The Book of Oaths and Vows

Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Yazid reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: ʿUmar owed a vow to observe devotional retreat for one night in the Sacred Mosque. He asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about it, and he instructed him to observe the retreat.

Ahmad ibn ʿAbdullah ibn al-Hakam reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us; he said: Shuʿbah narrated to us; he said: I heard ʿUbaydullah narrate from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, that ʿUmar had committed himself to spend one day in devotional retreat during the pre-Islamic era. He asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about it, and he instructed him to observe that retreat.

Yunus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla narrated to us; he said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us; he said: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: ʿAbdullah ibn Kaʿb ibn Malik informed me, from his father, who said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when his repentance had been accepted: ‘Messenger of Allah, I give up all my wealth as charity for Allah and His Messenger.’ The Messenger of Allah said to him: ‘Keep some of your wealth; that is better for you.’ Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman said: ‘It seems that al-Zuhri heard this report both from ʿAbdullah ibn Kaʿb and from ʿAbd al-Rahman, in the long report about Kaʿb’s repentance.’

Sulayman ibn Dawud reported to us; he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, from Yunus. Ibn Shihab said: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Kaʿb ibn Malik informed me that ʿAbdullah ibn Kaʿb said: I heard Kaʿb ibn Malik recount his account of staying behind from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, on the campaign to Tabuk. He said: When I sat before him, I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, as part of my repentance, I will give up some of my wealth as charity for Allah and His Messenger.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Keep some of your wealth; that is better for you.’ I said, ‘Then I will keep my share in Khaybar.’ [Abridged report.]

Yusuf ibn Saʿid reported to us; he said: Hajjaj ibn Muhammad narrated to us; he said: Layth ibn Saʿd narrated to us; he said: ʿUqayl narrated to me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Kaʿb informed me that ʿAbdullah ibn Kaʿb ibn Malik said: I heard Kaʿb ibn Malik recount his account of staying behind from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, on the campaign to Tabuk. He said: I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, as part of my repentance I will give my wealth as charity for Allah and His Messenger.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Keep your wealth; that is better for you.’ I said, ‘Then I will keep my share in Khaybar.’

Muhammad ibn Maʿdan ibn ʿIsa reported to us; he said: al-Hasan ibn Aʿyan narrated to us; he said: Maʿqil narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, who said: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Kaʿb informed me, from his uncle ʿUbaydullah ibn Kaʿb, who said: I heard my father, Kaʿb ibn Malik, recount: I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, saved me through my truthful confession. As part of my repentance, I will give my wealth as charity for Allah and His Messenger.’ He said: ‘Keep some of your wealth; that is better for you.’ I said, ‘Then I will keep my share in Khaybar.’

Al-Harith ibn Miskin said, as it was read to him while I listened, from Ibn al-Qasim, who said: Malik narrated to me, from Thawr ibn Zayd, from Abu al-Ghayth, the client of Ibn Mutʿi, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the year of Khaybar, and our spoils consisted only of property, goods, and clothing. A man from Banu al-Dubayb, named Rifaʿah ibn Zayd, gave the Messenger of Allah a Black servant named Midʿam. The Messenger of Allah set out toward Wadi al-Qura. When we were there, Midʿam was unloading the Messenger’s saddle gear when an arrow struck and killed him. The people said, ‘Paradise is yours—congratulations!’ But the Messenger of Allah said, ‘No! By the One in whose hand is my soul, the cloak he took from the spoils at Khaybar is burning him with fire.’ When the people heard this, a man brought the Messenger of Allah one or two sandal straps. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘One or two sandal straps of fire.’

Yunus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla reported to us; he said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us; he said: ʿAmr ibn al-Harith informed me that Kathir ibn Farqad related to him that Nafiʿ related to them from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Whoever swears an oath and says, “If Allah wills,” has made an exception.’

Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Whoever swears an oath and says, “If Allah wills,” has made an exception.’

Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us; he said: ʿAffan narrated to us; he said: Wuhayb narrated to us; he said: Ayyub narrated to us, from Nafiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ‘Whoever swears an oath and says, “If Allah wills,” has the choice: if he wishes, he may carry it out, and if he wishes, he may leave it.’

ʿImran ibn Bakkar reported to us; he said: ʿAli ibn ʿAyyash narrated to us; he said: Shuʿayb informed us; he said: Abu al-Zinad narrated to me from what ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Aʿraj related to him, including that he had heard Abu Hurayrah transmit from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: ‘Sulayman ibn Dawud said, “Tonight I will go to ninety women, each of whom will bear a horseman who will strive in the cause of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.” His companion said to him, “If Allah wills.” But he did not say, “If Allah wills.” He went to all of them, but only one became pregnant and gave birth to half a man. By the One in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, had he said, “If Allah wills,” they would all have been horsemen striving in the cause of Allah.’

Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn al-Wazir ibn Sulayman and al-Harith ibn Miskin reported to us—the text is al-Harith’s, read to him while I listened—from Ibn Wahb, who said: ʿAmr ibn al-Harith informed me, from Kaʿb ibn ʿAlqamah, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Shimasah, from ʿUqbah ibn ʿAmir, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘The expiation for a vow is the same as the expiation for an oath.’

Kathir ibn ʿUbayd reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Harb narrated to us, from al-Zubaydi, from al-Zuhri—it had reached him from al-Qasim, from ʿAishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience.’

Yunus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla reported to us; he said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us; he said: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah, from ʿAishah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’

Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubarak al-Mukharrimi reported to us; he said: Yahya ibn Adam narrated to us; he said: Ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Yunus, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from ʿAishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’

Ishaq ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: ʿUthman ibn ʿUmar informed us; he said: Yunus narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from ʿAishah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Abu Safwan narrated to us, from Yunus, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from ʿAishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’ Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman said: ‘It has also been said that al-Zuhri did not hear this from Abu Salamah.’

Harun ibn Musa al-Farawi reported to us; he said: Abu Damrah narrated to us, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Abu Salamah narrated to us, from ʿAishah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’

Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil al-Tirmidhi reported to us; he said: Ayyub ibn Sulayman narrated to us; he said: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Uways narrated to me; he said: Sulayman ibn Bilal narrated to me, from Muhammad ibn Abi ʿAtiq and Musa ibn ʿUqbah, from Ibn Shihab, from Sulayman ibn Arqam, that Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, who lived in al-Yamamah, told him he had heard Abu Salamah report from ʿAishah that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’ Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman said: ‘Sulayman ibn Arqam is abandoned in hadith; Allah knows best. More than one of Yahya ibn Abi Kathir’s students disagreed with him regarding this report.’

Hannad ibn al-Sari reported to us, from Wakiʿ, from Ibn al-Mubarak—namely, ʿAli—from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Muhammad ibn al-Zubayr al-Hanzali, from his father, from ʿImran ibn Husayn, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘There is no vow in disobedience, and its expiation is the same as the expiation for an oath.’