The Categories of Vows: First: The Absolute Vow, Its Ruling, and the Explanation of the Expiation for an Oath.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : It is good for us here to clarify that vows are divided into categories, as the scholars mentioned and as the Sunnah indicates:
The first category: A vow in which nothing is specified; this is an absolute vow. For example, if a person says, "I have a vow upon me for Allah," or "I have a vow upon me for Allah," but he does not say fasting, or prayer, or charity, or Hajj, or 'Umrah, but rather says, "I have a vow upon me for Allah." So what is obligatory upon him? He must pay the expiation for an oath, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1528Da'if (Darussalam) The first category?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, my brother.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The absolute vow in which nothing is named; what is its example?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : That he says, "I have a vow upon me," and he did not specify it. May Allah bless you. The expiation for this is the expiation for an oath. Whenever the expiation for an oath comes up for you, know that it consists of four things. Whenever the expiation for an oath comes up for you, it is four things: Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:89] How many are these?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Count them, count them?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. Listen: feeding ten poor people. How do I feed them? You have two ways to feed them:
The first way: You give them food.
The second way: You invite them to a meal.
If you want to give them food, give each one a kilogram of rice, so the total is ten kilograms. It is good to add something to it that sustains them, such as meat, fish, or something else that sustains them, so that the food is palatable. This is the first option.
The second way: You prepare a meal, lunch or dinner, and invite ten people. Do you understand? They must be poor.
Or clothing them, meaning you clothe them with what is considered clothing by custom. What is clothing for us, my brother, here in the Saudi Arabian lands? Is it a shirt? A shirt, a shirt, a shirt, or a thobe? No, my brother. What you are wearing now is a shirt, or a thobe? Hmm?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What do you say? A shirt. Good. A shirt and others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : A ghutrah and others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And a taqiyah. May Allah bless you. This is clothing. Good. In other lands, they wear pants. You clothe him with what? Pants. Because Allah the Exalted said: and He did not restrict it to anything. So whatever is considered clothing is what is intended by the verse. Good. [Al-Ma'idah 5:89] Brother, what does "freeing a slave" mean?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What? Hmm?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Well done. Yes, freeing a slave. Which of the three is the most severe for us: feeding, clothing, or freeing? Which is the most severe?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Freeing. Is there a difference between freeing a slave and feeding ten poor people or clothing them? There is a great difference. Here lies the difficulty: How does Allah the Glorious and Exalted make these three things, as I said, with a great difference between them, how does He make some a substitute for others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Good. The encouragement to free slaves is one point. Rest.
The second way: It is said that violating the sanctity of an oath requires a ransom; it requires a large ransom, because violating the sanctity of an oath is not a light matter. To swear by Allah about something and then violate this sanctity is not a trivial matter. Therefore, an oath is not valid except by whom? Except by Allah the Glorious and Exalted. Therefore, its right is that a person should ransom himself with a slave, but as a facilitation from Allah the Glorious and Exalted, He made the substitute for the slave what? Feeding ten poor people or clothing them. So look, reflect a little: With what did Allah begin? With the easiest or the most severe? The easiest: feeding, then clothing, then freeing. You have the choice between these three. If you do not find any of them, then fast three days. If you have no means of feeding, no clothing, and no price for a slave, then you fast three days. Three consecutive days, or separate days? Or do you have the choice? If we look at the noble verse, "then fasting three days," we would say that the person has the choice: if he wishes, he continues them, and if he wishes, he separates them. But in the recitation of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him),[Al-Baqarah 2:196] and the minimum status of a recitation is that it is like a hadith, because the reciter narrates it from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And on this basis, it is obligatory to make these three days consecutive. Do you understand? What does "consecutive" mean?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What does "consecutive" mean?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Good. The first one fasted on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. This is the first, second, and third.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Meaning it is?
The questioner : One after the other.
The Shaykh : Well done. Perfect. Consecutive is the opposite of separate. Fasting three consecutive days: many of the common people think that the expiation for an oath is fasting. This is something we know from people; they always say, "By Allah, so-and-so swore an oath against me, but he contradicted me, so he forced me to fast three days." We say this is not correct. When is fasting the three days? What? When feeding is not possible.
