What is the ruling regarding an oath (Nathr) to slaughter oneself?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Oaths
Primary text
There are two narrations from Ahmad concerning a person who vows to slaughter himself upon breaking an oath (hanith). One narration, as conveyed by Ibn Mansur from Ahmad, states that the person must slaughter a sheep. This is supported by the precedent of Ibn Abbas regarding one who said, 'I will slaughter so-and-so,' where he ruled that the obligation is to slaughter a ram. The underlying principle cited is that since the vow concerns the slaughter of a human being, the obligation is the slaughter of a ram, similar to vowing to slaughter one's son.
Supporting text
The second narration states that the obligation is the expiation of an oath (kaffarat yamin), because the vow itself is a vow of disobedience (nadhr ma'siyah), and therefore its requirement is expiation, similar to rulings mentioned previously.