What is the ruling on someone who has many vows, pledges, and oaths, some known and some forgotten, and wishes to pay a sum of money each month instead of fulfilling them, especially the vow to fast on Mondays and Thursdays?
As for what has been forgotten regarding vows, oaths, and covenants, the questioner should endeavor to estimate their number, then offer expiations for oaths corresponding to what she believes will absolve her responsibility.
As for the oaths she remembers, all of them must be expiated if they pertain to multiple matters.
Regarding vows, they must be fulfilled as long as they are acts of devotion to Allah. If she is temporarily unable to fulfill them, she should wait until the inability ceases. If the inability is continuous and not expected to cease, then an expiation of an oath suffices for each vow.
As for covenants, the preponderant opinion is that they are sometimes merely an oath, and sometimes both a vow and an oath. If what she covenanted with Allah is an act of devotion, she is obliged to fulfill it when able. If it is not an act of devotion, she has the choice between fulfilling it—provided it is not an act of disobedience—or not fulfilling it while offering an expiation of an oath.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/150883
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 150883
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy