Before answering this question, I would like to warn our Muslim brothers about vows, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said:
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The questioner : You say that you vowed to fast three days every month, and you did not specify that you would fast for the rest of your life or that you would fast on the days of winter because the day is short in them. I have previously fasted for a period until illness overtook me, so I was unable to continue fasting. My question, which confuses me and makes me fear that I will be punished for my vow on the Day of Resurrection, is: Is it permissible for me to give charity to the poor every month instead of the fasting I vowed? And how many poor people should I feed each month for the three days I vowed to fast, if this is sufficient? If not, what is required of me?
The Shaykh : Before answering this question, I would like to warn our Muslim brothers about vows, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said:Sahih Muslim 1639c How many people have made a vow and then regretted it, seeking to get out of it from here and there. This shows the wisdom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in forbidding vows. So beware, beware, my brother, of vows, for you are binding yourself to something from which you are free and in which you are safe. Perhaps you will not be able to do it except with some hardship, or perhaps you will leave it and abandon it, and then you will be punished as Allah mentioned in His saying: [At-Tawbah 9:75-77] It is also regrettable that some people, when struck by illness or desiring a need, vow to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), saying, "If Allah heals me from the illness, or if I obtain such-and-such a need, then I have a vow to Allah of such-and-such." As if Allah the Exalted does not give to them unless they set a condition for Him. This is a great error. Allah the Exalted is more generous than His servants. Rather, one should ask Allah the Exalted to heal him from the illness and ask Allah the Exalted to facilitate the need he seeks, without making a vow that binds him to what is not required of him.
As for the answer to this question, we say: It is obligatory for you to fast three days every month, whether they are scattered or consecutive, and whether at the beginning, middle, or end of the month. If you are unable to do so, then by analogy of the vow to the obligatory duty, you must feed a poor person for each day. So you must feed three poor people every month. You invite three poor people and give them lunch or dinner, and that is sufficient.
The questioner : And if you give it to them in their hands, how much do you give them?
The Shaykh : If you give it to them in their hands, you give them three mudds, three mudds of rice, and it is better that it be with meat to complete the feeding.
The questioner : Do you mean one mudd for each poor person?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Before answering this question, I would like to warn our Muslim brothers about vows, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said:
It does not (necessarily) bring good (in the form of substantial, and tangible results), but it is the meant whereby something is extracted from the miserly persons.
إنه لا يأتي بخيرٍ، وإنما يُستخرج به من البخيل(75) And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous." (76) But when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused. (77) So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him - because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءاتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * فَلَمَّا ءاتَاهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَتَوَلَّوا وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ * فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُ بِمَا أَخْلَفُوا اللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَAs for the answer to this question, we say: It is obligatory for you to fast three days every month, whether they are scattered or consecutive, and whether at the beginning, middle, or end of the month. If you are unable to do so, then by analogy of the vow to the obligatory duty, you must feed a poor person for each day. So you must feed three poor people every month. You invite three poor people and give them lunch or dinner, and that is sufficient.
The questioner : And if you give it to them in their hands, how much do you give them?
The Shaykh : If you give it to them in their hands, you give them three mudds, three mudds of rice, and it is better that it be with meat to complete the feeding.
The questioner : Do you mean one mudd for each poor person?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Yes.