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What is the ruling on a wife continuing to fast 350 days as a vow without her husband's knowledge, given that he rejects it, and is it permissible to offer expiation by feeding one poor person for each day, or by feeding ten poor persons for the entire vow if she vowed to fast 40 days and then recovered?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A woman should not make a vow without her husband's permission, as this may lead to the forfeiture of his right. Some scholars have prohibited this, while others have permitted it.

If a woman makes a vow upon herself without her husband's permission, he has the right to prevent her from fulfilling it, because his right takes precedence. The woman must fulfill her vow, and expiation is not sufficient if she is able to fulfill it. If she is unable, then she must offer expiation for an oath.

A vow is only binding if it is articulated verbally; it is not contracted by mere intention. It does not bring forth good, and many scholars have disliked it.

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

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