Answered by Abdul Rahim Reasat
Question
Are oaths valid according to the exact wording or the intended meaning? For example, if someone says, “I swear by Allah that I will never again look at a woman with sexual desire.” In doing so, he forgot to exclude his future wife as an exception. What would the oath cover?
Answer
I pray you are well.
Oaths are based on what is customarily understood by the one who swears them [Mawsili, al-Ikhtiyar]. This means that what people of his culture would understand is what it means.
In the example you provided, it’s clear that he means to swear off lustfully looking at any woman who is not halal for him, as any Muslim would understand. Therefore, his future wife would not be included in this.
Oaths are a serious matter as Allah has commanded us to take them seriously: “Protect your oaths [from being pointless].” [Quran, 5:89] It’s best for a believer to stay safe by not swearing them, or only resorting to them when necessary.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani