Oaths and Vows

كتاب الأيمان والنذور

Chapter 19: If one says: "By Allah! I will not speak today"

And the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “The best of the words are the four of God’s grace, and praise be to God, and there is no god but God.” Abu Safyan said the book of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, wrote to Harqal: Mujahid said the word of piety, there is no god but God.
Narrated `Abdullah

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said a sentence and I said another. He said, "Whoever dies while he is setting up rivals along with Allah (i.e. worshipping others along with Allah) shall be admitted into the (Hell) Fire." And I said the other: "Whoever dies while he is not setting up rivals along with Allah (i.e. worshipping none except Allah) shall be admitted into Paradise."

Chapter 20: Whoever took an oath that he would not enter upon his wife for one month

Narrated Anas

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) took an oath for abstention from his wives (for one month), and during those days he had a sprain in his foot. He stayed in a Mashrubah (an upper room) for twenty-nine nights and then came down. Then the people said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! You took an oath for abstention (from your wives) for one month." On that he said, "A (lunar) month can be of twenty-nine days."

Chapter 21: If somebody takes an oath not to drink Nabidh

Narrated Abu Hazim

Sahl bin Sa`d said, "Abu Usaid, the companion of the Prophet, got married, so he invited the Prophet (ﷺ) to his wedding party, and the bride herself served them. Sahl said to the People, 'Do you know what drink she served him with? She infused some dates in a pot at night and the next morning she served him with the infusion."

Narrated Sauda

(the wife of the Prophet) One of our sheep died and we tanned its skin and kept on infusing dates in it till it was a worn out water skin.

Chapter 22: If someone takes an oath that he will not eat Udm

Narrated `Aisha

The family of (the Prophet) Muhammad never ate wheat-bread with meat for three consecutive days to their fill, till he met Allah.

Narrated Anas bin Malik

Abu Talha said to Um Sulaim, "I heard the voice of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) rather weak, and I knew that it was because of hunger. Have you anything (to present to the Prophet)?" She said, "Yes." Then she took out a few loaves of barley bread and took a veil of hers and wrapped the bread with a part of it and sent me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I went and found Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sitting in the mosque with some people. I stood up before him. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, "Has Abu Talha sent you?" I said, ' Yes. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to those who were with him. "Get up and proceed." I went ahead of them (as their forerunner) and came to Abu Talha and informed him about it. Abu Talha said, "O Um Sulaim! Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has come and we have no food to feed them." Um Sulaim said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." So Abu Talha went out (to receive them) till he met Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came in company with Abu Talha and they entered the house. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O Um Sulaim! Bring whatever you have." So she brought that (barley) bread and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered that bread to be broken into small pieces, and then Um Sulaim poured over it some butter from a leather butter container, and then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said what Allah wanted him to say, (i.e. blessing the food). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then said, "Admit ten men." Abu Talha admitted them and they ate to their fill and went out. He again said, "Admit ten men." He admitted them, and in this way all the people ate to their fill, and they were seventy or eighty men."

Chapter 23: The intention in taking oaths

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The (reward of) deeds, depend upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for the sake of Allah and His Apostle, then his emigration will be considered to be for Allah and His Apostle, and whoever emigrated for the sake of worldly gain or for a woman to marry, then his emigration will be considered to be for what he emigrated for."

Chapter 24: If a person gives his property in charity because of a vow and as an expiation for sins

Narrated Ka`b bin Malik

In the last part of his narration about the three who remained behind (from the battle of Tabuk). (I said) "As a proof of my true repentance (for not joining the Holy battle of Tabuk), I shall give up all my property for the sake of Allah and His Apostle (as an expiation for that sin)." The Prophet (ﷺ) said (to me), "Keep some of your wealth, for that is better for you."

