Fatwa no.
18777
Q: Being unaware that the Messenger (peace be upon him) had forbidden vows, I made a vow to observe Sawm (Fasting) every Thursday as long as Allah gave me life, except when traveling, if I passed my exam. All praise be to Allah, I passed my exam, so I now I have to fulfill the vow. However, I am now facing something that I did not take into account: |
| (
Part No :
23,Page No:346) |
|
1. Exhaustion and tiredness, especially in the field of medical studies, as the faculty is 30 km from where I live and it takes about 75 minutes to get there.
2. I am always thinking about how I will observe the Sawm Thursdays, as I have no strength when I am fasting on Thursdays, and so I worry about it from the beginning of the week until Thursday.
3. The body cannot cope with exhaustion and there is possibility of becoming ill due to it, especially in the hot weather in this country.
4. I always think about not going to the faculty on Thursday so I do not feel exhausted, although it is obligatory on me to attend classes in this field especially. I do not know how to reconcile between these things.
Please bear in mind that I did not consider these things when I made the vow, as I was only worried about the exams at that time.
Now, I am hesitant about observing Sawm and I have broken my Sawm on some days. I hope to get an answer from you to the following questions. What is the lawfulness of this type of permanent Sawm?
1. Is it obligatory on me to observe Sawm under these circumstances?
2. If I feel exhausted, should I continue the Sawm or break it and make up for it another day?
3. Is it permissible for me to substitute Thursday with another day, so I can go
|
| (
Part No :
23,Page No:347) |
|
to the faculty?
4. What is the ruling on the days when I broke my Sawm during the previous weeks?
5. If my father orders me to break my Sawm, what is the ruling in that case?
It should be noted that we do not have vacations in which we can make up for missed Sawm?
A:
The basic ruling is that it is obligatory
to fulfill vows of obedience. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“Anyone who vows to obey Allah, should obey Him.”
As the condition you made for the vow was realized, it is obligatory on you to fast every Thursday as long as you are able to do so and nothing prevents you from it, such as illness or old age. You can make up for the days of Sawm that you broke in the past with other days, but you cannot substitute another day for the Thursday that you vowed to fast. Also, you do not have
to obey your father to break your vow, because breaking a vow of obedience is a sin and there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator. In the future you should avoid making vows, because they do not bring good, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
“Avoid making a vow, as it does not bring good, but is a means of extracting from the miserly.”
We ask Allah to help you perform your obligation patiently, with the hope of reward from Allah.
May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions!
Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’