About ten years ago, drowning overtook me, and in that state I vowed that if Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) saved me from this death, I would fast on Mondays

The questioner : About ten years ago, drowning overtook me, and in that state I vowed that if Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) saved me from this death, I would fast on Mondays and Thursdays for the rest of my life. I fasted for a few days, then I stopped fasting because I read the hadith in Sahih Muslim: So I paid the expiation for my oath and did not fast for the past ten years. Is my action correct, O honorable Shaykh? And if it is not, do I have to make up the days I did not fast in the past years, or is it sufficient for me to fast from now on and repent? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : Before answering this question, I would like to point out what I have often pointed out in this program, which is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows and said: Because a vow is a person obligating himself to an act of obedience that is not obligatory upon him; he is in a state of well-being regarding it, yet he goes and obligates himself to it. This is especially the case if the vow is conditioned upon a blessing from Allah upon him or the removal of a harm from him, for the implication of such a situation is that the one making the vow vows this act of worship to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) as a reward to Allah the Exalted for His blessing by achieving his objective or removing his harm, as if Allah the Exalted does not bestow His blessings upon him except through this reward. And how many are those who vowed and then regretted and did not fulfill their vows. This is a great danger, and Allah the Exalted has mentioned its punishment in His saying: So beware, my Muslim brothers, of making vows under any circumstances.
As for the answer to this man’s question: This man vowed to Allah the Exalted an act of obedience conditioned upon a condition, and the condition has occurred. When the condition occurs, the conditioned act becomes obligatory. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: This man who vowed to fast on Mondays and Thursdays has vowed an act of obedience, so it is obligatory for him to fast on Mondays and Thursdays for the rest of his life.
His leaving off fasting when he read what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of his saying: constitutes leaving it off based on an interpretation, even if this interpretation is defective. Because the intended meaning of the hadith is the expiation for a vow that was not specified, such as if one says: “I have a vow upon me for Allah” only. In that case, he pays the expiation for an oath. As for a vow of obedience, he has specified it, and it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And if he left off fasting relying on evidence and interpreting it, even if he was mistaken, then he is not required to make up what has passed based on his interpretation, especially if he is one who practices knowledge and has some level of seeking, meaning seeking knowledge. So he must now repent to Allah and fulfill his vow in the future.