Book of Vows (Al-Nudhur)
The foundation for the vow (nadhr) is the Book (Quran), the Sunnah, and consensus (ijma'). As for the Book, it is the saying of God Almighty: "They fulfill the vow" (1). And He said: "And let them fulfill their vows" (2). As for the Sunnah, 'A'ishah narrated that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever vows to obey God, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey God, let him not disobey Him." And from 'Imran ibn Husayn, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he said: "The best of you is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, then there will come a people who make vows but do not fulfill them, and they will betray and not be trusted, and they will bear witness but will not be asked to testify, and obesity will appear among them." Both were narrated by al-Bukhari (3). The Muslims are in consensus regarding the validity of the vow in general, and the obligation to fulfill it.
Section: It is not recommended (4), because Ibn 'Umar narrated from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, that he forbade the vow and said: "It brings no good, for it is only extracted from the miser." Agreed upon (5). This is a prohibition of dislike (karahah), not a prohibition of unlawfulness (tahrim); for if it were unlawful, he would not have praised those who fulfill it, because their sin in committing the unlawful would be more severe than their obedience in fulfilling it; and because if the vow were recommended, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the most excellent of his companions would have done it.
(1) Surah al-Insan, 7. (2) Surah al-Hajj, 29. (3) The takhrij (authentication/citation) of 'A'ishah's hadith was previously mentioned in 4/456. The hadith of 'Imran was recorded by al-Bukhari in: Chapter on Not Bearing False Witness when asked to testify, from the Book of Testimonies; in Chapter on the Virtues of the Companions of the Prophet; in Chapter on What to Beware of from the Splendor of the World, from the Book of Heart-Softeners; and in Chapter on the Sin of One Who Does Not Fulfill a Vow, from the Book of Oaths and Vows. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/224, 215, 3, 8/113, 176. It was also recorded by al-Tirmidhi in: Chapter on What Was Said Regarding the Third Generation, from the chapters on Trials (Fitan), and in a chapter on the same from the chapters on Testimonies. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 9/66, 176. And Imam Ahmad in: Musnad 4/426, 427, 436, 440. And al-Bayhaqi in: Chapter on Fulfilling the Vow, from the Book of Vows. Al-Sunan al-Kubra 8/74. (4) In B, an addition: "the vow". (5) Its takhrij was previously mentioned in 13/441.
كتاب النُّذورِ
الأصْلُ فى النَّذْرِ الكتابُ، والسُّنَّةُ، والإِجْماعُ. أما الكتابُ فقَولُ اللَّهِ تعالى: {يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ} (١). وقال: {وَلْيُوفُوا نُذُورَهُمْ} (٢). وأمَّا السُّنَّةُ، فروَتْ عائشةُ. قالتْ: قال رسولُ اللَّهِ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللَّه فَلْيُطِعْهُ، وَمَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَعْصِىَ اللَّه فَلَا يَعْصِهِ". وعن عِمْرانَ بن حُصَيْنٍ، عن النَّبِىّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، أنَّه قال: "خَيْرُكُمْ قَرْنِى، ثُمَّ الَّذينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُوَنَهُمْ، ثُمَّ يَجىءُ قَوْمٌ يَنْذرُونَ وَلَا يَفُونَ، وَيَخُونُونَ وَلَا يُؤْتَمَنُونَ، وَيَشْهَدُونَ وَلَا يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ، وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ". روَاهُما البُخارىُّ (٣). وأجْمَع المسلمون على صِحَّةِ النَّذْرِ فى الجُمْلَةِ، ولُزومِ الوَفاءِ به.
فصل: ولا يُسْتَحَبُّ (٤)؛ لأنَّ ابنَ عمرَ روَى عن النَّبِىِّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، أنَّه نَهَى عن النَّذْرِ، وأنَّه قالَ: "لَا يَأْتِى بِخَيْرٍ، وَإنَّمَا يُسْتَخْرَجُ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَخِيلِ". مُتَّفقٌ عَليهِ (٥). وهذا نَهْىُ كَراهَةٍ، لا نَهْىُ تَحْريمٍ؛ لأنَّه لو كان حَرَامًا لَما مَدَحَ المُوفِينَ به؛ لأنَّ ذَنْبَهم فى ارْتِكابِ المُحرَّمِ أشدُّ من طاعِتهِم فى وفَائِه؛ ولأنَّ النَّذْرَ لو كان مُسْتَحبًّا، لَفعَله النَّبِىُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- وأفاضِلُ أصْحَابِهِ.
(١) سورة الإنسان ٧.(٢) سورة الحج ٢٩.(٣) تقدم تخرج حديث عائشة، فى: ٤/ ٤٥٦.وحديث عمران أخرجه البخارى، فى: باب لا يشهد على شهادة جور إذا أشهد، من كتاب الشهادات، وفى: باب فضائل أصحاب النبى، وفى: باب ما يحذر من زهرة الدنيا. . .، من كتاب الرقائق، وفى: باب إثم من لا يفى بالنذر، من كتاب الأيمان والنذور. صحيح البخارى ٣/ ٢٢٤، ٢١٥، ٣، ٨/ ١١٣، ١٧٦.كما أخرجه الترمذى، فى: باب ما جاء فى القرن الثالث، من أبواب الفتن، وفى: باب منه، من أبواب الشهادات. عارضة الأحوذى ٩/ ٦٦، ١٧٦. والإمام أحمد، فى: المسند ٤/ ٤٢٦، ٤٢٧، ٤٣٦، ٤٤٠. والبيهقى، فى: باب الوفاء بالنذر، من كتاب النذور. السنن الكبرى ٨/ ٧٤.(٤) فى ب زيادة: "النذر".(٥) تقدم تخريجه، فى: ١٣/ ٤٤١.
