Making vows to entities other than Allah

Making vows to entities other than Allah

A vow is when a person binds themselves to an act of worship that is not mandated by religious law. Such an act is not commendable, as the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "Do not make vows, for indeed vows do not bring about anything good; rather, they are a means of extracting from the miserly."[1]

If one vows to obey Allah, they should fulfill it, and if one vows to disobey Allah, they should not fulfill it. Fulfilling vows is an act of worship towards Allah, as mentioned in the Quran:

يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيرًا ﴾ [الإنسان: 7] )

[They ˹are those who˺ fulfil ˹their˺ vows and fear a Day of sweeping horror] 76:07.

  وَمَا أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ نَفَقَةٍ أَوْ نَذَرْتُمْ مِنْ نَذْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُهُ ﴾ [البقرة: 270])

[Whatever charities you give or vows you make are surely known to Allah.] 1:270.

Spending or vowing while knowing that it will be directed to other than Allah constitutes an act of Shirk, as vows are acts of worship. Vowing to entities other than Allah is unanimously considered disobedience and should not be fulfilled. For example, if someone vows to sacrifice a sheep for a particular sheikh with the intention of seeking closeness and intercession, such a vow is invalid, forbidden, and should not be fulfilled.

Similar to these are the vows made for Hussein and the family of the Prophet on Ashura, creating foods on that day, or during what they call the "Arbaeen" with the belief that it brings healing and blessings. All of this constitutes vows to entities other than Allah and should not be fulfilled.

Similarly, vowing to saints, like going to the grave of a saint and saying, "O my master, if my sick relative is cured or my son succeeds, I will give you gold," is all an act of associating partners with Allah. This is akin to the practices of the pre-Islamic ignorant people who used to make vows to trees and stones.

All of this, we seek refuge in Allah, is based on their belief that the deceased knows what is vowed to them and can act independently of Allah, which is a form of associating partners with Allah in His Lordship and Divinity.

Believing that the deceased can act independently and possess knowledge is associating partners with Allah in His Lordship, and making vows to them is associating partners with Allah in His Divinity.

We ask Allah for guidance for everyone.

With this, we wrap up the sixth lesson. All thanks to Allah.