The obligation of one who vows to slaughter for a wedding feast

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. The questioner says: A friend of mine asked me to encourage him to get married. He says: A friend of mine asked me to encourage him to get married, but he made excuses due to his lack of means. So I said to him: I have vowed to slaughter three camels for your wedding feast. Now he wants to get married, but his wedding is in a city where the people do not eat camel meat. May I substitute them with sheep?

Answer:
If you intended by slaughtering these animals to give charity to the needy, then this is an obligatory vow that you must fulfill, and you should carry it out in an appropriate place where there are poor people and the destitute. However, if you intended to slaughter them for the wealthy and the attendees, then this is a permissible vow; if you wish, you may carry it out, and if you wish, you may pay the expiation for an oath. One who makes a permissible vow is given the choice between fulfilling it and paying the expiation for an oath, whereas a vow of charity is obligatory.