. There is no disagreement that a disputed breaking does not fall under anything of this. If it is for performing a disliked act or abandoning a commendable one, then breaking it is recommended, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If you swear an oath, then see another that is better than it, do what is better and make atonement for your oath." And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah wills, I do not swear an oath and then see another that is better than it, except that I do what is better and break my oath." If the oath is for performing a prohibited act or abandoning an obligatory one, then breaking it is obligatory; because breaking it is done by performing the obligatory act, and performing the obligatory act is obligatory.
1778 - Issue; He said: (And whoever swears to do something, then does not do it, or not to do something, then does it, he is liable for atonement)
There is no disagreement on this among the jurists of the regions. Ibn Abd al-Barr said: The oath that carries atonement by the consensus of the Muslims is the one concerning future actions. A group held that when the breach is an act of obedience, it does not require atonement. Some said: Whoever swears to perform an act of disobedience, his atonement is to abandon it. Said ibn Jubayr said: The "laghw" (vain/inadvertent) is for a man to swear regarding what he should not do, meaning there is no atonement upon him for the breach. Amr ibn Shu'ayb reported from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There is no vow and no oath in what the son of Adam does not possess, nor in disobedience to Allah, nor in cutting off kinship ties, and whoever swears an oath then sees another as better than it, let him abandon it and do what is better, for abandoning it is atonement." Recorded by Abu Dawud (2). This is because atonement is only required to remove sin, and there is no sin in obedience.
(66) Surah al-Nahl: 91, 92. (67) Surah al-Ma'idah: 1. (1) In B: "upon what". (2) Its documentation was mentioned previously, in: 6/26.
تَنْقُضُوا الْأَيْمَانَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا} إلى قولِه: {تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِيَ أَرْبَى مِنْ أُمَّةٍ} (٦٦). والعَهْدُ يجِبُ الوَفاءُ به بغيرِ يَمِينٍ، فمع اليَمِينِ أولَى؛ فإنَّ اللَّه تعالى قال: {وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ إِذَا عَاهَدْتُمْ} وقال: {يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ} (٦٧). ولهذا نَهَى عن نَقْض اليَمِينِ، والنَّهْىُ يقْتَضِى التَّحْريمَ، وذمَّهم عليه، وضَربَ لهم مثلَ التى نقَضَتْ غَزْلَها مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوةٍ أَنْكاثًا، ولا خِلافَ فى أَنَّ الحَلَّ المُخْتلَفَ فيه لا يدْخُلُه شىءٌ من هذا. وإِنْ كانت على فعْلِ مَكْروهٍ، أو تَرْكِ مَنْدوبٍ، فحَلُّها مَنْدوبٌ إليه، فإنَّ النَّبِىَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- قال: "إِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ، فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، فَأْتِ الَّذِى هُوَ خَيْرٌ، وكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينكَ". وقال النَّبِىُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "إنِّى وَاللَّهِ، إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، لَا أحْلِفُ عَلَى يَمِينٍ، فَأرَى غَيْرَها خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، إِلَّا أَتَيْتُ الَّذِى هُوَ خَيْرٌ، وتَحَلَّلْتُهَا". وإِنْ كانت اليَمِينُ على فِعْلِ مُحرَّمٍ، أو تَرْكِ واجبٍ، فحَلُّها واجِبٌ؛ لأنَّ حَلَّها بفِعْلِ الواجبِ، فعلُ الواجِبِ واجِبٌ.
١٧٧٨ - مسألة؛ قال: (ومَنْ حَلَفَ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ شَيْئًا، فلَمْ يَفْعَلْه، أَوْ لَا يَفْعَلَ شَيْئًا، فَفَعَلَه، فعَلَيْه الْكفَّارَةُ)
لا خلافَ فى هذا عندَ فُقهاءِ الأَمْصارِ. قال ابنُ عبدِ البَرِّ: اليَمِينُ التى فيها الكَفَّارَةُ بإجْماعِ المسلمين، هى التى على المُسْتَقْبَلِ مِن الأَفْعالِ. وذَهَبَت طائِفَةٌ إلى أنّ الحِنْثَ متى كان طاعَةً، لم يُوجِبْ كَفَّارَةً. وقال قومٌ: مَنْ حَلَفَ على فِعْلِ مَعْصِيَةٍ، فكَفّارَتُها تَرْكُها. وقال سعيدُ بنُ جُبَيْرٍ: اللَّغْوُ أَنْ يحلِفَ الرَّجُلُ فيما (١) لا يَنْبَغِى له. يعنى فلا كَفَّارَةَ عليه فى الحِنْثِ. وقد رَوَى عَمْرُو بنُ شُعَيْبٍ، عن أبيهِ، عن جَدِّه، قال: قال رسولُ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "لَا نَذْرَ وَلَا يَمِينَ فِيمَا لَا يَمْلِكُ ابْنُ آدَمَ، وَلَا فِى مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّه، ولَا فِى قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ، ومَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرأى غَيْرَها خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، فَلْيَدَعْها، ولْيَأْتِ الَّذِى هُوَ خيرٌ، فإنَّ تَرْكَها كَفّارَةٌ". روَاه أبو داود (٢). ولأنَّ الكفارَةَ إنما تجِبُ لرَفْعِ الإِثْمِ، ولا إِثْمَ فى
(٦٦) سورة النحل ٩١، ٩٢.(٦٧) سورة المائدة ١.(١) فى ب: "على ما".(٢) تقدم تخريجه، فى: ٦/ ٢٦.
