A vow: what is its expiation, and reports on it

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, concerning a man who swears by a vow and by declaring something unlawful (haram) for himself: He has spared no effort in being harsh on himself; let him free a slave, or fast two months, or feed sixty poor people.

He said: I asked Ibrahim and Mujahid, and both of them said: If he does not find (the means), let him feed ten poor people.

Amr said: I heard Sayyiduna Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: Fulfil your vows.

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A vow of disobedience is not to be fulfilled; its expiation is the expiation of an oath.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The expiation of a vow is the same as the expiation of an oath.

Abd al-Malik said: Ata was asked about a man who vowed that he would not go to (the home of) his brother or his sister. He said: He should go to them and give charity to ten poor people (feed them).

Jabir bin Zayd said: A vow is indeed an oath.

The same is narrated from Tawus.

Al-Sha'bi said: Some people say that a vow is a severe oath. Rather, it is an oath, and its expiation is to be paid.

Mujahid said: A vow is indeed an oath.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A vow made in anger is not to be fulfilled, and its expiation is the expiation of an oath."

Something similar is reported from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).

Mu'tamir said: I asked Ibn al-Zubayr: "Did someone who heard it from Imran narrate it to you?" He said: "No, rather a man narrated it to me from Sayyiduna Imran."

Abdullah bin Ma'qil said: A vow is a severe kind of oath.

Al-Hasan said: The expiation of a vow, if it is a vow of disobedience, is feeding ten poor people.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Whoever makes a vow upon an oath and then breaks it must pay the expiation of an aggravated oath (yamin mughallazah).

Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said: If a man says, "A vow is upon me," and then does not state the oath and falls silent, then (fulfilling) a vow is upon him.

Qays said: A vow is something by means of which something is extracted from the miser.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: A vow is an aggravated oath.