Praise be to Allah. Before we answer this question, I would like to clarify to our brother listeners that a vow is disliked, and in fact, it is forbidden according to many scholars of knowledge.
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The questioner : Inform Your Eminence that I fell into one of the hardships, or what they call a trial that leads to the loss of life. This trial occurred in the year 1976. My mother was extremely afraid for my life, fearing I might be killed or killed in battle. At that time, my mother had no authority or means to resolve my problem. So, out of her intense fear for me, she made a vow in her soul to fast one month, other than the month of Ramadan, every year. She has been fasting one month since 1976, continuing her fasting until now. And I, praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, have been saved from this hardship safely. My mother has now passed the age of forty, and she is now fasting two months: one is the blessed month of Ramadan, which is obligatory, and the second is the vow she made on my behalf. What is the justification that justifies her fasting this month or that month?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah. Before we answer this question, I would like to clarify to our brother listeners that a vow is disliked, and in fact, it is forbidden according to many scholars of knowledge, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it, and because a person obligates himself to do what Allah has not obligated him to do, and because a person may not be able to fulfill this vow.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For a genuine, legitimate excuse, or due to negligence, and there is great danger in that, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Tawbah 9:75-76] And they experienced what they had conditioned these two matters upon: charity and righteousness [At-Tawbah 9:76] meaning they did not give in charity [At-Tawbah 9:76] and they were not among the righteous.
The questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : The result and the punishment[At-Tawbah 9:77].
The questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding vows:Sahih Muslim 1639c The miser with his body, if the vow is a physical act like prayer and fasting, or the miser with his wealth, if the vow is financial like charity and the like.
In any case, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that a vow does not bring good, and what does not bring good has no good in it. Therefore, we advise our brothers not to resort to vows when facing hardships. Rather, what is required of the Muslim is to resort to Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, when facing hardships.
The questioner : The Exalted.
The Shaykh : And to ask Him for relief and the removal of the hardship, and to know with certainty that, as established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), victory is with patience, relief is with distress, and with hardship there is ease. And if a person makes a vow during a hardship and the hardship is removed from him, it does not mean that the cause of its removal was the vow. The hardship was not removed by the vow, because we do not know that the vow is the cause for removing the hardship. Rather, Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, tested the person and removed this hardship at the time of the vow, not by the vow. This is what happens even in the trial of those who worship graves, who worship the grave and call upon the occupant of the grave. Perhaps they get what they want immediately after calling upon the occupant of the grave, so that Allah tests them and tries them. And we know that what they obtained was not from the occupant of the grave, but it happened at the time of their calling upon him, not by their calling upon him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, after this introduction, we return to the answer to this question.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, the mother who made a vow in her soul, and it appears that she made it in the form of a vow.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That she vowed to fast one month every year to remove this hardship. We say to her: It is obligatory for her to fulfill her vow, because fasting is obedience to Allah, the Exalted and Sublime. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6696 So it is obligatory for the Muslim, if he vows obedience, whether the vow is conditional like this vow or unconditional, that he fulfill his vow if it is obedience to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. And we ask Allah to help her with what she has obligated herself to do.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah. Before we answer this question, I would like to clarify to our brother listeners that a vow is disliked, and in fact, it is forbidden according to many scholars of knowledge, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it, and because a person obligates himself to do what Allah has not obligated him to do, and because a person may not be able to fulfill this vow.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For a genuine, legitimate excuse, or due to negligence, and there is great danger in that, as in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
(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.
ومنهم من عاهد الله لئن ءاتانا من فضله لنصدقن ولنكونن من الصالحين فلما ءاتاهم من فضلهBut when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it
فلما ءاتاهم من فضله بخلوا بهand turned away while they refused.
وتولوا وهم معرضونThe questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : The result and the punishment
So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him - because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.
فأعقبهم نفاقا في قلوبهم إلى يوم يلقونه بما أخلفوا الله ما وعدوه وبما كانوا يكذبونThe questioner : We seek refuge in Allah.
The Shaykh : And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding vows:
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.
إنه لا يأتي بخير وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلIn any case, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that a vow does not bring good, and what does not bring good has no good in it. Therefore, we advise our brothers not to resort to vows when facing hardships. Rather, what is required of the Muslim is to resort to Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, when facing hardships.
The questioner : The Exalted.
The Shaykh : And to ask Him for relief and the removal of the hardship, and to know with certainty that, as established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), victory is with patience, relief is with distress, and with hardship there is ease. And if a person makes a vow during a hardship and the hardship is removed from him, it does not mean that the cause of its removal was the vow. The hardship was not removed by the vow, because we do not know that the vow is the cause for removing the hardship. Rather, Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, tested the person and removed this hardship at the time of the vow, not by the vow. This is what happens even in the trial of those who worship graves, who worship the grave and call upon the occupant of the grave. Perhaps they get what they want immediately after calling upon the occupant of the grave, so that Allah tests them and tries them. And we know that what they obtained was not from the occupant of the grave, but it happened at the time of their calling upon him, not by their calling upon him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, after this introduction, we return to the answer to this question.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, the mother who made a vow in her soul, and it appears that she made it in the form of a vow.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That she vowed to fast one month every year to remove this hardship. We say to her: It is obligatory for her to fulfill her vow, because fasting is obedience to Allah, the Exalted and Sublime. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: