I vowed to Allah that I would pray voluntary prayers without interruption if Allah cured my father of a serious illness that had befallen him. Now, praise be to Allah, my father has been cured, and I have prayed the voluntary prayers.

The questioner : I vowed to Allah that I would pray voluntary prayers without interruption if Allah cured my father of a serious illness that had befallen him.

The Shaykh : We seek refuge in Allah.

The questioner : And now, praise be to Allah, my father has been cured, and I prayed the voluntary prayers for some time, but I did not continue with that; some of the voluntary prayers I do not pray. I want you to know that when I made this vow, I was fourteen years old. Do I have a sin on my account for that? I ask for your guidance.

The Shaykh : If this vow was made before reaching puberty, then it is not obligatory for you because you were not accountable. But if it was made after reaching puberty, then it is obligatory for her to fulfill her vow if it was an act of obedience to Allah, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): However, she should not pray during the times of prohibition from which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade prayer. These are from the Fajr prayer until the sun has risen the length of a spear, which is about a third of an hour after sunrise; and at the zenith until it passes, which is about ten minutes before the zenith; and from the 'Asr prayer until sunset. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade prayer during these times, so prayer during these times is a sin. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a female listener, your sister in Allah, from the country of Morocco, residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She says: I ask you to answer my question.