SECTION ON VOWS · 32 – WHAT SHOULD A PERSON WHO MADE A VOW IN THE AGE OF IGNORANCE AND ENTERED ISLAM WITHOUT FULFILLING IT DO?
3325 – It is narrated from ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him):
He said to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah, I had made a vow in the Age of Ignorance (Jāhiliyya) to perform iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat) for one night in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām. What should I do? The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, "Fulfill your vow."
[138] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Aymān wa al-Nudhūr, Bāb Inna alladhīna yashtarūna, no. 8/171; Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, Bāb Waʿīd man iqtaṭaʿa ḥaqqa Muslim, no. 220; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Qaḍāʾ; Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Buyūʿ, Bāb Yamīn al-Fājira, no. 1269; Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Aḥkām, Bāb man ḥalafa ʿalā yamīn fājira, no. 2323
[139] Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, Bāb Waʿīd man iqtaṭaʿa ḥaqqa Muslim; Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Aḥkām, Bāb al-Bayyina ʿalā al-muddaʿī, no. 1340
[140] Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Aḥkām, Bāb al-Yamīn, no. 2325
[141] Bukhārī, Muslim, Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah
[142] Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt, Bāb man wuriya fī yamīnihi, no. 2119
[143] Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr; Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt
[144] Tirmidhī
[145] Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb al-Istithnāʾ fī al-Yamīn, no. 1531; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb man ḥalafa fa-istathnā, 712; Ibn Mājah, no. 2105-2133; Tirmidhī, no. 1532
[146] Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt, Bāb Yamīn Rasūlullāh, no. 2093
[147] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adab, Bāb Qawl al-Ḍayf li ṣāḥibihi, no. 8/41; Muslim, Kitāb al-Ashriba, Bāb Ikrām al-Ḍayf, no. 2057
[148] Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb al-Yamīn fī mā lā yamliku, no. 7/12
[149] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr wa al-Aymān, no. 8/159; Muslim, Kitāb al-Aymān wa al-Nudhūr, no. 1649; Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt, no. 2107; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Aymān, Bāb al-Kaffāra qabla al-ḥins, no. 917
[150] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr wa al-Kaffārāt, no. 8/159; Muslim, Kitāb al-Aymān wa al-Nudhūr, Bāb man ḥalafa yamīnan, no. 1652; Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Aymān wa al-Nudhūr, no. 1529; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, no. 10/7
[151] Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṣalāt wa al-Ṭib; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Iftitāḥ, Bāb al-Kalām fī al-ṣalāh, no. 219
[152] Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Waṣāyā, Bāb Faḍl al-Ṣadaqah ʿalā al-mayyit, no. 6/252
[153] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Aymān, Bāb Wafāʾ bi-l-nadhr, no. 3/176; Muslim, Kitāb al-Nadhr, Bāb Nahy ʿan al-nadhr, no. 1639; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Aymān wa al-Nudhūr, Bāb Nahy ʿan al-nadhr, no. 3832; Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt, Bāb Nahy ʿan al-nadhr, no. 2122
[154] Bukhārī, K. al-Aymān, no. 8/176; Ibn Mājah, K. al-Nadhr, no. 3123; Tirmidhī, K. al-Nadhr, no. 1538
[155] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Aymān, Bāb al-Nadhr fī mā lā yamliku, no. 8/177; Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb man nadhr an yuʿṭī Allāh, no. 1526; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Nadhr, Bāb al-Nadhr fī al-maʿṣiyah, no. 3839; Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt, Bāb al-Nadhr fī al-maʿṣiyah, no. 2126
[156] Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb Lā nadhr fī maʿṣiyah, no. 1524
[157] Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb Lā nadhr fī maʿṣiyah, no. 1525
[158] Tirmidhī, no. 1544; Nasāʾī, no. 3845; Ibn Mājah, no. 2134
[159] Bukhārī, Kitāb Jazāʾ al-Ṣayd, Bāb man nadhr al-mashī ilā al-Kaʿbah, no. 2/25; Muslim, Kitāb al-Nadhr, Bāb man nadhr an yamshī ilā al-Kaʿbah, no. 1644; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb man nadhr an yamshī ilā bayt Allāh, no. 3845
