My father and his uncle vowed to fast one month every year when one of their children fell ill, and more than twelve years have passed since then, and they have been fasting. Now, they have been afflicted with harm from this fasting.

The questioner : My father and his uncle vowed to fast one month every year when one of their children fell ill, and more than twelve years have passed since then, and they have been fasting. Now, they have been afflicted with harm from this fasting. We ask for your guidance and a solution to the problem. With my regards?

The Shaykh : It appears that fasting one month a year will not cause them harm, because they can fast this month during the winter days, when the weather is cold and the days are short. They seem to have merely grown tired of this fasting, but they brought this tiredness upon themselves through this vow. On this occasion, I would like to remind my brother listeners that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows and said Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslim to be cautious of vows and to guard against them. It is not permissible for him to make a vow that obligates himself to what Allah has not obligated him to, for that is a hardship. Often, some people make a vow to obtain a benefit or to ward off a harm, and then when that harm is removed or that benefit is obtained, they wander here and there hoping to escape from this vow. They may even leave what they vowed and not fulfill it, and this is a great danger, as Allah Mighty and Majestic said: My advice to the brothers is that they never make vows. If a matter that harms them befalls them, let them turn to Allah Mighty and Majestic with supplication, repentance, and humility, so that perhaps Allah will remove it from them. And if they desire something that is a benefit for them, let they ask Allah the Exalted to bring it about, facilitate it for them, and help them to attain it. In this way, they will achieve their objective, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding vows:

The questioner : Yes, this message is from Muhammad al-Hasan from Riyadh, the College of Principles of Jurisprudence. Brother Muhammad says he has several questions.