The Ruling on Vows and Fulfilling Them
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Question:
This sister, M. A, asks: What is the ruling on vows in Islam? My child fell ill, and I vowed that if Allah cured him, I would slaughter five sheep. I am poor and cannot afford it, but the child has recovered. What is the ruling in this case? May you be rewarded.
Answer:
Entering into a vow is disliked, so a person should not make a vow; because if he makes a vow, he puts himself in a difficult position. He may vow something great and be unable to fulfill it, thereby putting himself in a difficult position, whereas he was previously in a state of well-being. He should do good through charity, prayer, fasting, and other means without making a vow. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A vow isSahih Muslim 1639c." A Muslim does good without making a vow, but as for one who withholds good until he makes a vow, he is stingy, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described him.
As for fulfilling a vow, if the vow is a vow of obedience, it is obligatory to fulfill it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6696. Allah the Exalted said: "They fulfill their vows," and Allah the Exalted said: "And let them fulfill their vows." Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:270]. So if the vow is a vow of obedience, it is obligatory for him to fulfill it. If it is a vow of disobedience, it is forbidden for him to fulfill it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 2126Sahih (Darussalam). What the questioner mentioned is that she vowed to slaughter a number of sheep if her child were healed, and he has been healed. She is required to fulfill the vow if she is able to do so. If she cannot fulfill the whole of it, it remains a debt in her liability. If she can fulfill part of it, she should execute what she can, and the remainder remains a debt in her liability until she is able to pay it. Yes.
This sister, M. A, asks: What is the ruling on vows in Islam? My child fell ill, and I vowed that if Allah cured him, I would slaughter five sheep. I am poor and cannot afford it, but the child has recovered. What is the ruling in this case? May you be rewarded.
Answer:
Entering into a vow is disliked, so a person should not make a vow; because if he makes a vow, he puts himself in a difficult position. He may vow something great and be unable to fulfill it, thereby putting himself in a difficult position, whereas he was previously in a state of well-being. He should do good through charity, prayer, fasting, and other means without making a vow. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A vow is
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.
لا يأتي بخير، وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلAs for fulfilling a vow, if the vow is a vow of obedience, it is obligatory to fulfill it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him
من نذر أن يطيع الله فليطعهAnd whatever you spend of expenditures or make of vows - indeed, Allah knows of it
وَمَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّن نَّفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُم مِّن نَّذْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُهُand whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him.
ومن نذر أن يعصي الله فلا يعصه
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/226 — archive.org (8:49)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.