Does reading a book silently break an oath sworn not to read a specific person's book?
Chapter on Explicit Divorce and Others
Al-Mughni
Book of Divorce
Primary text
If a person swears not to read a specific person's book and then reads it internally without moving the lips, the oath is broken (hanith). This is because, according to common custom among people, this action constitutes reading the book, and the oath is interpreted according to that usage, unless the person specifically intended only the literal vocalized reading. Ahmad stated that if one swears not to read a book and opens it to ascertain its contents without moving the lips, they have indeed learned what is in it and thus read it, provided the intent was to know the content.