What is the expiation for being unable to fulfill a vow?
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The questioner:
A woman vowed to fast one month every year if Allah cured her son of his illness. This vow was made seventeen years ago, and she has not fasted until now. What should she do, knowing that Allah cured her son?
The Shaykh:
He says:Riyad as-Salihin 1862 And Allah praised the believers for their vows, and He said that they fulfill their vows and fear that [Al-Insan 76:7] And He the Exalted and Majestic said: [Al-Baqarah 2:270] The meaning is that He will reward you for it. So she should fast these months because of what Allah granted her by healing her child. Let her fear Allah and fulfill the right of the vow she made. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 6696 Fasting is worship and obedience. So she should fast thirty days every year; because the month is thirty days. Unless it is known that a month whose crescent is tracked for its entry and exit is twenty-nine days, then there is no harm if that suffices for her. But if she fasts thirty days from the beginning of the month or from the end of it, it counts as thirty, and that suffices for her every year. She fasts and that is enough for her, and praise be to Allah. And she must make up the fast for seventeen years, one month each. She fasts seventeen months, and they do not have to be consecutive. She fasts and breaks the fast until she completes them. And if she vowed a consecutive month, we find that it should be consecutive. She fasts thirty consecutive days, then rests, then fasts another thirty, and so on until she completes them. And we ask Allah to help her and grant her repentance. She must repent to Allah.
We should know that a vow is not recommended. Some people think that a vow is one of the causes of healing and well-being, out of ignorance. A vow is not one of the causes of healing. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 3426 And the other wording is that he prohibited Sahih Muslim 1639c A vow is not recommended. Learn this and other things: a vow is not recommended. She should ask Allah to heal her son, or her daughter, or her sister, or her father, but she should not make a vow. Supplication is sufficient. She asks her Lord that Allah heal her afflicted one and grant him well-being, and she does the causes that Allah has prescribed, such as treatment and others. But as for vows, no. However, if one vows an act of obedience, it is obligatory for him to fulfill it. He vows to fast on Thursday, he vows to fast three days of every month, he vows to fast a month, meaning something that is prescribed, it is not disliked or forbidden. But if he vows to fast forever, that is disliked. Or if he vows to fast the entire year, that is disliked. An expiation for an oath is sufficient for him for this vow. If he vows something that is not disliked, such as a month, Monday and Thursday, three days of every month, two months, fasting two months, three months, that is the disliked thing. But if he vows to fast forever, to fast a full year, or always, always, that is disliked. It is not recommended, and he owes a major expiation. Yes.
The questioner:
Well, what if she is unable to fulfill this vow, because it is actually a long period, meaning seventeen months.
The Shaykh:
If she grows old and becomes an elderly woman who cannot do it, she must offer an expiation for an oath for every year. She owes seventeen expiations.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
If she is unable.
The questioner:
Yes.
A woman vowed to fast one month every year if Allah cured her son of his illness. This vow was made seventeen years ago, and she has not fasted until now. What should she do, knowing that Allah cured her son?
The Shaykh:
He says:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who vows to obey Allah, should obey Him. But he who vows to disobey Allah, should not disobey Him."
النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من نذر أن يطيع الله فليطعه، ومن نذر أن يعصي الله فلم يعصه،whose evil will be widespread.
شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيرًاAnd whatever you spend of expenditures or make of vows - indeed, Allah knows of it
وَمَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّن نَّفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُم مِّن نَّذْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُهُWhoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him
مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللَّهَ فَلْيُطِعْهُWe should know that a vow is not recommended. Some people think that a vow is one of the causes of healing and well-being, out of ignorance. A vow is not one of the causes of healing. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
God’s Messenger as saying, “Do not make vows, for a vow has no effect against fate; it is only from the miserly that it is a means by which something is extracted.”
صلى الله عليه وسلم لا تنذروا فإن النذر لا يرد من قدر الله شيئا وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلtaking vows, and said: 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.
عن النذر وقال إنه لا يأتي بخير وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلThe questioner:
Well, what if she is unable to fulfill this vow, because it is actually a long period, meaning seventeen months.
The Shaykh:
If she grows old and becomes an elderly woman who cannot do it, she must offer an expiation for an oath for every year. She owes seventeen expiations.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
If she is unable.
The questioner:
Yes.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ ابن باز Alsheikh Binbaz»، 37 ما كفارة العجز عن الوفاء بالنذر؟ للإمام ابن باز — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.