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What is the ruling on performing the vowed Rak'ahs in the current country instead of the Prophet's Mosque, and can this vow be stopped?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A vow (nadhr) is a serious matter and must be fulfilled. Whoever vows an act of obedience to Allah Almighty must fulfill it, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him." Allah has praised those who fulfill their vows. Whoever vows to pray a certain number of rak'ahs in the Prophet's Mosque must fulfill his vow, and it is not sufficient to pray them elsewhere except for the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). If one is unable to reach either of these two mosques, he should pray the rak'ahs in his location and offer an expiation for a broken oath (kaffarat yamin) for the part he was unable to fulfill. A vow cannot be revoked, and one must seek forgiveness and repent for any sin committed.

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

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