The ruling on one who vowed to give a specific person money but did not find him
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The questioner : Peace be upon you. The sister mentions, Honorable Shaykh, that she vowed to distribute one thousand riyals to the people of the household. She says this was a long time ago and she does not know who the people of the household are. What should she do now?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by the people of the household? Do you mean the household of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The questioner : No, the people of her household. She says: my mother, my grandmother, and my brother’s children.
The Shaykh : How can she say she does not know the people of the household when it is her household?
The questioner : She says: I do not remember whether the grandfather was present, meaning, was he alive during my lifetime or not?
The Shaykh : Distribute it now to whoever is in the household.
The questioner : If she vowed for a group, Shaykh, who are in the household but are not present now.
The Shaykh : Meaning, she specified them.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If she specified them, she should look for them and give them the money.
The questioner : She says the grandmother passed away when she made the vow, Shaykh. And she says she does not know whether the grandmother was present, meaning, alive or not, when she made the vow?
The Shaykh : Or. She owes nothing.
The presenter : May Allah reward you, and thank you to the sister questioner.
The Shaykh : What do you mean by the people of the household? Do you mean the household of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The questioner : No, the people of her household. She says: my mother, my grandmother, and my brother’s children.
The Shaykh : How can she say she does not know the people of the household when it is her household?
The questioner : She says: I do not remember whether the grandfather was present, meaning, was he alive during my lifetime or not?
The Shaykh : Distribute it now to whoever is in the household.
The questioner : If she vowed for a group, Shaykh, who are in the household but are not present now.
The Shaykh : Meaning, she specified them.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If she specified them, she should look for them and give them the money.
The questioner : She says the grandmother passed away when she made the vow, Shaykh. And she says she does not know whether the grandmother was present, meaning, alive or not, when she made the vow?
The Shaykh : Or. She owes nothing.
The presenter : May Allah reward you, and thank you to the sister questioner.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 2167- حكم من نذر ان يعطي شخص معين مال ولم يجده/سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.