Hadith 3468

(1) The statement: “And a deliberate false oath, etc.”: Meaning the deliberate false oath, which is when one swears about a past act, deliberately lying, knowing it is contrary. The binding oath is when one swears about a future act, intending or not intending that statement. According to us, if he breaks a binding oath, expiation is obligatory, and he sins, otherwise not. There is nothing obligatory in the unintentional or deliberate false oath, but he sins in the deliberate false oath, and there is no expiation except repentance and seeking forgiveness, and forgiveness is hoped for in the unintentional. According to Shafi’i, as expiation is obligatory in the binding oath, it is obligatory in the deliberate false oath. Our view is supported by this hadith. The verification with evidence is sought from “At-Tafsir al-Ahmadiyyah” and books of jurisprudence. [Taken from “Al-Hidayah,” “Radd al-Muhtar,” and “At-Tafsir al-Ahmadiyyah”]