Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri — by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
A woman swore an oath that she would never marry for the rest of her life. What should she do now?
Marriage is a Sunnah of the Noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and without a valid Shar‘i excuse, abandoning it is not permissible. Therefore, the woman who swore an oath not to marry should break her oath and get married, and she must also give the expiation of the oath.
If an oath is taken regarding one action, and later it becomes clear that another action is better, then one should break the oath and do the better action. Thus, the oath that is taken upon an impermissible matter—not only is it correct to break it, rather it is obligatory to do so.
❖ Question
A woman swore an oath that she would never marry for the rest of her life. What should she do now?
❖ Answer
Marriage is a Sunnah of the Noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and without a valid Shar‘i excuse, abandoning it is not permissible. Therefore, the woman who swore an oath not to marry should break her oath and get married, and she must also give the expiation of the oath.
❀ Further Clarification
If an oath is taken regarding one action, and later it becomes clear that another action is better, then one should break the oath and do the better action. Thus, the oath that is taken upon an impermissible matter—not only is it correct to break it, rather it is obligatory to do so.
