A woman vowed to slaughter ten sacrificial animals if her sons graduated from the university, but she is now unable to fulfill her vow. What should she do?

Question:
We have a call from our brother Mashari. Please go ahead. Peace be upon you. And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. How are you, Shaykh Salih? May Allah welcome you. Shaykh Salih, I have a question. My mother made a vow a long time ago that if my brothers graduated from the university, she would slaughter ten sacrificial animals. This vow has taken a long time to reach the present moment. You know the current prices of sacrificial animals; my mother can no longer afford them, so she is unable to fulfill her vow due to the high prices. So I do not know what the ruling is, Shaykh Salih.

Answer:
Did she vow to slaughter them and distribute them to the poor, or to slaughter them for friends and the wealthy? Ah. What was her intention? No, no, she made the vow without specifying, Shaykh Salih. It depends on her intention, my brother. If she intended it for friends, even if they are wealthy, or for the family, this is a permissible vow. If she wishes, she may fulfill it; if she wishes, she may expiate it with the expiation for an oath. However, if she vowed this for the poor, it is charity and an act of obedience. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Therefore, she must slaughter these sacrificial animals and distribute them to the poor she intended to give them to. Yes.