Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 224

Word Meanings:

• عُرْضَةً (ʿurḍah): A barrier, obstacle, or something that stands in the way of an action.
• أَيْمَانِكُمْ (aymānikum): Your oaths or sworn promises (by Allah).
• أَن تَبَرُّوا (an tabarrū): That you do good deeds, acts of righteousness, and kindness.
• تَتَّقُوا (tattaqū): That you be mindful of Allah, obey Him, and avoid what He forbade.
• تُصْلِحُوا (tuṣliḥū): That you reconcile and bring harmony between people.

Explanation of the Verse:

O believers, do not make your oaths by Allah a means of preventing yourselves from doing good. Some people, when asked to do an act of kindness, to maintain family ties, to be righteous, or to reconcile between two quarrelling parties, would refuse by saying: "I swore by Allah that I would not do this," using their oath as an excuse to avoid goodness. This is a grave mistake. Allah did not give you the ability to swear by His Name so that it becomes a chain that binds you away from virtue.

If you have sworn an oath to do something wrong or to abandon something good, then the correct path is to break that oath and do what is right, and then expiate for your oath (by feeding ten poor people, clothing them, or freeing a slave, or fasting three days if one cannot do the above). Do not make a habit of swearing oaths carelessly, and do not let your oaths become a barrier between you and the deeds that please Allah.

Allah is Samīʿ (All-Hearing) — He hears every word you utter, including your oaths and your excuses. He is ʿAlīm (All-Knowing) — He knows your true intentions, whether you are using your oath as a genuine commitment or as a flimsy excuse to escape goodness. He will hold you accountable for what you say and what you intend.

A Call to Reflection:

Dear Muslim, Allah has opened for you the doors of goodness at every moment. He does not want you to be trapped by your own words. When you are invited to reconcile between two brothers, to visit a sick relative, to help someone in need — do not let a careless oath stand in your way. Break the oath, do the good, and expiate. This is the way of the righteous. This is how you turn your words into worship and your actions into reward. Allah loves those who hasten to goodness and who mend what is broken between people. Be among them, and you will find His mercy and His pleasure.