A husband saying that it will be Haram for him to sit with his wife

Q: A man became angry with his wife and, when his anger heightened, he said to her, (Part No. 20; Page No. 90) colloquially, “It will be Haram (forbidden) for me if you sit with me.” He said this with the intention of relieving his anger and to silence his wife who was yelling at him, infuriating him and gibing at his poverty. She kept saying such things that forced him to say the above-mentioned words. When he said that, his wife went to another room of the house and came to her senses. She asked her husband to forgive and excuse her, which he did. However, his heart will not be at ease until he knows the Islamic legal ruling on this question. Please advise us and may Allah bless you for it.

A: If the reality is as you mentioned, the husband must make the Kaffarah (expiation) for oath-breaking, because he made her sitting forbidden, not her in person. The Kaffarah is performed by feeding ten poor people of the staple food of the country, clothing them, or freeing a believing slave. If he cannot do any of that, he has to observe Sawm (Fasting) for three days. He also has to make Tawbah (repentance to Allah) and Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) for declaring Haram what Allah made Halal (lawful) for him. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.