She says: O honorable Shaykh, what is the punishment for one who does not fulfill a vow?
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The questioner : O honorable Shaykh, what is the punishment for one who does not fulfill a vow? And what should one do if he forgets the vow he made? And is it permissible for a person to make a vow for anything?
The Shaykh : The punishment for one who makes a vow and does not fulfill it, if fulfilling the vow is obligatory upon him, is what Allah the Exalted mentioned in His saying:[At-Tawbah 9:75-77] This is a great punishment, more severe than any material punishment, because this punishment is hypocrisy in the heart that remains until death. [At-Tawbah 9:77] This is a great punishment, by Allah. It is obligatory for one who makes a vow that he must fulfill to fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic and to fulfill the vow according to what he vowed, whether it is prayer, charity, fasting, or Hajj, so that he does not fall into this great punishment if he breaks his covenant with Allah.
However, there are vows that do not require fulfillment, such as when a vow takes the course of an oath, where the intention is to urge, to prohibit, to affirm, or to deny. In this case, it is not obligatory for him to fulfill the vow, and it is sufficient for him to pay the expiation for an oath. For example, if he says, "If I do not speak to so-and-so, I have a vow to Allah to fast for two months," and he did not speak to him, then in this case, it is not obligatory for him to fast the two months. Rather, he may fast the two months, or he may expiate the vow with the expiation for an oath by feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. If he cannot find the means to do so, he must fast three consecutive days. This is because this vow took the course of an oath, as the intention was to urge him to speak to him.
Likewise, if the intention was to prohibit, such as if he says, "If I speak to so-and-so, I have a vow to Allah to fast for two months," and he spoke to him, then at that time, he is given the choice between expiating with the expiation for an oath, as previously explained, or fasting these two months, because this vow took the course of an oath.
Likewise, if the vow is regarding a permissible matter, such as if he says, "I have a vow to Allah to go out to prayer in this specific garment," and he specifies it, then he goes out and prays in another garment, then in this case, the expiation for an oath is sufficient for him, because this vow is intended as an oath. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 1.
And as for the sayingThe questioner : If a person makes a vow and forgets it, we say: If a person makes a vow and forgets it, nothing is required of him until it becomes clear. If he despairs of clarifying it or remembering it, then he must expiate with the expiation for an oath, as previously explained. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The listener Ahmad Sa'id Ali from Yemen says in his question.
The Shaykh : The punishment for one who makes a vow and does not fulfill it, if fulfilling the vow is obligatory upon him, is what Allah the Exalted mentioned in His saying:
(75) And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying], "If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous." (76) But when he gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused. (77) So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him - because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءاتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * فَلَمَّا ءاتَاهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ بَخِلُوا بِهِ وَتَوَلَّوا وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ * فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُ بِمَا أَخْلَفُوا اللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَSo He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him
فَأَعْقَبَهُمْ نِفَاقًا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَوْنَهُHowever, there are vows that do not require fulfillment, such as when a vow takes the course of an oath, where the intention is to urge, to prohibit, to affirm, or to deny. In this case, it is not obligatory for him to fulfill the vow, and it is sufficient for him to pay the expiation for an oath. For example, if he says, "If I do not speak to so-and-so, I have a vow to Allah to fast for two months," and he did not speak to him, then in this case, it is not obligatory for him to fast the two months. Rather, he may fast the two months, or he may expiate the vow with the expiation for an oath by feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. If he cannot find the means to do so, he must fast three consecutive days. This is because this vow took the course of an oath, as the intention was to urge him to speak to him.
Likewise, if the intention was to prohibit, such as if he says, "If I speak to so-and-so, I have a vow to Allah to fast for two months," and he spoke to him, then at that time, he is given the choice between expiating with the expiation for an oath, as previously explained, or fasting these two months, because this vow took the course of an oath.
Likewise, if the vow is regarding a permissible matter, such as if he says, "I have a vow to Allah to go out to prayer in this specific garment," and he specifies it, then he goes out and prays in another garment, then in this case, the expiation for an oath is sufficient for him, because this vow is intended as an oath. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended
إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لك امرئ ما نوىAnd as for the sayingThe questioner : If a person makes a vow and forgets it, we say: If a person makes a vow and forgets it, nothing is required of him until it becomes clear. If he despairs of clarifying it or remembering it, then he must expiate with the expiation for an oath, as previously explained. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The listener Ahmad Sa'id Ali from Yemen says in his question.