The Ruling on Permissible Vows
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Your Eminence! From what you have taught, there are types of vows: there is an obligatory vow, a vow of obedience, a permissible vow, and a vow of disobedience. I have heard that in a permissible vow, making it up is not obligatory, but expiation is permissible, and making it up is also permissible. How is that?The Shaykh: What is the permissible vow that you understood?The questioner: For example: he says, "I have a vow to read such-and-such a book, or to sell my car?"
The ruling on a permissible vow is the same as the ruling on an oath.When he says: I have a vow to Allah that I will sell my car, or I have a vow to Allah that I will buy such-and-such a house. We told him: You are now at your option; if you wish, do it, and if you wish, do not do it, and expiate with the expiation for an oath; because this is a permissible vow.And a vow of obedience is when he says: "I have a vow to fast tomorrow," meaning: on Monday.And a vow of disobedience is when he says: "I have a vow upon me to boycott so-and-so, and he does not deserve to be boycotted."
The questioner: A man vowed to buy for his mother—for example—such-and-such. Which type is this?The Shaykh: This is one of the types of vows of obedience, if this is something that pleases the mother or that the mother needs; because in that case, it falls under dutifulness to parents, and dutifulness to parents is among obedience, so he is obligated to buy it for her, unless she says: "I do not want it."If she says: If she says, "I do not want it," then he is not obligated to buy it for her, and in this case, he should pay the expiation for an oath.
The ruling on a permissible vow is the same as the ruling on an oath.When he says: I have a vow to Allah that I will sell my car, or I have a vow to Allah that I will buy such-and-such a house. We told him: You are now at your option; if you wish, do it, and if you wish, do not do it, and expiate with the expiation for an oath; because this is a permissible vow.And a vow of obedience is when he says: "I have a vow to fast tomorrow," meaning: on Monday.And a vow of disobedience is when he says: "I have a vow upon me to boycott so-and-so, and he does not deserve to be boycotted."
The questioner: A man vowed to buy for his mother—for example—such-and-such. Which type is this?The Shaykh: This is one of the types of vows of obedience, if this is something that pleases the mother or that the mother needs; because in that case, it falls under dutifulness to parents, and dutifulness to parents is among obedience, so he is obligated to buy it for her, unless she says: "I do not want it."If she says: If she says, "I do not want it," then he is not obligated to buy it for her, and in this case, he should pay the expiation for an oath.