on behalf of your mother." These are agreed upon (9). From Ibn 'Abbas, that Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah al-Ansari asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for a legal opinion regarding a vow that was upon his mother, and she died before fulfilling it, so he advised him to fulfill it, and it became a Sunnah thereafter. From him also that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: My sister vowed to perform Hajj, and she has died. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If she had a debt, would you be the one to pay it?" He said: Yes. He said: "Then fulfill the (vow to) Allah, for He is more deserving of fulfillment." These were reported by Al-Bukhari (10). This is explicit regarding fasting and Hajj, and general regarding a vow; and everything other than what is mentioned in the Hadith is analogized to it. The Hadith of Ibn 'Umar concerns fasting that is obligatory by the original law, and it is necessary to interpret it in that light to reconcile the two Hadiths. If conflict were assumed, our Hadiths are more authentic, more numerous, and more worthy of being given precedence. Once this is established, it is better that his heir fulfill the vow on his behalf, but if someone else fulfills it, it suffices on his behalf, just as if he had paid his debt; for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) compared it to a debt and used it as an analogy (11). Furthermore, what the heir fulfills is merely a voluntary act from him, and others (12) are the same as him in this voluntary act. If the vow concerns property, it attaches to his estate.
(9) The first one's verification was presented previously, in: 4/398. The second was reported by Al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on Whoever Dies While Having a Fast to Fulfill, from the Book of Fasting. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/46. And Muslim, in: The Chapter on Fulfilling Fasting on Behalf of the Deceased, from the Book of Fasting. Sahih Muslim 2/804. It was also reported by Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 1/258. The third one's verification was presented previously, in: 4/399, and it is added to it: As reported by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Related Concerning Whoever Dies While Having a Fast, So His Guardian Fasts on His Behalf, from the Book of Oaths and Vows. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/212. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on Whoever Dies While Having a Fast from a Vow, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/559. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 1/224, 258, 362. (10) Al-Bukhari reported the first, in: The Chapter on Whoever Dies While Having a Vow, from the Book of Oaths, and in: The Chapter on Zakat, from the Book of Stratagems (al-Hiyal). Sahih al-Bukhari 8/177, 9/30. It was also reported by Muslim, in: The Chapter on the Command to Fulfill a Vow, from the Book of Vows. Sahih Muslim 3/1260. And Al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Related Concerning Fulfilling a Vow on Behalf of the Deceased, from the Chapters on Vows. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 7/30. And Al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Merit of Charity on Behalf of the Deceased, from the Book of Testaments, and in: The Chapter on Whoever Dies While Having a Vow, from the Book of Oaths and Vows. Al-Mujtaba 6/212, 213, 7/19, 20. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on Whoever Dies While Having a Vow, from the Book of Expiations. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/689. And Imam Ahmad, in: Al-Musnad 1/219, 370. The second was reported by Al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on Whoever Dies While Having a Vow, from the Book of Oaths and Vows. Sahih al-Bukhari 8/177. It was also reported by Al-Nasa'i. See what preceded in: 5/38. (11) In [B]: "and its analogy". (12) In [B]: "and upon him".
