When should a vow be fulfilled in the first place?

If the need was met before the vow was made and the person was not aware of it and made the vow, must they fulfill their vow?

Can the money that one has vowed to give as charity be converted into something like rice and the like and given to the poor, or must the exact thing that was vowed be given?

Rulings on vows

✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ قَالَ: كَانَتْ عِنْدِي جَارِيَةٌ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَارْتَفَعَ طَمْثُهَا فَجَعَلْتُ لِلَّهِ نَذْراً إِنْ هِيَ حَاضَتْ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهَا حَاضَتْ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَجْعَلَ النَّذْرَ فَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَأَجَابَنِي إِنْ كَانَتْ حَاضَتْ قَبْلَ النَّذْرِ فَلَا عَلَيْكَ وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ [حاضت] بَعْدَ النَّذْرِ فَعَلَيْكَ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 7, p. 455

Jamil ibn Salih said: 'I had a slave girl in Medina, and her menstruation stopped.'

'I made a vow to Allah in case she menstruated, and then I realized that she had menstruated before I made the vow!'

'I wrote to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) in Medina (and asked about this). The Imam replied: 'If that slave girl menstruated before your vow, there is nothing upon you, and if she menstruated after the vow, it is upon you!'

2 عَنْ مُسْلِمِة بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ قَالَ مَرِضَ الْحَسَنُ وَ الْحُسَيْنُ وَ هُمَا صَبِيَّانِ صَغِيرَانِ فَعَادَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ مَعَهُ رَجُلَانِ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ لَوْ نَذَرْتَ فِي ابْنَيْكَ نَذْراً إِنْ عَافَاهُمَا اللَّهُ فَقَالَ أَصُومُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ شُكْراً لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ كَذَلِكَ قَالَتْ فَاطِمَةُ وَ كَذَلِكَ قَالَتْ جَارِيَتُهُمْ فِضَّةُ- فَأَلْبَسَهُمَا اللَّهُ عَافِيَةً فَأَصْبَحُوا صِيَاماً وَ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُمْ طَعَامٌ الْحَدِيثَ.

📚 Amali al-Saduq, p. 212, Hadith 11

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said about the divine saying (in Surah Al-Insan, verse 7) which says: 'They fulfill their vows,' 'Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) were sick while they were two small children. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) visited them while two men were with him. One of the two said: 'O Abu al-Hasan! I wish you would make a vow concerning your two sons if Allah grants them a cure!''

'Then Ali (peace be upon him) said: 'I will fast for three days to thank Allah, the Mighty and Exalted!'

'And Fatima (peace be upon her) said the same, and their slave girl Fiddah also said the same!'

'Allah cured them, so they began to fast in the morning while there was no food with them!......'

3 عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ رَجُلٌ جَعَلَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ نَذْراً إِنْ قَضَى اللَّهُ حَاجَتَهُ أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ بِدَرَاهِمَ فَقَضَى اللَّهُ حَاجَتَهُ فَصَيَّرَ الدَّرَاهِمَ ذَهَباً وَ وَجَّهَهَا إِلَيْكَ أَ يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ أَوْ يُعِيدُ فَقَالَ يُعِيدُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 7, p. 456

Ali ibn Mahziyar said: I said to Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him): 'A person made a vow to give a few dirhams in charity if his need was met. Then Allah met his need, and he converted the dirhams into gold (dinars) and sent them to you. Is this permissible, or should he repeat it?'

He said: 'He should repeat it!'

✅ By carefully considering the above narrations and their likes, it is clear that:

✅ The vowed matter must be fulfilled after the condition is met, meaning after the need is met or the intended matter occurs. Fulfilling it before the condition is met is not sufficient for the duty after the need is met. This means that if we fulfill the vow before our need is met, there is no reason for the obligation to fulfill the vow after the need is met to be dropped. It is at that time that it becomes necessary for the person to fulfill his vow.

✅ Also, the exact thing that was vowed must be fulfilled, and permission to convert it into something else has not been mentioned in the narrations. For example, if he vowed to give 100,000 tomans in charity, he cannot give the equivalent amount in rice or the like as charity, and he must fulfill the exact thing that he vowed.

✅ And also, if a person makes a vow for a need while that need had already been met before he made the vow, there is nothing upon this person, and there is no obligation to fulfill the vow. But if the need was met after making the vow, he must fulfill his vow.

اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