Zakir Naik – What if a Muslim Makes Promises and Oaths to Allah but Fails to Keep them

This question from the whatsapp, Nanjiba from Bangladesh.

If someone promises to Allah that he will

not commit such and such a sin he

did that and he makes an unreal promise

to Allah which he cannot keep what should

he do?

And if a student observes three fasts in

the name of Allah as an expiation for

breaking an oath and if he hears from

many that ten poor people should be fed

or clothed if he also promises Allah that

he will give clothes or food to ten

poor people for all the promises he has

made to Allah in his life which he

could not keep and he breaks his oath

now he has to give clothes or food

to ten poor people as expiation for breaking

the same oath again.

Nanjiba from Bangladesh says that if someone promises

to Allah and does not keep that promise

what should he do?

Here you have to make a differentiation between

a promise to Allah and an oath to

Allah.

There is two difference.

When you promise something it is you are

telling Allah ok I will do this, I

will do that.

That's different than taking an oath.

If you take an oath it should have

certain clause.

Like how Allah takes an oath of fig

Allah takes an oath of lasar, fajar, then

of the mountains.

So when you take an oath, you take

oath of something and taking oath is of

different types.

What scholars say.

So promises something else that ok I promise

that I will do something, I promise I

will be good, I promise I will be

truthful that's different.

Making a commitment to Allah but taking oath

is different.

An oath, normally the prophet said, sahabas always

said, there are many sahih hadith said that

the prophet discouraged us from taking oaths.

Oath means, you said that if I pass

the examination I will go for umrah.

Or if I pass the examination I will

give charity of one thousand dollars to the

poor people.

So this type of oath the prophet discouraged.

It says that taking oath does not change

the qadr.

It only makes a miser person give in

charity.

So when you are taking an oath, there

are different types of oaths.

Some oaths which are good to take, some

oath which are not good to take.

Some amubah.

The oath that if you ask and you

take an oath of Allah that if so

and so thing happens, I will do this

sort of worship.

It's not encouraged.

It's not haram.

Because you are putting a stipulation to Allah

that ok if I pass the examination, I

will pray two rakat nafil, I will go

for umrah.

And if you do that act, if you

pass the examination, it is as though you

are forced to do it.

You are not doing it out of your

own free will.

That's one of the reasons.

Second is that as though you are bartering

with Allah.

That if my sickness is cured, I will

go for umrah.

If my sickness is cured, I will fast

ten days.

Whatever it is.

So the Prophet said the qadr is not

changed.

What's going to happen, you want to happen.

What's written in your destiny will happen.

So if you take an oath with bartering

something with Allah, it's not encouraged in Islam.

It's not haram but it's not encouraged.

The Prophet said it only makes a miser

person give charity.

So miser person says that ok if I

get healthy, I will give thousand dollars.

Ok, the miser person doesn't give charity.

So at least he will give thousand dollars.

So the Prophet personally preferred give charity.

Ok, I have decided I will give charity

today.

Thousand dollars.

Very good.

I decided I will give charity two thousand.

Very good.

But if you say I will pass, then

I will give charity, it's not encouraged.

So oath means you are bartering something.

If this thing happens, I will do this.

So these types of oath Allah says in

the Quran in Surah Maidah chapter number 5

verse number 89 that that if the oath

is unintentional Allah will forgive it.

But if it's an intentional oath then if

you do not keep it, if you do

not fulfill the oath, give a kaffarah kaffarah

you mean, give kaffarah give expiation of feeding

ten poor people, miskeen people and feed them

the same way how you feed your family.

So if you are a rich person and

you spend maybe hundred dollars per meal, so

feed ten people with hundred dollars each.

If you are a poor person who feeds

maybe one dollar per meal, so feed ten

people with one dollar.

Or clothe ten people.

Same way you clothe your family.

Or free a slave.

So this is the condition put by Allah

subhanahu wa ta'ala in Surah Maidah chapter

number 5 verse number 89 that if it's

an unintentional oath Allah will forgive but if

it's intentional and if it's an oath done

by you and if you do not fulfill

it, feed ten people, poor people, how you

feed your family or clothe ten people or

you free a slave.

If you cannot do this, then you fast

for three consecutive days.

So if you make an oath, the best

the Prophet said is do it.

