A woman vowed to slaughter a sheep every year and dedicate its reward to a wali, then her children continued the same act after her death; is there anything required of them in that?

The questioner : My late mother had made a vow in her lifetime to Allah, with the reward dedicated to Shaykh Mahmoud al-'Umrili, who is said to be a descendant of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, to slaughter a sheep every year. She continued with this vow until she died, and then we took over continuing it until now. Is there anything required of us in this?

The Shaykh : This slaughter that she vowed is either intended to draw near to this deceased person through exalting him, in which case it is forbidden and shirk (associating partners with Allah), because slaughter for the purpose of drawing near is not permissible except for Allah, Lord of the worlds. Allah the Exalted said: As for if she intended by this vow that this be an udhiyah (sacrifice) by which she draws near to Allah, so that its reward be for this deceased person, then there is nothing wrong with it and it is not forbidden. However, when she died, the vow was dropped from her because she became one who is no longer subject to religious obligation, so it is not obligatory for you to carry it out on her behalf.