The first category: A vow in which nothing is specified; this is an absolute vow. For example, if a person says, "I have a vow upon me for Allah," or "I have a vow upon me for Allah," but he does not say fasting, or prayer, or charity, or Hajj, or 'Umrah, but rather says, "I have a vow upon me for Allah." So what is obligatory upon him? He must pay the expiation for an oath, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
The atonement of a vow when it is not specified is the atonement of an oath.
كفارة النذر إذا لم يسم كفارة يمينThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, my brother.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The absolute vow in which nothing is named; what is its example?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : That he says, "I have a vow upon me," and he did not specify it. May Allah bless you. The expiation for this is the expiation for an oath. Whenever the expiation for an oath comes up for you, know that it consists of four things. Whenever the expiation for an oath comes up for you, it is four things: Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said:
So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] - then a fast of three days
فكفارته إطعام عشرة مساكين أو كسوتهم أو تحرير رقبة فمن لم يجد فصيام ثلاثة أيامThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Count them, count them?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. Listen: feeding ten poor people. How do I feed them? You have two ways to feed them:
The first way: You give them food.
The second way: You invite them to a meal.
If you want to give them food, give each one a kilogram of rice, so the total is ten kilograms. It is good to add something to it that sustains them, such as meat, fish, or something else that sustains them, so that the food is palatable. This is the first option.
The second way: You prepare a meal, lunch or dinner, and invite ten people. Do you understand? They must be poor.
Or clothing them, meaning you clothe them with what is considered clothing by custom. What is clothing for us, my brother, here in the Saudi Arabian lands? Is it a shirt? A shirt, a shirt, a shirt, or a thobe? No, my brother. What you are wearing now is a shirt, or a thobe? Hmm?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What do you say? A shirt. Good. A shirt and others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : A ghutrah and others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And a taqiyah. May Allah bless you. This is clothing. Good. In other lands, they wear pants. You clothe him with what? Pants. Because Allah the Exalted said:
or clothing for them
أو كسوتهمor the freeing of a slave
أو تحرير رقبةThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What? Hmm?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Well done. Yes, freeing a slave. Which of the three is the most severe for us: feeding, clothing, or freeing? Which is the most severe?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Freeing. Is there a difference between freeing a slave and feeding ten poor people or clothing them? There is a great difference. Here lies the difficulty: How does Allah the Glorious and Exalted make these three things, as I said, with a great difference between them, how does He make some a substitute for others?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Good. The encouragement to free slaves is one point. Rest.
The second way: It is said that violating the sanctity of an oath requires a ransom; it requires a large ransom, because violating the sanctity of an oath is not a light matter. To swear by Allah about something and then violate this sanctity is not a trivial matter. Therefore, an oath is not valid except by whom? Except by Allah the Glorious and Exalted. Therefore, its right is that a person should ransom himself with a slave, but as a facilitation from Allah the Glorious and Exalted, He made the substitute for the slave what? Feeding ten poor people or clothing them. So look, reflect a little: With what did Allah begin? With the easiest or the most severe? The easiest: feeding, then clothing, then freeing. You have the choice between these three. If you do not find any of them, then fast three days. If you have no means of feeding, no clothing, and no price for a slave, then you fast three days. Three consecutive days, or separate days? Or do you have the choice? If we look at the noble verse, "then fasting three days," we would say that the person has the choice: if he wishes, he continues them, and if he wishes, he separates them. But in the recitation of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him),
And complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place of slaughter. And whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head [making shaving necessary must offer] a ransom of fasting [three days] or charity or sacrifice. And when you are secure, then whoever performs 'umrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days during Hajj and of seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]. This is for those whose family is not in the area of al-Masjid al-Haram. And fear Allah and know that Allah is severe in penalty.
فصيام ثلاثة أيام متتابعةThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : What does "consecutive" mean?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Good. The first one fasted on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. This is the first, second, and third.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Meaning it is?
The questioner : One after the other.
The Shaykh : Well done. Perfect. Consecutive is the opposite of separate. Fasting three consecutive days: many of the common people think that the expiation for an oath is fasting. This is something we know from people; they always say, "By Allah, so-and-so swore an oath against me, but he contradicted me, so he forced me to fast three days." We say this is not correct. When is fasting the three days? What? When feeding is not possible.