1852 - Issue: He said: "Whoever vows to obey God the Almighty, it is binding upon him to fulfill it, and whoever vows to disobey Him, he shall not disobey Him, and he shall offer the expiation of an oath."

Acts of vow of obedience include prayer, fasting, Hajj, 'Umrah, manumission, charity, i'tikaf (seclusion in the mosque), jihad, and similar acts. This applies whether he vowed it unconditionally, such as saying: "It is incumbent upon me for the sake of God that I do such and such," or whether he conditioned it upon an event, such as his saying: "If God heals me of my illness," or "if He heals so-and-so," or "if my absent wealth is safe," or similar meanings, and he attains the hope he sought from that, then it is incumbent upon him to fulfill it. As for a vow of disobedience, such as saying: "It is incumbent upon me for the sake of God that I drink wine," or "that I kill a prohibited soul," and similar acts, he shall not do that, and he shall offer the expiation of an oath, [because a vow is like an oath].

If he says: "It is incumbent upon me for the sake of God that I ride my mount," or "reside in my house," or "wear my best clothes," and similar acts, this is not a vow of obedience or disobedience. If he does not perform it, he shall offer the expiation of an oath, [because a vow is like an oath]. If he vows to divorce his wife, it is recommended for him not to divorce her and to offer the expiation of an oath.

In summary, there are seven categories of vows. The first is the vow of stubbornness and anger, which is that which he expresses in the form of an oath to urge an act or prevent it, without intending a vow or seeking closeness [to God]. The ruling for this is the ruling of an oath, which we have already mentioned in the Book of Oaths. The second category is a vow of obedience and righteousness, such as what al-Khiraqi mentioned; for this, it is binding to fulfill it due to the two verses and the two reports. It is of three types: one is committing to an act of obedience in exchange for a favor he sought to obtain or a harm he sought to avert, such as his saying: "If God heals me, then it is incumbent upon me for the sake of God to fast a month." So the committed obedience is among those things that have a basis of obligation in the Shari'ah, such as fasting, prayer, charity, and Hajj. For this, it is binding to fulfill it by the consensus of the scholars. The second type is committing to an act of obedience without a condition, such as his saying from the outset: "It is incumbent upon me for the sake of God to fast a month." It is binding upon him to fulfill it, according to the statement of the majority of the scholars, and it is the view of the scholars of Iraq and the apparent stance of the Shafi'i school.