I vowed to Allah to fast a month on the condition that I would quit smoking, but I was unable to do so. What is the ruling? Is it obligatory for me to fulfill this vow, or is the expiation sufficient for me, knowing that after a period of time, Allah helped me to quit?
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The questioner : I vowed to Allah to fast a month on the condition that I would quit smoking, but I was unable to do so. What is the ruling: Is it obligatory for me to fulfill this vow, or is the expiation sufficient for me, knowing that after a period of time, Allah helped me to quit?
The Shaykh : If the vow to quit smoking was tied to a specific time and that time has passed without him quitting, then he must offer the expiation for an oath, which is feeding ten poor people.
However, if the vow was not tied to a specific time, then since Allah guided him to quit it later, he owes nothing because he fulfilled the vow he made. Yes.
The questioner : I work as a doctor and we were guided to...
The Shaykh : And you should remember—may Allah bless you—that we always speak about the issue of vows and we prohibit them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited them and said:Sahih Muslim 1639c. It also does not change the divine decree.
Some people, when they fall into hardship, make a vow. If they have a sick person, they vow that if Allah heals their sick person, they will fast so much and so much, or give charity of so much and so much. This is a mistake, because if Allah intends to heal this patient, He will heal him without a vow.
Some students find a subject difficult, such as grammar for those who do not know it, or the English language for those who do not know it. They say to Allah, "I have a vow upon me: if I succeed in English, I will do so and so." Then they succeed, and in the end, they do not do it. This is forbidden. He must do what he vowed, what he pledged, as long as it is not a sin.
But here is an issue I heard from some people: that cheating in the English language exam is permissible.
Have you heard that? Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : They justify it by saying it is the language of the disbelievers. In any case, this is a false illusion. Cheating in an exam, whether in the English language, the Arabic language, Islamic jurisprudence, the oneness of Allah, Qur'anic exegesis, or any subject, is forbidden due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1315Sahih (Darussalam).
And the strange thing is that this questioner, or this person, says that cheating in the English language exam is permissible, then he rules that it is cheating, and then says it is permissible. But there is blame in cheating, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disavowed the one who does it.
Then there is another problem here as well. Let us suppose that this man obtained the degree, and afterwards his situation regarding the rank or the salary he received based on this false degree?
This is a problem. A person may earn forbidden money because of this cheating that occurred. Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : If the vow to quit smoking was tied to a specific time and that time has passed without him quitting, then he must offer the expiation for an oath, which is feeding ten poor people.
However, if the vow was not tied to a specific time, then since Allah guided him to quit it later, he owes nothing because he fulfilled the vow he made. Yes.
The questioner : I work as a doctor and we were guided to...
The Shaykh : And you should remember—may Allah bless you—that we always speak about the issue of vows and we prohibit them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited them and said:
It does not (necessarily) bring good (in the form of substantial, and tangible results), but it is the meant whereby something is extracted from the miserly persons.
إنه لا يأتي بخير وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلSome people, when they fall into hardship, make a vow. If they have a sick person, they vow that if Allah heals their sick person, they will fast so much and so much, or give charity of so much and so much. This is a mistake, because if Allah intends to heal this patient, He will heal him without a vow.
Some students find a subject difficult, such as grammar for those who do not know it, or the English language for those who do not know it. They say to Allah, "I have a vow upon me: if I succeed in English, I will do so and so." Then they succeed, and in the end, they do not do it. This is forbidden. He must do what he vowed, what he pledged, as long as it is not a sin.
But here is an issue I heard from some people: that cheating in the English language exam is permissible.
Have you heard that? Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : They justify it by saying it is the language of the disbelievers. In any case, this is a false illusion. Cheating in an exam, whether in the English language, the Arabic language, Islamic jurisprudence, the oneness of Allah, Qur'anic exegesis, or any subject, is forbidden due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever cheats, he is not one of us.
من غش فليس مناAnd the strange thing is that this questioner, or this person, says that cheating in the English language exam is permissible, then he rules that it is cheating, and then says it is permissible. But there is blame in cheating, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disavowed the one who does it.
Then there is another problem here as well. Let us suppose that this man obtained the degree, and afterwards his situation regarding the rank or the salary he received based on this false degree?
This is a problem. A person may earn forbidden money because of this cheating that occurred. Yes, indeed.