The Ruling on Vows and Fulfilling Them
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A woman made a vow during the Gulf Crisis and said: If Allah saves our country, I will slaughter four sacrificial animals, cook them, and distribute them. What is the ruling?
We say: First: We forbid this woman and others from making vows; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows and said: (They bring no good and do not avert a decree) and the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is more generous than being one who does not bestow favor except in exchange for a reward. He bestows favor upon you whether you make a vow to Him or not. So if you despair of recovery from an illness and make a vow, or if you despair of the return of an absentee and make a vow, or if you despair of victory and make a vow, this is an error and a bad opinion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is more generous than needing a vow to be made to Him in order to bestow favor upon you. But if He bestows a favor upon you, thank Him.
And for this, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Indeed, they bring no good) Does a person of sound mind do what brings no good? No, he does not.And for this, some scholars forbade vows and said: I forbid it; because the Messenger forbade it, I forbid it;Because the Messenger said: (They bring no good) So a person does not make a vow, neither for recovery from an illness, nor for the return of an absentee, nor for the victory of a group, ever.
But if one is afflicted and makes a vow, it is obligatory to fulfill the vow if one vowed an act of obedience.By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him) So this woman has to slaughter four sheep, cook them as she vowed, and distribute them specifically to the poor. And if she sees that it is in the interest to distribute them to the poor uncooked, and that this is more beneficial for the poor, let her distribute them uncooked.
We say: First: We forbid this woman and others from making vows; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows and said: (They bring no good and do not avert a decree) and the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is more generous than being one who does not bestow favor except in exchange for a reward. He bestows favor upon you whether you make a vow to Him or not. So if you despair of recovery from an illness and make a vow, or if you despair of the return of an absentee and make a vow, or if you despair of victory and make a vow, this is an error and a bad opinion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is more generous than needing a vow to be made to Him in order to bestow favor upon you. But if He bestows a favor upon you, thank Him.
And for this, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Indeed, they bring no good) Does a person of sound mind do what brings no good? No, he does not.And for this, some scholars forbade vows and said: I forbid it; because the Messenger forbade it, I forbid it;Because the Messenger said: (They bring no good) So a person does not make a vow, neither for recovery from an illness, nor for the return of an absentee, nor for the victory of a group, ever.
But if one is afflicted and makes a vow, it is obligatory to fulfill the vow if one vowed an act of obedience.By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him) So this woman has to slaughter four sheep, cook them as she vowed, and distribute them specifically to the poor. And if she sees that it is in the interest to distribute them to the poor uncooked, and that this is more beneficial for the poor, let her distribute them uncooked.