Fatwa #413721 December 2001United States of America
Can a Muslim make a Vow (Minnat or Mannat)? I was told there is a Hadith that says that such a person (who makes a vow) is a ? Bakhil ?(miser)? (Total of 5 questions about Vowing)
Question
(2). What if a person has a vague idea that he vowed something, but has forgotten what he had vowed (i.e., he must have said, that he would fast for one day if his vow gets fulfilled, or pay $100 in charity, etc.)? (3). Is it a major sin not to fulfill one?s vow? (4). Would a vow have more influence on Allah S.W.T. than regular Du?aa? (5). Does the Ibadat (fast/charity/Nafl/etc) performed in exchange for a vow, qualify for a reward from Allah s.w.t.? The idea is the Ibadat is (a deal) in exchange for a worldly benefit (like health/business gain/safety/etc.) already achieved. Kindly address each of the above 5 points, one by one.
Answer
The English word 'vow' is a general word which includes Nazr and Yameen as%0D%0Acategorized by the Fuqaha (Jurists).%0D%0A%0D%0ANazr is a vow to make a mubaah (permissible act) compulsory upon oneself.%0D%0AFor example to perform Nafl salaah or give charity. Yameen is a vow to%0D%0Aprohibit anything permissible upon oneself.%0D%0A%0D%0AFor example, Rasulallah made haraam (prohibited) upon himself the drinking%0D%0Aof honey water as stated in sura Tahrim Juz 28. The term mannat is the urdu%0D%0Atranslation of Nazr. Nazr is of two types, unconditional and conditional. An%0D%0Aexample of unconditional Nazr is, to make compulsory upon oneself to give%0D%0Acharity, and an example of conditional Nazr, is to give charity for example%0D%0Aif my father is cured. The conditions for Nazr to be valid are three.%0D%0AIt must not be a prohibited act.%0D%0AIt must not be compulsory in itself for example: to perform fardh salaah%0D%0AIt must be from the Jins (species) of a Fardh act, for example Nafl salaah%0D%0Ais from the Jins of Fardh salaah . Charity is from the Jins of Barkaat.%0D%0ARasulullah (S.A.W) said, Nazr does nor change the decree of Allah. It%0D%0Aonly serves to, take out the wealth of a Bakheel (misery person). The%0D%0Apurpose of the above refered hadith is to reprimand a miserly person who%0D%0Anever spends voluntarily and unconditionally in the path of Allah. When he%0D%0Adoes so, it is for personal interest. Therefore, the above hadith is for%0D%0Aconditional Nazr and for a person who never spends before that. If a person%0D%0Amade a Mannat (Nazr), it is compulsory upon him to fulfill that. If he did%0D%0Anot do so, he will be sinful. In a vow, a person offers a sacrifice which is%0D%0Aa sign of sincerity. It is more than just making a dua. Therefore, Nazr with%0D%0AIkhlaas (sincerity) has a potential to invoke the help, mercy, and reward of%0D%0AAllah Taala.%0D%0A%0D%0AIf a person had a vague idea of his Nazr, he should apply his honest%0D%0Adiscretion and follow that. He should also make Istighfaar as it is possible%0D%0Ahe may have erred.%0D%0A%0D%0AWe hope the above address all your queries.%0D%0A%0D%0Aand Allah Ta'ala Knows Best%0D%0A%0D%0AMufti Ebrahim Desai%0D%0AFATWA DEPT.%0D%0A