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Ruling on giving a needy person more than one expiation on one day

Question

Is it permissible to give three expiations on behalf of one family consisting of ten needy persons? The expiations are all due on one person. May Allaah Reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Giving the oath expiation to only one needy person is impermissible. Rather, it should be given to ten needy persons. To give expiation to ten needy persons on one day is sufficient only for one expiation and no more. That is the opinion of Abu Haneefah  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him and is one among other opinions that are attributed to the Hanbali scholars of Fiqh. If one is required to make many expiations and wants to give them all to ten needy persons, let him feed them with the food of the first expiation on one day and of the second expiation on the next day, and so on.

In his book Al-Mughni, Ibn Qudaamah  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him said: “It is permissible, without any difference in opinion, for one to feed a needy person from the food of two expiations on two days. For example, if someone has to make ten expiations and he has only ten needy persons whom he feeds with the food of each expiation every day, it will be permissible because he will have done what he is commanded to do and freed himself from the obligation. The clothing takes the same ruling of feeding.

Allaah Knows best.

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