Swearing an oath to perform a prayer

Question

Question: A person, in a state of fervour, took the noble Qur’an and Sahih al-Bukhari in his hands, swore by Allah and made the pledge: “I will never abandon the tahajjud prayer, and I will always pray it” (تہجد کی نماز کبھی نہیں چھوڑونگا، اور ہمیشہ میں پڑھونگا). What is the Shari‘a ruling for him?

Answer

If, after swearing an oath, one acts contrary to it, expiation (kaffara) becomes binding (lazim), namely: to feed ten poor people to their fill (filling their stomachs) twice, or to clothe them; if he does not have the means for that, he is to keep three consecutive fasts. Then, if he swears again and acts contrary to it, he is to pay the kaffara again.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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