Complete Sharʿi Guide on Vows – Definition, Types, Legitimacy, Prohibitions, and Rulings

Vows (Nadhr) – Definition, Types, Legitimacy, Prohibited Forms, and Sharʿi Rulings
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori

1. Definition of Nadhr​

• Linguistic meaning: Derived from nadhara–yandhuru (نذر–ينذر), meaning to make a vow and voluntarily obligate oneself to perform a non-obligatory act.
  [Al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ, p. 912; Al-Munjid, p. 883; Lisān al-ʿArab 14/100]
• Sharʿi definition: A commitment to perform an act of goodness.
  [Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh 4/2552]

2. Legitimacy of Nadhr​

Qur’anic Proofs:


① ﴿يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ﴾ [Al-Dahr: 7] – “They fulfill their vows.”
② ﴿وَلْيُوفُوا نُذُورَهُمْ﴾ [Al-Ḥajj: 29] – “They should fulfill their vows.”
③ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ﴾ [Al-Māʾidah: 1] – “O you who believe, fulfill your contracts.”
④ ﴿وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا﴾ [Al-Isrāʾ: 34] – “Fulfill the covenant; indeed, the covenant will be questioned about.”


Prophetic Proof:

• Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) narrated:
  "مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللَّهَ فَلْيُطِعْهُ، وَمَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَعْصِيَهُ فَلَا يَعْصِهِ"
  “Whoever vows to obey Allah should obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Him should not disobey Him.”
  [Al-Bukhārī: 6696; Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ 2/476; Abū Dāwūd: 3289; Al-Tirmidhī: 1526]

3. Difference Between Encouraged and Discouraged Nadhr​

• Some narrations prohibit Nadhr:
  "نَهَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنِ النَّذْرِ، قَالَ: إِنَّهُ لَا يَرُدُّ شَيْئًا، إِنَّمَا يُسْتَخْرَجُ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَخِيلِ"
  “The Prophet ﷺ forbade vows, saying: It does not prevent anything (from occurring), but it is a means of taking something from a miser.”
  [Al-Bukhārī: 6608; Abū Dāwūd: 3287]

Reconciliation:

• Monetary vows are discouraged.
• Acts of worship like prayer and fasting, if vowed, are valid and rewarding, but making such vows is still considered makrūh by many scholars.

4. Prohibited Forms of Nadhr​

• In acts of disobedience:
  "لَا نَذْرَ فِي مَعْصِيَةٍ" – “There is no vow in disobedience.”
  [Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd: 2816]

Examples:

• Inequality among children in gifts.
• Vows made for graves, shrines, or saints.
• Vows for sinful purposes (e.g., supporting sinners in sin).
• Any vow for an act not legislated by Sharīʿah.

5. Nadhr Beyond One’s Ability​

If a person vows to perform something not legislated or beyond his capacity, it is not binding.


Example: The man who vowed to stand in the sun, not sit, not seek shade, not speak, and fast — the Prophet ﷺ ordered him to speak, sit, take shade, and continue fasting.
[Al-Bukhārī: 6704]

6. Kaffārah (Expiation) for Invalid Nadhr​

• If a vow is invalid (due to sin, impossibility, or non-specificity), one must pay the expiation of an oath (kaffārat al-yamīn).

Ḥadīth:
"كَفَّارَةُ النَّذْرِ كَفَّارَةُ الْيَمِينِ"
“The expiation for a vow is the same as the expiation for an oath.”
[Muslim: 1645; Abū Dāwūd: 3324]

7. Nadhr Made in Shirk, Then Accepting Islam​

If one vowed something permissible before accepting Islam, he should fulfill it after becoming Muslim.
Example: ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) vowed in Jāhiliyyah to do iʿtikāf in Masjid al-Ḥarām — the Prophet ﷺ said:
"أَوْفِ بِنَذْرِكَ" – “Fulfill your vow.”
[Al-Bukhārī: 2032; Muslim: 1656]

8. Fulfilling Nadhr After Death​

• If the deceased had a valid vow, it should be fulfilled from one-third of his estate or by his heirs voluntarily.
• The Prophet ﷺ equated fulfilling a vow to repaying a debt to Allah.
  [Al-Bukhārī: 6699; Muslim: 1638]

Summary Ruling:

• Valid: Only in acts of obedience to Allah.
• Invalid: In sin, shirk-related practices, or non-legislated acts.
• Discouraged: Initiating vows, though fulfilling valid vows is obligatory.
• Kaffārah: Oath expiation for invalid vows.
• After Death: Fulfilled from the deceased’s estate or by heirs voluntarily.