[160] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Nudhūr wa al-Aymān, Bāb al-nadhr fī mā lā yamlik, no. 8/178; Muslim, Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Kaffārāt, Bāb man khalaṭa fī nadhrīhi ṭāʿatan, no. 2136
[161] Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Aymān, Bāb al-nadhr fī mā lā yamlik, no. 2/177; Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Aymān, Bāb al-nadhr fī mā lā yurād bihi, no. 3842
[162] Bukhārī, K. al-Aymān, Bāb idhā nadhr, no. 177/8; Muslim, Kitāb al-Nudhūr, Bāb al-amr bi-qaḍāʾ al-nadhr, no. 1638; Tirmidhī, K. al-Nudhūr, Bāb qaḍāʾ al-nadhr ʿan al-mayyit, no. 1546; Nasāʾī, K. al-Īmān, Bāb man māta wa ʿalayhi nudhūr, no. 3848; Ibn Mājah, K. al-Kaffārāt, Bāb man māta wa ʿalayhi nudhūr, no. 2132
[163] Nasāʾī, K. al-Nadhr, Bāb man māta wa ʿalayhi al-nadhr, no. 3850
[164] Muslim, K. al-Ṣiyām, Bāb qaḍāʾ al-ṣiyām ʿan al-mayyit, no. 1149; Tirmidhī, K. al-Zakāh, Bāb al-mutasaddiq yarithu ṣadaqatahu, no. 867; Ibn Mājah, K. al-Ṣiyām, Bāb man māta wa ʿalayhi ṣiyām, no. 1759
[165] Bukhārī, K. al-Ṣawm, Bāb man māta wa ʿalayhi al-ṣawm, no. 47/3; Muslim, K. al-Ṣawm, Bāb qaḍāʾ al-ṣawm ʿan al-mayyit, no. 1148
[166] Bukhārī, K. al-Ṣawm, Bāb man māta wa ʿalayhi, no. 7/3; Muslim, K. al-Ṣawm, Bāb qaḍāʾ al-ṣawm ʿan al-mayyit, no. 1147; Nasāʾī
[167] Ibn Mājah, K. al-Kaffārāt, Bāb al-Wafāʾ bi-l-nadhr, no. 2131
[168] Muslim, K. al-Nadhr, Bāb lā wafāʾ li-nadhr fī maʿṣiyat Allāh, no. 1641; Tirmidhī, K. al-Siyar, Bāb al-Usarā wa al-Fidāʾ, no. 1568; Nasāʾī, K. al-Aymān, Bāb lā nadhr fī maʿṣiyah, no. 3880; Ibn Mājah, K. al-Kaffārāt, Bāb al-Nahy ʿan al-nadhr, no. 2124
[169] Nasāʾī, K. al-Aymān, Bāb idhā qālahu ʿalā wajh al-nadhr, no. 3856
[170] Ibn Mājah, K. al-Kaffārāt, Bāb man nadhr nadhran, no. 2128
“Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah (the pledge to believe in the Prophet in their scriptures) and their oaths for a small price—there is no share for them in the Hereafter. Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment.” (Āl ʿImrān, 77) [138]
– “Beware! Whoever swears an oath to consume property unjustly will meet Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, while He is angry with him.” [139]
“By my pulpit, even if it is for something as small as a green tooth-stick, whoever swears a false oath about anything, his place in the Fire has been prepared, or the Fire is made obligatory for him.” [140]
“By Allah, I have never again sworn such an oath, neither on my own behalf nor on behalf of anyone else.” [141]
“You have spoken the truth; a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim.” [142]
“Whoever swears an oath and says, ‘I am free from Islam,’ if he is lying, then he is as he said; if he is truthful, he will never return to Islam in a sound state.” [143]
I saw the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him); he placed a date on a piece of bread and said, “This (date) is the condiment for this (bread).” [144]
“Whoever swears an oath about something and then says, ‘In shāʾ Allāh’ (if Allah wills), he has made an exception in his oath.” [145]
Whenever the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) would emphasize in an oath, he would say, “By Allah, in Whose hand is the soul of Abū al-Qāsim.” [146]
– He said, “I have never seen a night as evil as that night.” Abū Bakr said, “Set out your food.” The food was set out. Abū Bakr said ‘Bismillah’ and ate. The guests also ate. I was informed that my father went early in the morning to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), and informed him of what he and his guests had done. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “You are the best and most truthful of them (in keeping your oath).” [147]
Except for a few, all the (authentic) hadiths from the Prophet state, “Let him offer expiation for his oath.” [148]
“By Allah, if I swear an oath about something and then see that something else is better than what I swore about, I offer expiation for my oath and do what is better.” Or, “Rather, I do what is better and offer expiation for my oath.” [149]
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: “O ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Samurah, if you swear an oath about something and then see that something else is better than what you swore about, do what is better first, then offer expiation for your oath.” [150]
