The questioner says: I vowed that if Allah wills and I reach the sacred lands and visit the Holy House, I would fast for three months: Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan.
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Question: The questioner says: I vowed that if Allah wills and I reach the sacred lands and visit the Holy House, I would fast for three months: Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. I have performed my obligatory duty, praise be to Allah, but due to my work circumstances, I was unable to complete the fasting. Does fasting on Mondays and Thursdays of every week suffice for this, or not? Is it required that the fasting be consecutive, or not? And if I am unable to do so, does an expiation suffice for me, or not? Please inform us, may Allah preserve you.
Answer: First: We point out that a person should not make a vow, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it,And he said:Sahih Muslim 1639c .
so a person should not make a vow. A person should draw near to Allah through acts of obedience and nearness without a vow, and he should not bind himself to anything other than what Allah has made obligatory upon him in the original Shari'ah. As for entering oneself into difficulty and burdening oneself with a heavy obligation of fasting or worship that is not obligatory by the original law, and then becoming distressed and seeking ways out, this is something he must guard against from the beginning and not make a vow. But if he makes a vow and establishes it, and it is a vow of obedience,And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6696 ،And Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Insan: 7] ,And Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Baqarah: 270] ,And Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Hajj: 29] , if a person makes a vow of obedience or a vow of charity, it is obligatory upon him to fulfill it; because he made it obligatory
upon himself, so it is obligatory upon him to fulfill it. And what the questioner mentioned, that she vowed to fast for three months: Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. As for Ramadan, it is obligatory upon her by the original Shari'ah to fast it, so she has vowed it,So it becomes obligatory from two aspects: by the original Shari'ah and by the vow, so she must fast it. As for fasting Rajab and Sha'ban, it is obligatory upon her to fast them by the vow only. And it is obligatory upon her to fast as long as she has vowed to fast Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan; because this is a vow of obedience.
And if she specified a particular year,She said: from such-and-such a year, it is obligatory upon her to fast Rajab and Sha'ban of the specified year. But if she vowed Rajab and Sha'ban without specifying a year, then she fasts Rajab and Sha'ban of any year, and Ramadan of any year that passes.
The result: She must fast this vow, even if it is difficult for her; because she is the one who bound herself to it. So she fasts as long as she is able to fast, even if it is difficult for her. It does not suffice for her to fast on Mondays and Thursdays of every week as she mentioned. She must fast Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. And feeding people does not suffice for her either; because she is able to fast, even with difficulty.
Question: Regarding Ramadan, perhaps she fasted it because she says: "I have performed my obligatory duty," meaning she does not fast Ramadan [as part of the vow]. But regarding Rajab and Sha'ban, if she did not specify a particular year, she fasts them. Is it permissible, for example, to fast Rajab in this year and Sha'ban in another year?
Answer: If her intention was Rajab from one year and Sha'ban from another, meaning consecutive, it is obligatory upon her to fast them as consecutive Rajab and Sha'ban. But if her
intention was Rajab from any year and Sha'ban from any year, there is no harm in her fasting Rajab, for example, in one year and Sha'ban in another year, if she did not intend a specific year, or in one year.
Answer: First: We point out that a person should not make a vow, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it,And he 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.
إن النذر لا يأتي بخير، وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلso a person should not make a vow. A person should draw near to Allah through acts of obedience and nearness without a vow, and he should not bind himself to anything other than what Allah has made obligatory upon him in the original Shari'ah. As for entering oneself into difficulty and burdening oneself with a heavy obligation of fasting or worship that is not obligatory by the original law, and then becoming distressed and seeking ways out, this is something he must guard against from the beginning and not make a vow. But if he makes a vow and establishes it, and it is a vow of obedience,And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him
من نذر أن يطيع الله فليطعهThey [are those who] fulfill [their] vows and fear a Day whose evil will be widespread.
يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيرًاAnd whatever you spend of expenditures or make of vows - indeed, Allah knows of it
وَمَا أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ نَفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُمْ مِنْ نَذْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُهُAnd let them fulfill their vows.
وَلْيُوفُوا نُذُورَهُمْupon himself, so it is obligatory upon him to fulfill it. And what the questioner mentioned, that she vowed to fast for three months: Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. As for Ramadan, it is obligatory upon her by the original Shari'ah to fast it, so she has vowed it,So it becomes obligatory from two aspects: by the original Shari'ah and by the vow, so she must fast it. As for fasting Rajab and Sha'ban, it is obligatory upon her to fast them by the vow only. And it is obligatory upon her to fast as long as she has vowed to fast Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan; because this is a vow of obedience.
And if she specified a particular year,She said: from such-and-such a year, it is obligatory upon her to fast Rajab and Sha'ban of the specified year. But if she vowed Rajab and Sha'ban without specifying a year, then she fasts Rajab and Sha'ban of any year, and Ramadan of any year that passes.
The result: She must fast this vow, even if it is difficult for her; because she is the one who bound herself to it. So she fasts as long as she is able to fast, even if it is difficult for her. It does not suffice for her to fast on Mondays and Thursdays of every week as she mentioned. She must fast Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. And feeding people does not suffice for her either; because she is able to fast, even with difficulty.
Question: Regarding Ramadan, perhaps she fasted it because she says: "I have performed my obligatory duty," meaning she does not fast Ramadan [as part of the vow]. But regarding Rajab and Sha'ban, if she did not specify a particular year, she fasts them. Is it permissible, for example, to fast Rajab in this year and Sha'ban in another year?
Answer: If her intention was Rajab from one year and Sha'ban from another, meaning consecutive, it is obligatory upon her to fast them as consecutive Rajab and Sha'ban. But if her
intention was Rajab from any year and Sha'ban from any year, there is no harm in her fasting Rajab, for example, in one year and Sha'ban in another year, if she did not intend a specific year, or in one year.