Chapter 25: If someone makes some food unlawful for himself

And the Almighty said: {O Prophet, you do not forbid what God has permitted to you His: {Do not forbid good things that God has permitted to you}.
Narrated `Aisha

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stay (for a period) in the house of Zainab bint Jahsh (one of the wives of the Prophet ) and he used to drink honey in her house. Hafsa and I decided that when the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon either of us, she would say, "I smell in you the bad smell of Maghafir (a bad smelling raisin). Have you eaten Maghafir?" When he entered upon one of us, she said that to him. He replied (to her), "No, but I have drunk honey in the house of Zainab bint Jahsh, and I will never drink it again." Then the following verse was revealed: 'O Prophet ! Why do you ban (for you) that which Allah has made lawful for you?. ..(up to) If you two (wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) turn in repentance to Allah.' (66.1-4) The two were `Aisha and Hafsa And also the Statement of Allah: 'And (Remember) when the Prophet (ﷺ) disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives!' (66.3) i.e., his saying, "But I have drunk honey." Hisham said: It also meant his saying, "I will not drink anymore, and I have taken an oath, so do not inform anybody of that."

Chapter 26: To fulfil one's vow

And he said: {They die with warning}.
Narrated Sa`id bin Al-Harith

that he heard Ibn `Umar saying, "Weren't people forbidden to make vows?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'A vow neither hastens nor delays anything, but by the making of vows, some of the wealth of a miser is taken out."

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade the making of vows and said, "It (a vow) does not prevent anything (that has to take place), but the property of a miser is spent (taken out) with it."

Narrated Abu Huraira

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah says, 'The vow, does not bring about for the son of Adam anything I have not decreed for him, but his vow may coincide with what has been decided for him, and by this way I cause a miser to spend of his wealth. So he gives Me (spends in charity) for the fulfillment of what has been decreed for him what he would not give Me before but for his vow."

Chapter 27: The sin of him who does not fulfil his vow

Narrated Zahdam bin Mudarrab

`Imran bin Hussain said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The best of you (people) are my generation, and the second best will be those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the second generation." `Imran added, "I do not remember whether he mentioned two or three (generations) after his generation. He added, 'Then will come some people who will make vows but will not fulfill them; and they will be dishonest and will not be trustworthy, and they will give their witness without being asked to give their witness, and fatness will appear among them.' "

Chapter 28: To vow for to be obedient to Allah

{And what you have spent from an agreed or vowed from a vow, for God knows Him, and what the persons of the persons are from support. ”
Narrated `Aisha

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him; and whoever made a vow that he will disobey Allah, should not disobey Him."

Chapter 29: If somebody vowed during the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance, and then he embraces Islam

Narrated Ibn `Umar

`Umar said "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! I vowed to perform I`tikaf for one night in Al-Masjid-al-Haram, during the Pre-Islamic Period of ignorance (before embracing Islam). "The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Fulfill your vow." Ibn `Umar said to the lady, "Pray on her behalf." Ibn `Abbas said the same.

Chapter 30: If somebody dies without fulfiling a vow

And Ibn Omar ordered a woman whose mother made her himself a prayer with dome, so he said, praying for her. Ibn Abbas said that he was.
Narrated Sa`id bin 'Ubada Al-Ansari

that he consulted the Prophet (ﷺ) about a vow that had been made by his mother who died without fulfilling it. The Prophet (ﷺ) gave his verdict that he should fulfill it on her behalf. The verdict became Sunna (i.e. the Prophet's tradition).

Narrated Ibn `Abbas

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said to him, "My sister vowed to perform the Hajj, but she died (before fulfilling it)." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Would you not have paid her debts if she had any?" The man said, "Yes." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "So pay Allah's Rights, as He is more entitled to receive His rights."

Chapter 31: To vow for something not possessed, and for something sinful

Narrated `Aisha

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever vowed to be obedient to Allah, must be obedient to Him; and whoever vowed to be disobedient to Allah, should not be disobedient to Him."

Narrated Anas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah is not in need of this man) torturing himself," when he saw the man walking between his two sons (who were supporting him).

Narrated Ibn `Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) saw a man performing Tawaf around the Ka`ba, tied with a rope or something else (while another person was holding him). The Prophet (ﷺ) cut that rope off.