Al-Baqarah 225: Allah does not hold you responsible for the oaths you have made by mistake. But for the oaths you have made knowingly, Allah does hold you responsible. Allah is Ghafoor (Forgiving) and Haleem (Forbearing).

A. Metin Saruhan · 15 December 2017 · Al-Baqarah

Translation

Allah does not hold you responsible for the oaths you have made by mistake. But for the oaths you have made knowingly, Allah does hold you responsible. Allah is Ghafoor (Forgiving) and Haleem (Forbearing).

Tafsir

When people speak, oaths come out of their mouths unintentionally; this is also called a slip of the tongue. Allah does not consider such oaths as oaths. Because Allah, who created human beings incomplete mentally, does not hold them responsible for what they do inadvertently or mistakenly. Of course, it would be better for the person if he realizes his mistake behind his back, corrects it, and repents.

However, Allah holds us responsible for oaths that are made intentionally. If we swear to do or not to do something and we deliberately do not fulfill our oaths, as long as our means allow us to do so, we are sinners in the sight of Allah. By not fulfilling our vows, we are taking Allah (swt) lightly, which means that we do not fear Him and do not care about Him. God forbid, in this case we will go as far as blasphemy.

If we vow to do something and we see evil in it, we break our vows and do penance for it in order to change it to good. Allah does not intend cruelty to people and does not want them to be in trouble and distress. In fact, He sends His verses to us so that we can learn what we do not know, so that we can find life.

What is said in the video

And we come to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 225.

Allah does not hold you responsible for your unintentional oaths. But He holds you responsible for the oaths you have sworn intentionally. Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing.

People may, not meaning it in their hearts, unintentionally swear an oath; it slips out of their mouth unwillingly, (?). In this case Allah (?) us responsible for our oaths. But if we swear consciously and intentionally, from the heart, we are responsible for it. When people talk, an oath slips out of their mouths unwillingly. Unintentionally, unwillingly.

This is also called a slip of the tongue.

Allah does not count such oaths as oaths. Because Allah, who created man (?) deficient, does not hold people responsible for what they do by mistake, in error. Of course, if the person then regrets the mistake he made and corrects it, and repents, that is better for him. Why? "I swore, but truly I should not have."

So if he turns to his Lord and says "forgive me", that is better. But Allah holds us responsible for oaths sworn intentionally. For example, what do I say? I got angry at so-and-so: "I won't give you this bread, I won't do this or that for you." But then I regret it and say: well, he is also a servant of Allah. Let him benefit from this too. Let this one take from that. I did it intentionally, I swore in anger, after all. Then I regretted it. I am responsible for that. "Break your oaths for good," says Allah Almighty. For good. That is when I will break my oath. How will I break it? I will do a good deed.

I will feed a poor person. I will provide them with a day's food. And if not that, I will feed a dog, an animal. If we swear to do or not to do something and, as long as it is within our means, we intentionally do not fulfil our oaths, in Allah's sight we become sinners. By not fulfilling our oaths we would be taking (?) lightly, so that a state of not fearing Him and not caring about Allah arises. God forbid, in this case we go as far as kufr. May Allah protect us. If we swear not to do something and see evil in it, in order to change it to good we break our oaths and pay their expiation. Yes, Allah says to people: look, if we swear not to do something and see evil in it, if we see evil in it.

Here we should say not "not to do" but "to do". We made a slip of a word there. If we swear to do something, to do, and see evil in it, see evil in it, in order to change it to good we break our oaths and pay their expiation. Allah does not intend injustice for people. and does not want them to fall into hardship and distress. He sends us the verses precisely so that we learn what we do not know and find life.

So from the very beginning Allah Almighty in no way wants His Essence, when people speak, to be made a witness to people's speech. Because since people are created deficient, Allah Almighty, in His own understanding, knows that people speak deficiently; however truthfully they speak, by (?), by Allah Almighty's measure, it is deficient. In this case a person, his deficiency making Allah witness to it, must not give our Lord cause to punish us.