If one vows to slaughter an animal but does not specify distributing the meat to the poor, is the obligation merely the slaughter, or is he required to distribute the meat to the poor, or does the matter depend on the intention?

The questioner : People frequently ask about vows. If a person vows to slaughter an animal but does not specify distributing its meat to the poor, is he obligated only to slaughter it, or to slaughter and spend it, or does the matter depend on the intention?

The Shaykh : It is the latter. Every person who makes a vow is, without doubt, bound by his intention. If he makes a vow and intends to eat from it, it becomes obligatory for him to eat from it, because that is part of completing the vow. If he makes a vow and intends that it be eaten and that he not eat from it, it is obligatory that it be eaten and that he not eat from it. If he intends neither this nor that, here lies the problem: he vows to slaughter an animal, intending neither to eat from it nor to have it eaten. Is it permissible for him to eat from it? We say no, because the original ruling in a vow is to feed others. That is, they feed food to the needy and the poor, seeking no reward or gratitude in return. Therefore, if a person makes a vow and does not intend in his heart to eat from his vow, he has no right to eat from it. Rather, it is all for the poor, not for wealthy friends. This is not permissible. This is the answer.