I have vowed to Allah for years to abandon a specific sin I used to commit, and my intention was to actually leave this sin, and in fact I continued to keep my vow for a period.
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The questioner : I have vowed to Allah for years to abandon a specific sin I used to commit, and my intention was to actually leave this sin. He says: "In fact, I continued to keep my vow for a period, but after that, I committed this sin and stopped praying out of laziness, then I returned to praying, then I stopped again, and so on several times. Now I want to repent with a sincere repentance, but I read in the Noble Qur'an two verses: [At-Tawbah 9:75] [the verse from Surat al-Tawbah] and His saying: [Ali 'Imran 3:90] [the verse from Surat Aal 'Imran]. And I learned that the one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, following the Prophetic hadith. And I read in the tafsirs these verses in the book Tafsir Ibn Kathir, so I understood that these two verses were revealed regarding people who have no repentance and that they knew in this world that they are among the people of Hell, may Allah protect us from that. And I am now in great confusion. Is repentance accepted in such a case, or am I like those people with no repentance for me? Guide us, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : I say: Turn to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with a sincere repentance, and leave what you vowed to Allah to leave, as an expiation for an oath for having done it.
And I advise you, and I advise you, and I advise others to avoid making vows, even if the vow is for obedience or for leaving a sin, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows and said:Sahih Muslim 1639c and he said: .
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke the truth, for the miser is the one whose soul argues with him not to give charity, so he vows to give charity and says: "It is a vow upon me to Allah that I will give so much in charity." And likewise, the sick person falls ill and loses hope of recovery, so he vows that if Allah the Exalted heals him, he will do such and such. And this vow does not change the divine decree, because if Allah decrees your healing, you will be healed without the vow, and if He decrees no healing, the illness remains even if you vowed.
And how many are the vow-makers who, when they violate what they vowed, go to every scholar hoping to find a way out. So my advice to my Muslim brothers is to leave off vows, and to ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) from His bounty for healing and a happy life without resorting to vows.
And the one who resorts to vows to leave a sin indicates that he is weak in resolve and ambition, for if he were strong, he would not have needed the vow. We ask Allah for our brothers success in what He loves and is pleased with.
And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah
ومنهم من عاهد الله لئن آتانا من فضله ...Indeed, those who reject the message after their belief and then increase in disbelief - never will their [claimed]
إن الذين كفروا بعد إيمانهم ثم ازدادوا كفراً لن تقبل توبتهم ...The Shaykh : I say: Turn to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with a sincere repentance, and leave what you vowed to Allah to leave, as an expiation for an oath for having done it.
And I advise you, and I advise you, and I advise others to avoid making vows, even if the vow is for obedience or for leaving a sin, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade vows 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 يأت بخير وإنما يستخرج به من البخيلIt does not avert a decree.
إنه لا يرد قضاءًAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke the truth, for the miser is the one whose soul argues with him not to give charity, so he vows to give charity and says: "It is a vow upon me to Allah that I will give so much in charity." And likewise, the sick person falls ill and loses hope of recovery, so he vows that if Allah the Exalted heals him, he will do such and such. And this vow does not change the divine decree, because if Allah decrees your healing, you will be healed without the vow, and if He decrees no healing, the illness remains even if you vowed.
And how many are the vow-makers who, when they violate what they vowed, go to every scholar hoping to find a way out. So my advice to my Muslim brothers is to leave off vows, and to ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) from His bounty for healing and a happy life without resorting to vows.
And the one who resorts to vows to leave a sin indicates that he is weak in resolve and ambition, for if he were strong, he would not have needed the vow. We ask Allah for our brothers success in what He loves and is pleased with.