Fatwa ID: 08863
Answered by: Alimah Maryam Badshah
Question:
I am a Hanafi Muslim, and years ago, when I was around 17 or 18, I made a very serious vow (nazr) to Allah. At the time, I was deeply focused on improving my life and succeeding in getting into university. I was struggling with anxiety and felt that making this vow would help me. I promised that I would never intentionally miss a prayer (salah) or let a missed prayer go without making it up (qaza). I added that if I broke this vow, I would no longer be considered a Muslim and could be seen as Christian, Jewish, or Mushrik. My hope was that this promise would bring improvement in my life, and as far as I remember, my situation did improve afterwards.
Reflecting back, after saying this nazr, I said I am ready to sacrifice my faith or iman to succeed in reaching my educational goals. Now, I fear that statement may have rendered my vow binding or may have even impacted my faith adversely. Is it so? Does it affect anything?
Now, however, I am struggling with intense worry and fear about this vow. I sometimes experience intrusive thoughts, which I believe are from Satan, Satan is saying “Pray for me”. I wonder if these waswasa are a punishment from Allah for breaking my vow, or if they mean that I am no longer considered a Muslim because I failed to keep it.
- Is my vow considered valid and binding in the Hanafi madhhab, especially given that it involved extreme terms? And if I break it (my nazr), will I become a non-muslim?
- Do the improvements I saw after making this vow mean that Allah accepted it, and is it, therefore, still required of me? If this Nazr is required of me, how can I stop it?
- Satan is saying “Worship me”. Does this mean that I am being punished for breaking this promise or that I am no longer a Muslim?
- If my vow was excessive or invalid, what steps should I take now to ensure that I am forgiven and at peace?
- I also recently made a dua about this vow and asked Allah to reveal if my nazr is valid or not in my dream while I was asleep and woke up from sleep feeling fearful several times. I couldn’t remember my dream, but I felt like I saw a dream where it is said that your nazr is valid. Then I woke up, and I heard my inner thoughts, I heard the words ‘It is valid,’ but I was unsure if this was just my own anxiety. Please help me. What does this mean? Can it be waswasa? Or Allah’s implication?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
It is unfortunate that you have made such an oath in your youth with your religion as forfeit. A binding oath (يمين منعقدة) is made when you make a promise regarding a future action. According to the Hanafi Mazhab, making a vow with your Iman as forfeit is considered an oath and is thus binding. A vow is valid and binding the moment it is made, therefore your thoughts about sacrificing your religion for worldly gains, while wrong in and of itself, would not have affected the oath.(1)
The forfeit of your oath (i.e. your kufr) is only applied if you had thought it would make you disbelieve when you broke the oath. Otherwise, the kufr would not be applied. From what you have stated, it seems that you did believe it would break your Iman, therefore the kufr would have been applied upon you when you broke this oath.(2)
You should keep in mind that oaths which are detrimental or for a wrongful action should be broken and the expiation (Kaffārah) given. You should reaffirm your Shahādah and then give the Kaffārah. It is not permissible to pay Kaffārah before breaking your oath.(3)
The Kaffārah for an oath can be any of the following methods Allah (swt) has mentioned in Surah Ma’idah (5:89): To feed 10 needy people each with two meals or like it is done in ẕihār, or clothe them with at least one full set of clothes, or free a slave. If none of the aforementioned are possible, then you may fast for three consecutive days.(4)
In regards to your thoughts regarding worshipping Shaytan and committing kufr, this has probably stemmed from your thoughts on the validity of your oath. I would advise that you seek a qualified Muslim councillor to talk this through carefully if these thoughts continue to be persistent after completing the Kaffārah.
As a final note, both praying your salah and fulfilling your oaths are serious matters and should not be taken lightly. The five daily salah are all compulsory and should never be missed without a valid reason. Oaths should also not be made without the conviction or the ability of being able to follow them through. Oaths prove your honesty in character and act as a guarantee that you will fulfil your word. In the future, be mindful of the oaths you make and the consequences you place upon yourself.
References:
(1)
(واليمين المنعقدة هي الحلف على الأمر المستقبل أن يفعله أو لا يفعله، فإذا حنث في ذلك لزمته الكفارة)
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.4, pg.4, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
أو “أشهد” أو “أشهد بالله” فهو حالفٌ، وكذلك قوله “وعهد الله، وميثاقه، وعلي نذرٌ، أو نذرٌ لله، وإن فعلت كذا فأنا يهوديٌ أو نصرانيٌ أو كافرٌ” فهو يمينٌ.
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.4, pg.7, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
(2)
(أو إن فعلت كذا فأنا يهودي أو نصراني أو كافر فهو يمين) ، لأنه لما جعل الشرط علماً على الكفر فقد اعتقده واجب الامتناع، وقد أمكن القول بوجوبه لغيره بجعله يميناً كما نقول في تحريم الحلال، ولو قال ذلك لشيء قد فعله فهو الغموس، ولا يكفر اعتباراً بالمستقبل،
وقيل: يكفر، لأنه تنجيز معنى، فصار كما إذا قال: هو يهودي، والصحيح أنه لا يكفر فيهما إن كان يعلم أنه يمين، وإن كان
عنده أنه يكفر بالحلف يكفر فيهما، لأنه رضي بالكفر حيث أقدم على الفعل، هداية. وفي شرح السرخسي: والفتوى على أنه إن اعتقد الكفر به يكفر، وإلا فلا، وصححه قاضيخان.
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.4, pg.7, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
(3)
ومن حلف على معصية، مثل أن لا يصلي، أو لا يكلم أباه، أو ليقتلن فلاناً، فينبغي أن يحنث ويكفر عن يمينه.
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.4, pg.9, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
فإن قدم الكفارة على الحنث لم يجزه.
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.4, pg.8, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
(4)
﴿ لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الْأَيْمَانَ ۖ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ ۖ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ ۚ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ﴾
Qur’an (5:89)
وكفارة اليمين: عتق رقبةٍ، يجزئ فيها ما يجزئ في الظهار، وإن شاء كسا عشرة مساكين كل واحدٍ ثوباً فما زاد، وأدناه ما تجزئ فيه الصلاة، وإن شاء أطعم عشرة مساكين، كالإطعام في كفارة الظهار، فإن لم يقدر على أحد الأشياء الثلاثة صام ثلاثة أيامٍ متتابعاتٍ؛
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.4, pg.8, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
