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