A vcw o f ab-
ftinence from
any thing is
not broken
by eating that
thing when it
has acquired
a new de-
fcription,
or denomination.
If a man fwear' that “ he will not eat of thofe Boofrs," [half ripe
dates,] and Ihould afterwards eat of them when they have become
ripe, he is not forfworn; and fb alfo, if he Ihould fwear that “ he will
“ not eat of thofe R itbs," [ripe dates,] “ nor drink of this milk,”
and he afterwards eat of thefe mixed together, after the Ritbs lhall
have become mellow, and the milk coagulated; becaufe the defcription
o f h a lf ripe or of ripe is the motive of the vow, and thofe defcriptions
are no longer applicable; and in the fame manner, the milk being in the
Hate of milk is the motive of the vow, wherefore the vow is taken re-
fpefting it in that Jlate; milk, moreover, is ranked among eatables,
wherefore, by milk is not underftaod any thing which may be produced
from it.— It is otherwile where a man vows that “ he will not con-
“ verfe with fuch an i n f a n t or “ with fuch a youth f and he con-
verfes with the infant after he becomes a man, or with the youth after
he has become aged,— for here he is forfworn; becaufe refraining from
converfe with a Mujfulman is forbidden by the law, whether fuch
Mujfulman be an infant or a youth; hence the defcriptions of infancy
or adolelcence are not regarded, in the eye o f the law, as motives
of the vow ; confequently the vow is underflood to refpedt fu ch a perfon',
and the vower is accordingly forfworn if he converfe with that perfon
after he arrives at years of maturity.
If a perfon fwear that “ he will not eat of fuch a kid,” and he
Ihould eat thereof after the faid kid lhall have become a goat, he is
forfworn, becaufe the delcription of kid, in fuch an animal, is not the
motive of the vow, lince a perlbn who avoids eating the flelh of kids
Hill more avoids eating the flelh of goats.
If a man make a vow that “ he will not eat Boofrs,” (unripe
dates,) and Ihould afterwards eat Ritbs, (ripe dates,) he will not he
forfworn, becaufe Ritbs are not Boofrs.
If a perfoti make a vow that “ he will not eat Ritbs or Bodfrs,"
and he Ihould afterwards eat Mozennibs, (dates which are beginning to
ripen,) he is forfworn according to Haneefa.— The two difciples fay
that he is not forfworn by eating Boofr-Mozennibs, in a cafe where he
may have fworn not to eat Ritbs.; neither does he violate his
vow. by eating Rivb-Mozennibs, in a. cafe where he has made
a vow againft eating Boofrs.', becaufe Ritb-Mozennibs are termed
Ritbs, and Boofr-Mozennibs are termed Boofrs. Thus it is the
fame as if a man were to make a vow with refpect to buying',— that is,
if a man were to fwear that he will not this day buy Ritbs, (or ripe
dates,) and he Ihould afterwards on that fame day purchafe Mozennibs,
(or h a lf ripe dates,) he is. not forfworn; and fo in this cafe likewife.—
T h e argument of Haneefa on this point is that Ritb-Mozennibs are fuch
as rather incline to Boofrs, and Boofr-Mozennibs are the reverfe,— (that
is,, fuch as rather approach to Ritbs,) wherefore eating either of thofe
is eating Boofrs or Ritbs, and the vow regards one or other of them:—
contrary to the cafe of buying, as the buying relates to every fpecies,
wherefore the inferior fpecies is a dependant of the fuperior.
If a man vow that “ he will not buy any ripe dates,’ and he
Ihould afterwards purchafe a duller of unripe dates, among which
there may chance to be. fome ripe, he is not forfworn; becaufe the
purchafe relates to the whole, and the fmaller quantity is a dependant
of the greater:— but if the vow were made with rcfpeft to eating, he
is- forfworn; becaufe the eating of them relates^to from time to time,
wherefore the vow regards every one of them.. This cale is therefore the
lame as i f a man were to vow that he . would not purchafe any barley,
and he Ihould afterwards buy wheat, having among it fome grains of
barley, in which cafe he is not forfworn ;— but if he Ihould vow that
he would not eat any 'barley, and he Ihould afterwards eat wheat,
among which are fome grains of barley, he is forfworn, for the reafon
here Hated.
If a man vow that “ he will not eat flelh,” and he Ihould afterwards