15. Vows and Oaths
Sunan ad-Darimi 2377Sahih
أَنَّ امْرَأَةً نَذَرَتْ أَنْ تَحُجَّ فَمَاتَتْ فَجَاءَ أَخُوهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «لَوْ كَانَ عَلَيْهَا دَيْنٌ أكُنْتَ قَاضِيَهُ» قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ «فَاقْضُوا اللَّهَ فَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ بِالْوَفَاءِ»
✧ A woman vowed to perform Hajj and then died. Her brother came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked him about that. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, "If she had a debt, would you pay it?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Then pay Allah, for Allah is more deserving of fulfillment."
Sunan ad-Darimi 2378No grade recorded
قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ نَذْرًا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ ثُمَّ جَاءَ الْإِسْلَامُ قَالَ فِ بِنَذْرِكَ
✧ I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I made a vow in the pre-Islamic era, then Islam came." He said, "Fulfill your vow."
نَذَرَتْ أُخْتِي أَنْ تَحُجَّ لِلَّهِ مَاشِيَةً غَيْرَ مُخْتَمِرَةٍ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ «مُرْ أُخْتَكَ فَلْتَخْتَمِرْ وَلْتَرْكَبْ وَلْتَصُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ»
✧ My sister vowed to perform Hajj for Allah walking and not covering her head. I mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said, "Tell your sister to cover her head, ride, and fast three days."
Sunan ad-Darimi 2380Sahih
أَنَّ أُخْتَ عُقْبَةَ نَذَرَتْ أَنْ تَمْشِيَ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنْ نَذْرِ أُخْتِكَ لِتَرْكَبْ وَلْتُهْدِ هَدْيًا»
✧ Uqbah's sister vowed to walk to the House. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Allah is surely free from need of your sister's vow. Let her ride and offer a sacrificial animal."
Sunan ad-Darimi 2381Sahih
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَدْرَكَ شَيْخًا يَمْشِي بَيْنَ ابْنَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَا شَأْنُ هَذَا الشَّيْخِ؟ فَقَالَ ابْنَاهُ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَمْشِيَ فَقَالَ «ارْكَبْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكَ وَعَنْ نَذْرِكَ»
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came upon an elderly man walking between his two sons. He said, "What is the matter with this elderly man?" His two sons said, "He vowed to walk." He said, "Ride, for Allah is free from need of you and of your vow."
Sunan ad-Darimi 2382Sahih
«لَا وَفَاءَ لِنَذْرٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ وَلَا فِيمَا لَا يَمْلِكُ ابْنُ آدَمَ»
✧ There is no fulfillment of a vow in disobedience to Allah, nor in what the son of Adam does not possess.
Sunan ad-Darimi 2383Sahih
«مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَطِيعَ اللَّهَ فَلْيُطِعْهُ وَمَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ فَلَا يَعْصِهِ»
✧ Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him.
Sunan ad-Darimi 2384Sahih
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ إِنْ فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ صَلِّ هَا هُنَا فَأَعَادَ عَلَيْهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَشَأْنُكَ إِذَنْ
✧ "O Messenger of Allah, I vowed that if Allah grants you victory, I will pray in Jerusalem." He said, "Pray here." He repeated it to him three times, and the Prophet ﷺ said, "Then it is your affair."
Sunan ad-Darimi 2385Sahih
«إِنَّ النَّذْرَ لَا يَرُدُّ شَيْئًا وَإِنَّمَا يُسْتَخْرَجُ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَخِيلِ الشَّحِيحِ»
✧ A vow does not repel anything; it only extracts from the miserly and stingy.
Sunan ad-Darimi 2386Sahih
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَدْرَكَ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ وَهُوَ يَسِيرُ فِي رَكْبٍ وَهُوَ يَحْلِفُ بِأَبِيهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْهَاكُمْ أَنْ تَحْلِفُوا بِآبَائِكُمْ فَمَنْ كَانَ حَالِفًا فَلْيَحْلِفْ بِاللَّهِ أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ»
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came upon Umar b. al-Khattab while he was traveling in a caravan and swearing by his father. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers. Whoever must swear, let him swear by Allah or remain silent."
Sunan ad-Darimi 2387Sahih
مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ فَقَدِ اسْتَثْنَى
✧ Whoever swears an oath and then says, 'If Allah wills,' has made an exception.
Sunan ad-Darimi 2388Sahih
مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ بِالْخِيَارِ إِنْ شَاءَ فَعَلَ وَإِنْ شَاءَ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever takes an oath by a right hand and then says, 'If Allah wills,' then he is choosing the best way. And if He wills otherwise, then he will not do it."
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ «لَا تُقْسِمْ»
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Bakr, “Do not swear.”
Sunan ad-Darimi 2390Sahih
سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ عَدِيَّ بْنَ حَاتِمٍ؟ فَحَلَفَ أَنْ لَا يُعْطِيَهُ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ قَالَ لَوْلَا أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَى غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَلْيَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ وَلْيُكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ»
✧ A man asked Adi b. Hatim? Then he swore that he would not give him anything. Then he said: Were it not that I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whoever swears an oath and then sees something else better than it, let him do that which is better and expiate for his oath.”
Sunan ad-Darimi 2391Sahih
يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ سَمُرَةَ «لَا تَسْأَلِ الْإِمَارَةَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وُكِلْتَ إِلَيْهَا وَإِنْ أُعْطِيتَهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ أُعِنْتَ عَلَيْهَا فَإِذَا حَلَفْتَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ فَرَأَيْتَ غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِنْهَا فَكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ وَأْتِ الَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ»
✧ O Abd al-Rahman b. Samurah, “Do not ask for authority, for if you are given it because of asking, you will be left to it, and if you are given it without asking, you will be helped with it. And when you swear an oath and then see something else better than it, expiate for your oath and do that which is better.”
Sunan ad-Darimi 2392Sahih
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَ الْحَدِيثِ
✧ Muhammad b. Yusuf narrated to us, Sufyan narrated to us from Yunus from al-Hasan from Abd al-Rahman b. Samurah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said... and he mentioned a similar hadith.
Sunan ad-Darimi 2393Hasan
أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ عَلَى أُمِّي رَقَبَةً وَإِنَّ عِنْدِي جَارِيَةً سَوْدَاءَ نُوبِيَّةً أَفَتُجْزِئُ عَنْهَا قَالَ «ادْعُ بِهَا» فَقَالَ أَتَشْهَدِينَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ قَالَتْ نَعَمْ قَالَ «أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ»
✧ I came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: My mother owes a slave, and I have a black Nubian slave girl. Will she suffice for her? He said, “Bring her.” Then he asked, “Do you testify that there is no god but Allah?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “Free her, for she is a believer.”
Sunan ad-Darimi 2394Sahih
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «يَمِينُكَ عَلَى مَا يَصْدُّ قَكَ بِهِ صَاحِبُكَ»
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Your oath is only according to what your companion believes you to mean by it.”
Sunan ad-Darimi 2395Sahih
كَانَتْ يَمِينُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ الَّتِي يَحْلِفُ بِهَا «لَا وَمُقَلِّبِ الْقُلُوبِ»
✧ The oath by which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to swear was, “No, by the Turner of the hearts.”