the night." It has also been narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he forbade the fast of silence. If one vows this during his I'tikaf or otherwise, he is not obligated to fulfill it. This is the opinion of al-Shafi'i, the scholars of opinion (ashab al-ra'y), and Ibn al-Mundhir. We know of no dissenter regarding this, based on what Ibn Abbas narrated: While the Prophet (peace be upon him) was delivering a sermon, he saw a man standing, so he asked about him. They said: "It is Abu Isra'il. He vowed to stand in the sun, not to sit, not to seek shade, not to speak, and to fast." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Command him to speak, to seek shade, to sit, and to complete his fast." Narrated by al-Bukhari. This is because it is a vow to perform a prohibited act, so it is not binding on him, just like a vow to have sexual intercourse in the mosque. If he wishes to perform it, he is not permitted to do so, regardless of whether he vowed it or not. Abu Thawr and Ibn al-Mundhir said: He may perform it if he has embraced Islam. Our view is based on the prohibition against it—the apparent meaning of which is prohibition—the command to speak—the implication of which is obligation—and the statement of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him): "This is not permissible; this is an act of the Jahiliyyah." This is explicit, and no one among the Companions disagreed with it to our knowledge; following this is more appropriate.

Section: It is not permissible to use the Quran as a substitute for speech, because that is using it for a purpose other than that for which it was intended, so it resembles using the Mus'haf (copy of the Quran) as a pillow or similar. It has been stated: "Do not debate using the Book of Allah." It is said: Its meaning is: Do not speak with it regarding a thing you see, such as seeing a man who has arrived at his appointed time and saying: "And you came upon a destiny, O Musa" or something similar. Abu 'Ubayd mentioned this meaning.