What is the meaning of the phrase "I have vowed my child to God," and what actions are entailed by uttering "I have vowed my child to God" or "My child is dedicated to God" in order to fulfill this statement?

A person's vow to dedicate their child to Allah is not binding, and nothing is required of them from it. This is because it is a vow concerning something they do not own, and because it entails obligating obedience and an act of devotion upon another. Furthermore, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade fulfilling vows that involve disobedience to Allah or things that a human being does not own. This differs from the vow of Mary's mother, which was permissible in their religious law. In our religious law, vowing one's child to Allah is not permissible and is invalid.

Scholars have differed on what is incumbent upon someone who vowed to slaughter their child. The Hanafis and one narration from the Hanbalis held that a sheep must be slaughtered. The Malikis stated that a sheep must be slaughtered if it was intended as a sacrificial offering (hady), otherwise an expiation for breaking an oath (kaffarat yameen) is due. The Hanbalis held that an expiation for breaking an oath is due. The correct view according to the Shafi'is is that it is a sin for which one must seek Allah's forgiveness, and nothing is required because slaughtering a child is forbidden, and there is no fulfillment in disobedience to Allah. Similarly, a man's statement, "My child is a waqf for Allah," is invalid because the two conditions for a waqf are absent in the case of a child.