How is a general oath judged if it was made for a specific cause but the person had no specific intention?

Chapter on Explicit Divorce and Others

Al-Mughni

Book of Divorce

Book 39 · Issue 2 · Bab 2

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If a general oath is sworn due to a specific triggering cause and the swearer had a pre-existing intention, the oath is judged according to that intention, and the statement is accepted in court because the cause itself serves as evidence of sincerity. If the swearer had no intention whatsoever, one narration attributed to Imam Ahmad suggests that the oath is restricted only to the situation that triggered the oath. This is supported by the jurists of the Hanafi school, asserting that the specific context limits the general wording, analogous to a private intention.

Supporting text

Another narration attributed to Imam Ahmad suggests that the oath must be interpreted generally based on the literal wording, obligating adherence to the explicit text, similar to the wording used by the Lawgiver (Allah or the Prophet peace be upon him), whose statements are not restricted to a single context of revelation.