Concise Quran Commentary
Allah will not take you to account, O believers, for the oaths that you speak unintentionally. He will take you to account for those oaths that you break after making them with a firm intention in your hearts. The atonement for such oaths is one of three options: feeding ten poor people with the average food of your city, by giving each poor person half a ṣā‘ of food; or clothing them with what society considers to be a suit of clothing; or freeing a believing slave. If the person required to make atonement does not find any of these three things, then the required atonement is fasting for three days. That is the atonement of your oaths, O believers, when you break them. Guard your oaths from being taken falsely in Allah’s name and from breaking them, unless it is better to do so. If it is better to break your oath, then do so and give the atonement. Just as Allah has explained to you the atonement for oaths, He also explains to you His laws, which make clear what is lawful and what is unlawful, so that you might thank Allah for having taught you what you did not know.