Source AttributionThis excerpt is taken from the book “Aḥkām o Masā’il Kitāb o Sunnat kī Roshni Mein” by Shaykh Mubashir Aḥmad Rabbānī.
❖ Question:
What is the expiation (kaffārah) for an oath, and what is the prescribed amount of food for feeding the poor?✿ Answer:
Allah, the Most High, has explained the expiation for an oath in Sūrat al-Mā’idah (5:89) in the Noble Qur’an. He states that the expiation for breaking an oath is to:① Feed ten needy persons with the average food that you normally feed your own family,
② Or clothe them,
③ Or free a slave.
If one does not have the ability to do any of these, then:
④ He must fast for three days.
In this verse, Allah Almighty has clearly mentioned both the expiation for an oath and the standard of food. The standard is that one should feed ten poor people with the average quality of food that is customarily consumed in one’s own household.
There is no authentic ḥadīth that specifies a fixed quantity such as two and a half kilograms or one and a half kilograms for each poor person. Therefore, every individual should assess according to the customary food of their household and decide accordingly.
As for clothing, it should be at least sufficient to perform prayer in.
(And Allah knows best!) ✔
