If a person makes a vow while sleeping, is he obligated to fulfill it or not?
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The questioner : If a person makes a vow while sleeping, is he obligated to fulfill it or not?
The Shaykh : I do not know if it is correct to say that he is obligated to fulfill his vow while sleeping. The vow of a sleeping person is of no effect. The acknowledgment of a sleeping person is of no effect. All the actions of a sleeping person are of no effect. A sleeping person is not attributed with an action, even if he divorces his wife while sleeping, she is not divorced. Even if he endows his wealth while sleeping, it is not an endowment. Even if he pronounces zihar regarding his wife while sleeping, the ruling of zihar is not established for him. Even if he divorces her, the ruling of divorce is not established for him. A sleeping person has no ruling for his actions except in one issue: an action for which an ignorant person is not excused, such as if he rolls over onto a person next to him and kills him, then he is liable for compensation, just as if a mother rolls over onto her child and embraces him until he dies, she is liable for compensation. And what indicates that the action of a sleeping person is not attributed to him is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, regarding the People of the Cave:[Al-Kahf 18:18] So Allah, the Exalted, made their turning to the right and to the left not attributed to them, but rather it was from His action, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : I do not know if it is correct to say that he is obligated to fulfill his vow while sleeping. The vow of a sleeping person is of no effect. The acknowledgment of a sleeping person is of no effect. All the actions of a sleeping person are of no effect. A sleeping person is not attributed with an action, even if he divorces his wife while sleeping, she is not divorced. Even if he endows his wealth while sleeping, it is not an endowment. Even if he pronounces zihar regarding his wife while sleeping, the ruling of zihar is not established for him. Even if he divorces her, the ruling of divorce is not established for him. A sleeping person has no ruling for his actions except in one issue: an action for which an ignorant person is not excused, such as if he rolls over onto a person next to him and kills him, then he is liable for compensation, just as if a mother rolls over onto her child and embraces him until he dies, she is liable for compensation. And what indicates that the action of a sleeping person is not attributed to him is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, regarding the People of the Cave:
And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left
وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.