“Set this slave-girl free, for she has believed.” [151]
3283 – It is narrated from Sharīd (may Allah be pleased with him): His mother had bequeathed to him to set free a believing slave-girl on her behalf. He came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, my mother bequeathed to me to set free a believing slave-girl on her behalf. Now I have a black Nubian slave-girl.” He mentioned a narration similar to the previous hadith. [152]
– The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A vow does not change anything that is to befall.” [153]
“The son of Adam cannot bring about by a vow anything that I have not decreed in destiny. A vow only brings the son of Adam to what I have decreed for him. Through a vow, something is taken out from the miser. He gives, for the sake of fulfilling his vow, what he would not have given before.” [154]
“Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Allah; and whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey.” [155]
“There is no vow in disobedience to Allah. (If it is made,) its expiation is the expiation for an oath.” [156]
“There is no vow in disobedience to Allah. (If it is made,) its expiation is the expiation for an oath.” [157]
“Tell your sister to cover her head with her scarf, to ride the mount, and (as expiation) to fast for three days.” [158]
“Let her both walk and ride her mount.” [159]
“Command her to speak, to take shade, to sit, and to complete her fast.” [160]
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while circumambulating the Kaʿbah, saw a man being led by a rope through his nose. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) broke the rope with his hand and commanded the one leading him to lead him by the hand. [161]
Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah asked the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) for a legal ruling, saying, “My mother died while she had an unfulfilled vow. Can I fulfill her vow on her behalf?” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Fulfill it on behalf of your mother.” [162]
Allah saved her from the sea. The woman was not able to fulfill her vow until she died. Her daughter or sister came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and related this. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to fast on behalf of the deceased. [163]
A woman came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “I had given a slave-girl as a gift to my mother. My mother died and left her as inheritance.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “You have received your reward (for the gift), and she has returned to you as inheritance.” The woman said, “My mother died and she owed a month of fasting.” The narrator mentioned a narration similar to the previous one from ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn. [164]
“The debt owed to Allah is more deserving to be fulfilled.” [165]
“If a person dies while owing a fast, his walī (walī: close relative or inheritor) should fast on his behalf.” [166]
(The narrator ʿAbdullah ibn Yazīd reports that Sārah said it was fifty sheep.)
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, “Is there anything of the idols there?” My father said, “No, there is not.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Fulfill your vow for Allah.” Thereupon, my father gathered the sheep and began to slaughter them. One of the sheep escaped, and as he went out to catch it, he supplicated, “O Allah, help me fulfill my vow.” He then caught it by the neck and slaughtered it. [167]
Abū Dāwūd says: This woman was the wife of Abū Dharr. [168]
It is narrated: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, as part of my repentance (for my failure to participate in the Tabūk expedition), I will give away all my wealth for the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Keep some of your wealth for yourself; that is better for you.” I said, “I will keep my share in Khaybar for myself.” [169]
“If a person says, ‘It is my vow,’ without specifying which act of worship, its expiation is the expiation for an oath. If a person vows to do something that is disobedience to Allah, its expiation is the expiation for an oath. If a person vows to do something beyond his ability, its expiation is the expiation for an oath. If a person vows to do something within his ability, let him fulfill it.” [170]
