The Oath and the Vow, and Advice from
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The questioner : The questioner says: She promised to pray ten units after the obligatory prayer for a period of one year. Is she required to keep this promise, Honorable Shaykh, or not?
The Shaykh : First, may Allah bless you. We must know the nature of the promise. Did she make a covenant with Allah? Did she say, "I have a covenant with Allah to pray so much and so much"?
The questioner : What did you say, sister? You said you promised, meaning you promised your Lord that if this need is fulfilled, you will pray for ten [units]. You said you promised your Lord.
The Shaykh : Meaning, using the phrase, "I have a promise to you, O my Lord."
The questioner : Yes, exactly.
The presenter : Yes, close to that, Shaykh. Yes.
The Shaykh : To pray.
The presenter : Ten rak'ahs, saying the closing salam after every two, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Over a period of five years.
The presenter : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : First, I say to this woman and to everyone who hears this: Do not make vows or covenants with Allah regarding anything. If Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, wills something, no vow or covenant can prevent it. And if He does not will something, no promise, covenant, or vow can bring it about. The decree of Allah is not to be turned back. Health is not brought by covenants and vows. Leave off making vows, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade you from them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows. He said that they do not bring any good, and he said that they do not turn back the decree.
It is as if Allah the Exalted does not bestow favors upon a person except through a vow. Allah is free from their vows and free from their charity. If Allah, Mighty and Majestic, wills that a person's desire be fulfilled, it happens without a vow. I advise my brothers, from the depths of my heart, to avoid making vows.
And as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 3801Sahih (Darussalam) How many are those who make vows and do not fulfill them, refuge with Allah. And how many are those who make vows and fulfill them reluctantly and with aversion. How great is the sin of those who make vows and do not fulfill them, and how great are their sins. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [At-Tawbah 9:75-77]. [At-Tawbah 9:77].
Look at the result: they made covenants and did not fulfill them. And the punishment is that Allah followed it up with hypocrisy in their hearts until the day they meet Him, meaning until death. The hypocrisy remained in their hearts.[At-Tawbah 9:77].
Why do we burden our souls with vows and covenants? Does Allah, Mighty and Majestic, need our vows? Does He not give us unless we make vows to Him?
I repeat my advice to my Muslim brothers regarding vows. And I inform them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and he does not speak from desire:Sunan an-Nasa'i 3801Sahih (Darussalam). And that it does not turn back the decree.
As for this woman who vowed to pray five closing salams. If such and such happens to her, then it is obligatory for her, if that happens, to pray five salams, whether that was in the form of a vow, a covenant, or a promise.
The presenter : Okay, in a second question.
The questioner : But.
The Shaykh : To fulfill what she promised. Otherwise, it is a danger that Allah may follow it up with hypocrisy in her heart until she dies.
The Shaykh : First, may Allah bless you. We must know the nature of the promise. Did she make a covenant with Allah? Did she say, "I have a covenant with Allah to pray so much and so much"?
The questioner : What did you say, sister? You said you promised, meaning you promised your Lord that if this need is fulfilled, you will pray for ten [units]. You said you promised your Lord.
The Shaykh : Meaning, using the phrase, "I have a promise to you, O my Lord."
The questioner : Yes, exactly.
The presenter : Yes, close to that, Shaykh. Yes.
The Shaykh : To pray.
The presenter : Ten rak'ahs, saying the closing salam after every two, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Over a period of five years.
The presenter : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : First, I say to this woman and to everyone who hears this: Do not make vows or covenants with Allah regarding anything. If Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, wills something, no vow or covenant can prevent it. And if He does not will something, no promise, covenant, or vow can bring it about. The decree of Allah is not to be turned back. Health is not brought by covenants and vows. Leave off making vows, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade you from them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows. He said that they do not bring any good, and he said that they do not turn back the decree.
It is as if Allah the Exalted does not bestow favors upon a person except through a vow. Allah is free from their vows and free from their charity. If Allah, Mighty and Majestic, wills that a person's desire be fulfilled, it happens without a vow. I advise my brothers, from the depths of my heart, to avoid making vows.
And as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
They do not bring any good
إنه لا يأتي بخير،(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
وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِن فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ فَلَمَّا آتَاهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُbecause they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.
بِمَا أَخْلَفُوا اللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَLook at the result: they made covenants and did not fulfill them. And the punishment is that Allah followed it up with hypocrisy in their hearts until the day they meet Him, meaning until death. The hypocrisy remained in their hearts.
because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.
بِمَا أَخْلَفُوا اللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَWhy do we burden our souls with vows and covenants? Does Allah, Mighty and Majestic, need our vows? Does He not give us unless we make vows to Him?
I repeat my advice to my Muslim brothers regarding vows. And I inform them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and he does not speak from desire:
They do not bring any good
إنه لا يأتي بخيرAs for this woman who vowed to pray five closing salams. If such and such happens to her, then it is obligatory for her, if that happens, to pray five salams, whether that was in the form of a vow, a covenant, or a promise.
The presenter : Okay, in a second question.
The questioner : But.
The Shaykh : To fulfill what she promised. Otherwise, it is a danger that Allah may follow it up with hypocrisy in her heart until she dies.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 2162- العهد والنذر ونصيحة من الشيخ ابن عثيمين/سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.