As long as the oath is not a

haram oath.

Now there are some oaths which are haram.

For example, you say that I will go

to Dargah and put ten candles on the

Dargah.

So this is wrong.

Or if you say that I have taken

an oath or done commitment.

One is a commitment, one is a promise,

there is a difference.

And if you say that if this thing

happen I'll do this, if this thing happen

I'll do idol worship.

Idol worship is haram.

So anything you say, if I pass the

examination, I will do idol worship.

Idol worship is haram.

So in these conditions, if you commit if

you take an oath of doing a sin

then the Prophet said don't do the sin,

give the kafara.

So if you have given an oath to

commit a sin or given a promise to

commit a sin don't do that sin, do

a kafara of feeding ten people or clothing

ten people or freeing a slave.

If you cannot afford it then you can

fast for three consecutive days.

There are some things which is not a

sin but you can't afford to do.

You say that if I pass the examination

I will give ten thousand dollars charity.

You don't even earn a thousand dollars, I

will give ten thousand dollars.

Suppose you say that if I pass the

examination I'll go for Hajj and you are

sick.

Then * doesn't permit you.

So if you make an oath which you

cannot fulfill, it's not a haram oath, going

to Hajj is good giving ten thousand charity

is good so then you give kafara.

That is feed ten people, poor people, equivalent

to how you feed your family or cloth

ten people or free your slave.

If you can't afford this then fast three

consecutive days.

So one oath which is haram, you should

not do it, only give kafara.

One oath is which you have committed but

you cannot do it because you can't afford

to do it or you are not healthy,

you don't have the money.

Then the third type is which is mubah,

okay if I pass I will give charity

and you have the money then you give

charity.

This is optional.

One thing is there which is oaths which

are good.

That you have said you'll do this without

putting a condition to Allah subhana wa ta

'ala I have committed to Allah that this

year I'll give charity of ten thousand dollars

and your business goes down.

Oath is good, it's not against anything.

It's not saying that only this happened.

You have given a commitment, you have given

an oath to Allah that this thing I

will do this year and your business goes

down.

You had the intention so if you have

given the oath and your business goes down

you cannot give ten thousand dollars, okay feed

ten people.

Can't feed ten people, clothe ten people or

free a slave.

Cannot do this, fast three consecutive days.

So one is something which is haram you

should not do it, give kafara.

One is you have said something, you don't

have the capacity one is you had the

capacity but then the business didn't go well

so at that time the best is to

fulfil the oath.

Whatever oath you have given to Allah unless

it's a sin, unless it's haram best is

to fulfil.

You cannot say if you have the money,

your business is done very well, you promised

ten thousand dollars, why give ten thousand dollars

feeding ten people will only cost me hundred

dollars, cost me only two hundred dollars, why

give ten thousand dollars.

So this is wrong.

The Prophet said if your business is done

well, if you have given the oath, fulfil

the oath first.

If you cannot then the kafara is there

or if it's an oath which is committing

a sin.

So you have to differentiate between this.

So based on all this the answer is

very clear cut that if you promise something

if it's not a sin you have to

do it.

And then again the questioner has asked that

he has made many promises he hasn't fulfilled

for each promise he hasn't fulfilled he has

to either feed ten people or he has

to each oath that he has taken, if

he doesn't fulfil either feed ten people or

clothe ten people or be a slave or

three consecutive days.

So then if he says okay, I will

feed ten people or clothe ten people or

fast three consecutive days and he doesn't do

this also so if he has not done

ten oaths he hasn't kept and this eleventh

one, so he has to give eleven times

to ten people you can't say only once

is sufficient, no if he cannot afford it

at least he should fast for each oath

three days so if ten if from ten

oaths he has taken and he has not

fulfilled it, then he has to fast ten

into three thirty, three consecutive days, if you

want to take a gap, take a gap

again three consecutive days and the last one

which he did, he did not fulfil, again

he has to fast another three days for

that.

So for every oath that commitment you have

given to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala there

is a difference you should understand that I

will not do a sin you are telling

Allah that is different than doing an oath

and a commitment, both are different so if

you have given an oath and a commitment,

then you have to fulfil, can't fulfil, then

there is a ghafara.

Hope that answers the question.