Does consuming ghee in isolation or mixed within other foods break an oath sworn not to eat ghee?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Expiations

Book 60 · Issue 5 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If ghee is consumed by itself, or mixed into porridge (aseedah), sweets (halwa), or cooked dishes (tabikh), and its taste is present therein, the oath not to eat ghee is broken. By analogy, if one swears not to eat milk and consumes a cooked dish containing milk, or swears not to eat vinegar and consumes a cooked dish containing vinegar, and the taste is apparent, the oath is broken. This position is held by Al-Shafi'i.

Supporting text

Some of Al-Shafi'i's companions hold that the oath is not broken because the forbidden item was not consumed in isolation. This view is rejected because the person has consumed the item sworn against, merely adding something else to it, thus breaking the oath, just as if they had eaten it and then eaten something else afterwards.