SECTION ON VOWS · 23 – THE EVIDENCES OF THOSE WHO SAY EXPIATION IS REQUIRED FOR VOWING TO COMMIT A SIN
3290 – It is narrated from ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)
said:
“There is no vow in disobedience to Allah. (If it has been made,) its expiation is the expiation for an oath.” [156]
3291 – The meaning of the previous hadith and with the same chain of transmission was narrated from Ibn Shihāb.
3292 – It is narrated from ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“There is no vow in disobedience to Allah. (If it has been made,) its expiation is the expiation for an oath.” [157]
3293 – It is narrated from ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he
asked the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) about the situation of his sister who had vowed to go on ḥajj barefoot and without a head covering. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Command your sister to cover her head, ride a mount, and (as expiation) fast for three days.” [158]
EXPLANATION
It is forbidden for a woman to go about with her head uncovered. A woman who vows to perform ḥajj with her head uncovered has made a vow to commit a sinful act. She should perform her ḥajj while covering her head. She does not fulfill the vow that involves sin. As expiation for this, she fasts for three days.
3294 – Abā Saʿīd al-Ruʿaynī also narrated the isnād and meaning of the previous hadith as transmitted by Yaḥyā.
3295 – From Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him):
A man came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, my sister has vowed to perform ḥajj on foot.”
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah does not need your sister to undergo hardship (He is not in need of her tiring herself). Let her perform ḥajj riding and give expiation for her oath.”
EXPLANATION
Whoever vows to perform ḥajj on foot should go on foot if able. If unable, they may ride. In place of the vow, they may slaughter a sacrificial animal, or as mentioned in hadith 3293, fast for three days.
There is no point in subjecting oneself to hardship by insisting on going on foot when a means of transport is available. It does not befit Allah’s pleasure for a servant to unnecessarily subject themselves to hardship.
3296 – From Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him):
The sister of ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir (may Allah be pleased with him) vowed to walk to the Kaʿba. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to ride and, as expiation for breaking her vow, to slaughter a sacrificial animal.
3297 – From Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him):
When news reached the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) that the sister of ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir had vowed to perform ḥajj on foot, he said:
“Allah is not in need of her vow. Command her to ride.”
3298 – From ʿIkrima (may Allah be pleased with him): The meaning of the previous hadith as narrated by Hishām was transmitted regarding the sister of ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir. In this narration, ʿIkrima did not mention the sacrificial animal. In this narration, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Command your sister to ride a mount.”
3299 – From ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī (may Allah be pleased with him):
My sister vowed to walk to the House of Allah (Baytullāh). She asked me to seek a legal verdict from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Let her both walk and ride her mount.” [159]
3300 – From Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him):
One day, while the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was addressing the people, he saw a man standing in the sun. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Who is this man?” They said, “This is Abū Isrāʾīl; he has vowed to stand and not sit, not to seek shade, not to speak, and to fast.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Command him to speak, to seek shade, to sit, and to complete his fast.” [160]
EXPLANATION
The real name of Abū Isrāʾīl is Qaysar al-ʿĀmirī.
3301 – From Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man being led between his two sons and asked why he was walking in this manner. They said, “He vowed to walk.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah Most High is not in need of this man punishing himself,” and commanded the man to ride.
3302 – From Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while circumambulating the Kaʿba, saw a man being led by a rope through a ring in his nose. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) tore the rope from his nose with his hand and commanded the one leading him to lead him by the hand instead. [161]
EXPLANATION
This man had vowed to have a ring put in his nose and be led in this way while performing ṭawāf. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade such a vow, which debases a person, both by word and by action.
3303 – From Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him): The sister of ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī vowed to perform ḥajj on foot, but she was not able to do so. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah (Exalted is He) is not in need of your sister walking; let her perform ḥajj riding, and (since she acted contrary to her vow) let her sacrifice a camel.”
3304 – It is narrated from ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī (may Allah be pleased with him):
He said to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), “My sister has vowed to go to the Kaʿba on foot.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Truly, the Mighty and Majestic Allah will not gain anything from your sister going to the Kaʿba on foot.”