What is the form of a vow, and is a vow the same as an oath? And if I say, for example, “I vow not to do such-and-such,” and then I go back and do it, do I have to pay an expiation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : What is the form of a vow? And is a vow the same as an oath? And if I say, for example, “I vow not to do such-and-such,” and then I go back and do it, do I have to pay an expiation? And is the expiation for an oath the same as the expiation for a vow? And finally, if I say “By Allah the Mighty” and then I say “I seek Allah’s forgiveness,” does seeking forgiveness cancel the oath by Allah?
The Shaykh : A vow does not have a specific form; rather, any word from which it is understood that the servant has obligated himself to Allah the Exalted to do something is a vow. Allah named the vow a covenant, and He said:[At-Tawbah 9:75] So if a person says, “I have a covenant with Allah to do such-and-such,” that is a vow. If he says, “I have a vow with Allah to do such-and-such,” that is a vow.
As for an oath, it is not an obligation upon oneself, but rather an affirmation of a statement. Therefore, the scholars distinguished between it and a vow in several ways.
As for when a person vows not to do something and then does it, this vow has the same ruling as an oath, as the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said. If he breaks it, he must pay the expiation for an oath. The expiation for an oath is: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. Whoever cannot find the means to do so must fast three consecutive days. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And by the way.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I would like to warn my brothers that a vow is disliked or forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it and said: Many people today, when things become difficult for them, say, “If such-and-such happens, I have a vow with Allah to do such-and-such.” This is a mistake, because this vow does not bring good. If Allah willed to bring you good, it would come to you without a vow. And if Allah did not will it, it would not come to you even if you made a vow. Many people have a sick person and are worried about them, and they say, “If Allah heals my sick person, I will fast every Monday or Thursday.” The sick person is healed, but then the one who made the vow does not fulfill what he covenanted with Allah. It becomes heavy for him to fast every Monday and Thursday, so he does not do it. This is a great danger, because Allah the Exalted said in His Book: [At-Tawbah 9:75-77] We seek refuge in Allah. That means He placed hypocrisy in their hearts until death, and this is very dangerous.
And we ask this man: If you say, “I have a vow with Allah that if He heals my sick person, I will fast Mondays and Thursdays,” does this obligate the sick person to be healed? No, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If a person does not make a vow, does it obligate him to die from his illness, meaning the one for whom the vow was made for his healing? No, it does not obligate this. If Allah willed healing for your sick person, He will heal him without your vow. And if Allah does not will healing for him, your vow will not benefit him.
And how many are those who go to the scholars and knock on the door of every scholar, making vows for one thing or another. Then it happens, and they regret it and seek release from what they vowed. This supports the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding vows. So a person should fear Allah for himself, praise Allah for well-being, and not obligate himself to something that Allah the Exalted has not obligated him to. However, if he makes a vow and the vow is made, if it is a vow of obedience, he must fulfill it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 6696 And if it is a vow of disobedience, fulfilling it is forbidden, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 2126Sahih (Darussalam) But he must pay the expiation for an oath. And if it is a vow of something permissible, he is given the choice between doing it and leaving it. If he does it, he has fulfilled his vow. And if he does not do it, he must pay the expiation for an oath. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you for this blessed guidance, esteemed Shaykh. The questioner, H. A. J. from al-Dawasi’r, in her second question, says:
The Shaykh : A vow does not have a specific form; rather, any word from which it is understood that the servant has obligated himself to Allah the Exalted to do something is a vow. Allah named the vow a covenant, and He said:
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."
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءاتَانَا مِنْ فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَAs for an oath, it is not an obligation upon oneself, but rather an affirmation of a statement. Therefore, the scholars distinguished between it and a vow in several ways.
As for when a person vows not to do something and then does it, this vow has the same ruling as an oath, as the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said. If he breaks it, he must pay the expiation for an oath. The expiation for an oath is: feeding ten poor people, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. Whoever cannot find the means to do so must fast three consecutive days. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And by the way.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I would like to warn my brothers that a vow is disliked or forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it and said:
It does not bring good, and it does not avert a decree.
إنه لا يأتي بخير، ولا يرُدّ قضاءً(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
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 يَلْقَوْنَهُAnd we ask this man: If you say, “I have a vow with Allah that if He heals my sick person, I will fast Mondays and Thursdays,” does this obligate the sick person to be healed? No, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
It does not avert a decree.
إنه لا يرد قضاءًAnd how many are those who go to the scholars and knock on the door of every scholar, making vows for one thing or another. Then it happens, and they regret it and seek release from what they vowed. This supports the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding vows. So a person should fear Allah for himself, praise Allah for well-being, and not obligate himself to something that Allah the Exalted has not obligated him to. However, if he makes a vow and the vow is made, if it is a vow of obedience, he must fulfill it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him
من نذر أن يطيع الله فليطعهand whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him.
ومن نذر أن يعصي الله فلا يعصهThe questioner : May Allah reward you for this blessed guidance, esteemed Shaykh. The questioner, H. A. J. from al-Dawasi’r, in her second question, says: