Yamin

Yamin is an oath: a statement made firmer by swearing on God's name or one of God's attributes.

What it means for me: Most questions about yamin arrive after the fact: I swore, then I did the opposite anyway. That break is called hinth, breaking the oath. A mufti asks for your exact words and your intention when you swore. The answer turns on both, not on your regret afterward.

Example: A father swore in anger not to speak to his son, then regretted it that same day. His question is not about the anger or the son. It is about the oath itself: did it take hold or not?

Do not confuse with: Nadhr, a vow. Yamin is an oath sworn by God's name; nadhr is a binding commitment to an act of devotion.

If scholars differ: Some scholars hold that repeating the same oath many times, then breaking it once, requires one expiation only. Others hold that each repetition requires its own expiation. The difference is named here as a difference and not decided; the mufti is the reference.