Question: Assalamu ‘alaykum. I have made a promise to Allah to stop talking to this person unless I married him due to our haram relations, but my problem is I do not remember if I said to Allah “unless I married him.” I finally responded back and told him what hurt me and etc, and I regret breaking my promise. Do I need to expiate the number of times I talked to him?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
No, the promise you made to Allah does not need an expiation. Promises are not oaths. They have no legal consequence.
I do encourage you to turn to Allah and ask forgiveness for anything wrong that may have happened with this individual. Use the bad feelings you have to motivate you to repent and ask for forgiveness. Allah is kind and forgiving, and he accepts those who turn to Him in remorse.
Make your mind up to never do it again. That’s the best way to compensate for the broken promise!
Please see:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/oaths/promises-vs-vows-and-oaths/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/breaking-promises-in-islam/
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani