Oaths and Vows (Kitab Al-Aiman Wa Al-Nudhur)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The sister of Uqbah ibn Amir took a vow that she would perform hajj on foot, and she was unable to do so. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah is not in need of the walking of your sister. She must ride and offer a sacrificial camel.

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir al-Juhani: Uqbah said to the Prophet (ﷺ): My sister has taken a vow that she will walk to the House of Allah (the Ka'bah). Thereupon he said: Allah will not do anything of the walking of your sister to the House of Allah (i.e. the Ka'bah).

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: A man stood on the day of Conquest (of Mecca) and said: Messenger of Allah, I have vowed to Allah that if He grants conquest of Mecca at your hands, I shall pray two rak'ahs in Jerusalem. He replied: Pray here. He repeated (his statement) to him and he said: Pray here. He again repeated (his statement) to him. He (the Prophet) replied: Pursue your own course, then.Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has been narrated by 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf from the Prophet (ﷺ).

The tradition mentioned above (No.3299) has also been transmitted by Umar ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf on the authority of his father and the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). This version has: "The Prophet (ﷺ) said: By Him Who sent Muhammad with truth, if you prayed here, this would be sufficient for you like the prayer in Jerusalem."Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by al-Ansari, from Ibn-Juraij. He said: Ja'far b. 'Umar and 'Amr b. Hayyah. He said: They transmitted from 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf and from the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Sa'd b. 'Ubadah asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): My Mother has died and she could not fulfill her vow which she had taken. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Fulfill it on her behalf.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: A woman made a voyage and vowed that she would fast one month if Allah made her reach her destination with peace and security. Allah made her reach her destination with security but she died before she could fast. Her daughter or sister (the narrator doubted) came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). So he commanded to fast on her behalf.

Narrated Buraidah: A woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I gave a slave girl to my mother, but she died and left the salve-girl. He said: Your reward became certain for you, and she (the slave-girl) returned to you as inheritance. She said: She died and one month's fast was due from her. He (the narrator) then mentioned the tradition similar to the one mentioned by 'Amr b. 'Awn.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: A woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said (to him) that one month's fast was due from her mother who had died. May I fulfill them on her behalf? He asked: Suppose some debt was due from your mother, would you pay it ? She replied: Yes. He said: So the debt due to Allah is the one which most deserves to be paid.

Narrated 'Aishah: The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone dies when some fast due from him has been unfulfilled, his heir must fast on his behalf.

Narrated 'Amr b. Suh'aib: On his father's authority, said that his grandfather said: A woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah, I have taken a vow to play the tambourine over you. He said: Fulfil your vow. She said: And I have taken a vow to perform a sacrifice in such a such a place, a place in which people had performed sacrifices in pre-Islamic times. He asked: For an Idol? She replied: No. He asked: For an image? She replied: No. He said: Fulfil your vow.

Narrated Thabit ibn ad-Dahhak: In the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) a man took a vow to slaughter a camel at Buwanah. So he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I have taken a vow to sacrifice a camel at Buwanah. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked: Did the place contain any idol worshipped in pre-Islamic times? They (the people) said: No. He asked: Was any pre-Islamic festival observed there? They replied: No. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Fulfil your vow, for a vow to do an act of disobedience to Allah must not be fulfilled, neither must one do something over which a human being has no control.

Narrated Maymunah, daughter of Kardam: I went out with my father to see the hajj performed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I fixed my eyes on him. My father came near him while he was riding his she-camel. He had a whip like the whip of scribes. I heard the bedouin and the people say: The whip, the whip. My father came near him and held his foot. She said: He admitted his Prophethood and stood and listened to him. He said: Messenger of Allah, I have made a vow that if a son is born to me, I shall slaughter a number of sheep at the end of Buwanah in the dale of hill. The narrator said: I do not know (for certain) that she said: Fifty (sheep). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Does it contain any idol? He said: No. Then he said: Fulfil your vow that you have taken for Allah. He then gathered them (i.e. the sheep) and began to slaughter them. A sheep ran away from them. He searched for it saying: O Allah, fulfil my vow on my behalf. So he succeeded (in finding it) and slaughtered it.

A similar tradition has also been transmitted in brief by Maimunah daughter of Kardam son of Sufyan on the authority of her father through a different chain of narrators. This version adds: (The Prophet asked): Does it contain an idol or was a festival of pre-Islamic times celebrated there ? He replied: No. I said: This mother of mine has taken a vow and walking (is binding on her). May I fulfill it on her behalf ? Sometimes the narrator Bashshar said: May we fulfill in on her behalf ? He said: Yes.

