Daily Hadith Sat 30-Aug-2014 - 05 Dhul-Qadah 1435 حديث اليوم
Desirability of Expiating the Oath taken by a Person who afterwards Breaks it for a better Alternative
`Abdur-Rahman bin Samurah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to me, "When you take an oath and consider something else to be better than it, make expiation for your oath and choose the better alternative."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].


Commentary:
What we learn from this Hadith is that if a person has taken an oath to do something but subsequently realizes that it is better to forego the oath, he should expiate for the oath rather than sticking to it because it is easier to expiate for the oath than to suffer a loss, be it in religion or otherwise.

316/1715 - Riyad Us-Saliheen (Gardens of the Righteous)
باب ندب مَن حلف على يَمينٍ ، فرأى غيرها خيرَاً منها
أن يفعل ذلك المحلوف عليه ، ثم يكفِّر عن يمينه
عَنْ عبْدِ الرَّحْمنِ بْنِ سَمُرةَ رضِي اللَّه عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ لي رسُولُ اللَّه صَلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم: «... وَإِذَا حَلَفْتَ علَى يَمِينٍ ، فَرَأَيْت غَيْرَها خَيْراً مِنهَا ، فأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ ، وكفِّرْ عن يَمِينك » متفقٌ عليه .
1715/316 - رياض الصالحين
Sat 30-Aug-2014 - 05 Dhul-Qadah 1435