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Verily Allahu ta’ālā has prescribed, He has made lawful, for you [when necessary] the absolution of your oaths, to absolve them by expiation, as mentioned in the sūrat al-Mā'ida [Q. 5:89] and the forbidding of [sexual relations with] a handmaiden counts as an oath, so did the Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" expiate? Muqātil [b. Sulaymān] said, 'He set free a slave [in expiation] for his prohibition of Māriya'; whereas al-Hasan [al-Basrī] said, 'He never expiated, because the Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" has been forgiven [all errors]'. And Allahu ta’ālā is your Protector, your Helper, and He is the Knower, the Wise.