The Ruling on Repeated Oaths to do One Thing

Question :

I am a young man who swore by Allah more than three times to repent from a forbidden deed; my question is: Must I atone once or three times? And what is my atonement?

Answer:

You must atone once. That is to feed ten poor persons or clothe them, or to free a slave. Whoever is unable to do these things must fast for three consecutive days, according to the Words of Allah, Most High:
"Allah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten Masäkin (poor persons), on a scale of the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothe them or manumit a slave. But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he should fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths when you have sworn. And protect your oaths (i.e., do not swear much).

Likewise, every oath to do one deed or to stop doing one thing, even if it was repeated, there is no atonement except one, if he has not atoned for the first of them. If he has atoned for the first of them then repeated the oath, then he must make another atonement, if he broke it and likewise, if he repeated it a third time, and he had already atoned for the second, then he must atone for the third.

However, if he made repeated oaths about a number of deeds, or to abandon a number of deeds, then he must atone for every oath. Such as if he said: "By Allah, I will not speak to so-and-so, by Allah, I will not eat his food, by Allah, I will not travel to such-and-such a place," or he said: "By Allah, I will speak to so- and-so, by Allah, I will beat him," and the like.

Feeding the poor requires giving each one of them half of a Sa' of the staple food of the country. That is approximately one and a half kilograms. And if clothing them, it is necessary to clothe them with garments suitable for prayer, such as a long shirt, or a waist wrap and an upper wrap. If he gave them dinner or lunch, it would be sufficient, according to the general meaning of above-mentioned Noble Verse.

And Allah is the Granter of success.

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