'Imran b. Husain said: 'Adba belonged to a man of Banu 'Aqil. It used to go ahead of pligrims. The man was then captivated. He was brought in chains to the Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) was riding on a donkey with a blanket on him. He said: Muhammad, why do you arrest me and capture the one (i.e. the she-camel) which goes ahead of the pilgrims. He replied: We are arresting you on account of the crime committed by your allies Thaqid. Thaqif captivated two persons from among the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). He said (whatever he said) I am a Muslim, or he said: I have embraced Islam. When the Prophet (ﷺ) went ahead, he called him: O Muhammed, O Muhammed. Abu Dawud said: I learnt it from the version of the narrator Muhammad b. 'Isa. The Prophet (ﷺ) was compassionate and kind hearted. So he returned to him, and asked: What is the matter with you ? He replied: I am a Muslim. He said: Had you said it when the matter was in your hand, you would have succeeded completely. Abu Dawud said: I then returned to the version of the narrator Sulaiman (b. Harb). He said: Muhammad, I am hungry, so feed me. I am thirsty, so give me water. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: This is your need, or he said: This is his need (the narrator is doubtful). Later on the man was taken back (by Thaqif) as a ransom for the two men (of the Companions of the Prophet). The Prophet (ﷺ) retained 'Adba for his journey. The narrator said: The polytheists raided the pasturing animals of Medina and they took away 'Adba. When they took away 'Adba, they also captivated a Muslim woman. They used to leave their camels in the fields for rest at night. One night they slept and the (Muslim) woman stood up. Any camel on which she put her hand brayed until she came to 'Adba. She came to a she-camel which was docile and experienced. She then rode on her and vowed to Allah that if He saved her, she would sacrifice it. When she came to Medina, the people recognized the she-camel of the Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) was then informed about it and he sent for her. She was brought to him and she informed him about her vow. He said: It is a bad return that you have given it. Allah has not saved you, on its (back) that you now sacrifice it. A vow to do an act of disobedience must not be fulfilled, or to do something over which one has no control.Abu Dawud said: This woman was the wife of Abu Dharr.

Narrated Ka'b ibn Malik: I said: Messenger of Allah, to make my repentance complete I should divest myself of my property as sadaqah (alms) for Allah and His Apostle. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Retain some of your property, for that will be better for you. So he said: I shall retain the portion I have at Khaybar.

Narrated Ka'b bin Malik: To the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when his repentance was accepted: I should divest myself of my property. He then mentioned a similar tradition up to the words, "better for you".

Narrated Ka'b ibn Malik: Ka'b ibn Malik said to AbuLubabah; or someone else whom Allah wished; or to the Prophet (ﷺ): To make my repentance complete I should depart from the house of my people in which I fell into sin, and that I should divest myself of all my property as sadaqah (alms). He said: A third (of your property) will be sufficient for you.

This tradition has also been transmitted by Ibn Ka'b b. Malik through a different chain of narrators. This version has: "He then mentioned the tradition to the same effect. This versions attributes this story to Abu Lubabah."Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Yunus from Ibn Shihab from some of the children of al-Sa'ib son of Abu Lubabah. A similar tradition has also been transmitted by al-Zabidi from al-Zuhri from Husain b. al-Sa'ib son of Abu Lubabah.

Narrated Ka'b ibn Malik: I said: Messenger of Allah, to make my atonement complete I should divest myself of my all property as sadaqah (alms) for Allah and His apostle. He said: No. I said: The half of it. He said: No. I said: Then a third of it. He said: Yes. I said: I shall retain the portion I have at Khaybar.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone takes a vow but does not name it, its atonement is the same as that for an oath, if anyone takes a vow to do an act of disobedience, its atonement is the same as that for an oath, if anyone takes a vow he is unable to fulfill, its atonement is the same as that for an oath, but if anyone takes a vow he is able to fulfill, he must do so.Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Waki' and others on the authority of 'Abd Allah b. Sa'id b. Abi al-Hind, but they traced it no farther back than Ibn 'Abbas.

Narrated 'Uqbah bin 'Amir: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The atonement for a vow is the same as for an oath.Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by 'Amr b. al-Harith from Ka'b b. 'Alqamah, from Ibn Shamasah on the authority of 'Uqbah.

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by 'Uqbah b. 'Amir from the Prophet (ﷺ) through a different chain of narrators.

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: That 'Umar said: Messenger of Allah, I took a vow in pre-Islamic times that I would stay in the sacred mosque (Masjid Haram) as a devotion (i'tikaf). The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Fulfill your vow.