Ruling on Vows Made to Other Than Allah
Source: Fatāwā Amnpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amnpūrī
❖ Question
What is the ruling on vows (nadhar) made for other than Allah?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
- A vow made for anyone other than Allah is ḥarām and invalid.
- Vow (nadhar) is an act of worship, and worship cannot be directed to other than Allah.
✿ Fatwā of the Ḥanafī Fuqahāʾ
It is stated:
“The vow commonly made by the masses, whereby someone goes to the grave of a saint, lifts its curtain, and says: ‘O my master, so-and-so, if you fulfill my need, then I will give such-and-such gold,’ is invalid by consensus.
Yes, if one says: ‘O Allah! I vow to You that if You cure my patient or fulfill my need, I will feed the poor who sit at the door of Sayyidah Nafīsa (رضي الله عنها), or I will buy mats for her mosque, or oil for its lamps, or give money to one who performs its services — meaning the vow is for Allah, and mentioning the Shaykh is only to designate where it will be spent — then this is permissible.
What is taken in money or similar and placed at shrines of saints for the purpose of drawing close to them is ḥarām by consensus, unless explicitly intended for the living poor. This is the unanimous fatwā, though many innovators in our time are afflicted with this.”
(al-Nahr al-Fāʾiq, al-Baḥr al-Rāʾiq; Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīriyyah 1/216)
◈ Conclusion
- Vows to other than Allah are bāṭil and shirk-related practices.
- Only vows directed to Allah, with lawful spending (e.g., on the poor, mosques, etc.), are valid.
- Money and gifts taken to graves and shrines in the name of saints are ḥarām by consensus, unless explicitly given to the living needy.
والله أعلم بالصواب
