Back to search

Is it permissible to donate a sum of money that was vowed to be given to a poor woman, but she is no longer in need of it and contact with her has been قطع, and can it be given to someone else who is deserving?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A vow (Nathr) is an obligation to perform an act of worship for the sake of Allah, expressed verbally. Islam encourages fulfilling vows, even though they are not initially required. The Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade making vows, saying: "Indeed, it does not bring forth good; it only extracts from the miser."

However, if a Muslim vows to obey Allah, he is obliged to fulfill it, based on the Almighty's saying: "They fulfill their vows," and the Prophet's saying, peace be upon him: "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him."

Therefore, you must fulfill your vow if you get the job and are able to pay the amount, and deliver it to the mentioned individuals, even if they are wealthy or if your relationship with them has been severed. If they refuse to accept it, then give it as charity to those who are deserving.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy