Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2103
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنْ بَشَّارِ بْنِ كِدَامٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " إِنَّمَا الْحَلِفُ حِنْثٌ أَوْ نَدَمٌ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
ʿAli ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Abu Muʿawiyah narrated to us, from Bashshar ibn Kidam, from Muhammad ibn Zayd, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘An oath results only in breach or regret.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " إِنَّمَا الْحَلِفُ حِنْثٌ أَوْ نَدَمٌ " .
الحنث is breaking an oath, while الندم is regret; the concise maxim states two possible consequences without spelling out the circumstances.
Does ‘An oath results only in breach or regret’ preserve the maxim’s compact form without adding an explanation?