What is the ruling on one who binds himself and vows to read Surat al-Baqarah every day if Allah grants him health, and then finds it difficult?
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The questioner : I was in close contact with a sick person and feared that his illness might be transmitted to me, so I vowed that if Allah cured me of this illness, I would read Surat al-Baqarah every day.
The Shaykh : What does she read?
The questioner : I would read al-Baqarah every day, and now I sometimes find it difficult?
The Shaykh : Yes, I say: if one finds it difficult, who made the vow obligatory upon him?
What do you say?
It is she who made the vow obligatory upon herself. Therefore, if people had reason, or rather, if people had understanding, they would never make vows. لأنّ النّبيّ صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم نهى عن النّذر وقال: إنّه لا يأتي بخير ، اسمع كلام الرّسول صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم يقول: لا يأت بخير والذي لا يأت بخير هل نفعله؟
لا، ولهذا مال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله إلى تحريم النّذر سواء كان في مقابل النّعمة أو مقابل اندفاع النّقمة فإنّه منهيّ عنه، مكروه كراهة شديدة، فنقول لهذه المرأة: أنت التي أوجبت على نفسك أن تقرئي البقرة كلّ يوم، وقراءة البقرة كلّ يوم ليس بصعب، يمكن تقرأ نصف جزء في أوّل النّهار، ونصف جزء عند صلاة الظّهر، ونصف جزء عند صلاة العصر، كم هذا؟
جزء ونصف، وتكمّل بعد العصر أو في الضّحى، فهو سهل، يعني البقرة جزءان ونصف تقريبًا، يمكن أن يقرأهما القارئ في خلال ساعة إلاّ ربع، وهو سهل، ويجب عليها أن تفي بنذرها، فإن لم تفعل فأخشى أن تكون مثل من قال الله فيهم: ومنهم من عاهد الله لئن آتانا مِن فضله لنصّدّقنّ ولنكونّن من الصّالحين فلمّا آتاهم من فضله بخلوا به وتولّوا وهم معرضون وما الجزاء؟ أجيبوا؟
فأعقبهم نفاقًا في قلوبهم إلى يوم يلقونه بما أخلفوا الله ما وعدوه وبما كانوا يكذبون .
فنقول للأخت السّائلة: استعيني بالله واقرئي البقرة كلّ يوم كما ألزمت نفسك بذلك، نعم. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade vows and said: "Indeed, they do not bring any good." Listen to the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who said: "They do not bring any good." And do we do what does not bring any good? No. Therefore, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) inclined toward the prohibition of vows, whether in exchange for a blessing or in exchange for the removal of a calamity, for it is forbidden and disliked with severe dislike. So we say to this woman: You are the one who made it obligatory upon yourself to read al-Baqarah every day. Reading al-Baqarah every day is not difficult. You can read half a juz' at the beginning of the day, half a juz' at the time of the Zuhr prayer, and half a juz' at the time of the 'Asr prayer. How much is that? One and a half juz'. And you complete it after 'Asr or during the morning. So it is easy. That is, al-Baqarah is approximately two and a half juz'. A reader can read them in one hour and fifteen minutes, and it is easy. And it is obligatory upon her to fulfill her vow. If she does not do so, I fear that she will be like those about whom Allah said: "And of them is he who made a covenant with Allah: 'If He gives us of His bounty, we will surely give charity and will surely be among the righteous.' But when He gave them of His bounty, they became stingy with it and turned away, while they were turning their backs. So He made hypocrisy follow in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him, because they betrayed Allah in what they had promised Him and because they used to lie." So we say to the sister questioner: Seek help from Allah and read al-Baqarah every day as you bound yourself to do. Yes.
The Shaykh : What does she read?
The questioner : I would read al-Baqarah every day, and now I sometimes find it difficult?
The Shaykh : Yes, I say: if one finds it difficult, who made the vow obligatory upon him?
What do you say?
It is she who made the vow obligatory upon herself. Therefore, if people had reason, or rather, if people had understanding, they would never make vows. لأنّ النّبيّ صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم نهى عن النّذر وقال: إنّه لا يأتي بخير ، اسمع كلام الرّسول صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم يقول: لا يأت بخير والذي لا يأت بخير هل نفعله؟
لا، ولهذا مال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله إلى تحريم النّذر سواء كان في مقابل النّعمة أو مقابل اندفاع النّقمة فإنّه منهيّ عنه، مكروه كراهة شديدة، فنقول لهذه المرأة: أنت التي أوجبت على نفسك أن تقرئي البقرة كلّ يوم، وقراءة البقرة كلّ يوم ليس بصعب، يمكن تقرأ نصف جزء في أوّل النّهار، ونصف جزء عند صلاة الظّهر، ونصف جزء عند صلاة العصر، كم هذا؟
جزء ونصف، وتكمّل بعد العصر أو في الضّحى، فهو سهل، يعني البقرة جزءان ونصف تقريبًا، يمكن أن يقرأهما القارئ في خلال ساعة إلاّ ربع، وهو سهل، ويجب عليها أن تفي بنذرها، فإن لم تفعل فأخشى أن تكون مثل من قال الله فيهم: ومنهم من عاهد الله لئن آتانا مِن فضله لنصّدّقنّ ولنكونّن من الصّالحين فلمّا آتاهم من فضله بخلوا به وتولّوا وهم معرضون وما الجزاء؟ أجيبوا؟
فأعقبهم نفاقًا في قلوبهم إلى يوم يلقونه بما أخلفوا الله ما وعدوه وبما كانوا يكذبون .
فنقول للأخت السّائلة: استعيني بالله واقرئي البقرة كلّ يوم كما ألزمت نفسك بذلك، نعم. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade vows and said: "Indeed, they do not bring any good." Listen to the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who said: "They do not bring any good." And do we do what does not bring any good? No. Therefore, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) inclined toward the prohibition of vows, whether in exchange for a blessing or in exchange for the removal of a calamity, for it is forbidden and disliked with severe dislike. So we say to this woman: You are the one who made it obligatory upon yourself to read al-Baqarah every day. Reading al-Baqarah every day is not difficult. You can read half a juz' at the beginning of the day, half a juz' at the time of the Zuhr prayer, and half a juz' at the time of the 'Asr prayer. How much is that? One and a half juz'. And you complete it after 'Asr or during the morning. So it is easy. That is, al-Baqarah is approximately two and a half juz'. A reader can read them in one hour and fifteen minutes, and it is easy. And it is obligatory upon her to fulfill her vow. If she does not do so, I fear that she will be like those about whom Allah said: "And of them is he who made a covenant with Allah: 'If He gives us of His bounty, we will surely give charity and will surely be among the righteous.' But when He gave them of His bounty, they became stingy with it and turned away, while they were turning their backs. So He made hypocrisy follow in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him, because they betrayed Allah in what they had promised Him and because they used to lie." So we say to the sister questioner: Seek help from Allah and read al-Baqarah every day as you bound yourself to do. Yes.