Is every vow to be condemned?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Is every vow to be condemned?
Answer:
Is every vow to be condemned? Yes, this is the apparent meaning of the hadith. One should not make vows. However, if a person makes a vow and the matter comes to pass, if it is an act of obedience, he must fulfill it. If it is not an act of obedience, he is not required to fulfill it, but he must pay the expiation for an oath. This is because vows fall under the five rulings: prohibition, obligation, dislike, recommendation, and permissibility.
So if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah to fast such-and-such, or to give such-and-such in charity," this is an act of obedience, and he is required to fulfill it.
And if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah to drink intoxicants," this is forbidden. He does not drink intoxicants, and he must pay the expiation for an oath.
And if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah to boycott so-and-so, or not to visit so-and-so," this is a disliked vow. He must pay the expiation for an oath, and he does not boycott his brother.
And if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah that I will not eat so-and-so's food, that I will not eat this food," then he has a choice: if he wishes, he fulfills the vow, and if he wishes, he pays the expiation for his oath and eats the food.
Is every vow to be condemned?
Answer:
Is every vow to be condemned? Yes, this is the apparent meaning of the hadith. One should not make vows. However, if a person makes a vow and the matter comes to pass, if it is an act of obedience, he must fulfill it. If it is not an act of obedience, he is not required to fulfill it, but he must pay the expiation for an oath. This is because vows fall under the five rulings: prohibition, obligation, dislike, recommendation, and permissibility.
So if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah to fast such-and-such, or to give such-and-such in charity," this is an act of obedience, and he is required to fulfill it.
And if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah to drink intoxicants," this is forbidden. He does not drink intoxicants, and he must pay the expiation for an oath.
And if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah to boycott so-and-so, or not to visit so-and-so," this is a disliked vow. He must pay the expiation for an oath, and he does not boycott his brother.
And if he says, "It is upon me for the sake of Allah that I will not eat so-and-so's food, that I will not eat this food," then he has a choice: if he wishes, he fulfills the vow, and if he wishes, he pays the expiation for his oath and eats the food.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.