What is the ruling on not fulfilling a vow to recite the Qur’an daily and to pay a certain amount if one fails to adhere to it? And does Allah become angry with someone who does not fulfill his vow?
It has been previously explained that if one says, "I covenant with Allah to do such-and-such," then if the intention is an act of closeness (qurbah) and obedience, it is both a vow (nadhr) and an oath (yameen). If the intention is something other than an act of closeness, it is an oath but not a vow. Based on the questioner's intention to motivate herself to adhere to the specified litany (wird), what she uttered takes the ruling of a vow of obstinacy and anger (nadhr al-lajaj wa al-ghadab), which is an oath where one has the choice between fulfilling it or offering expiation. This expiation is that of an oath (kaffarat yameen). This is the view of Umar, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Aisha, Hafsa, and Zaynab bint Abi Salamah. It is also the view of Ata, Tawus, Ikrimah, Al-Qasim, Al-Hasan, Jabir ibn Zayd, An-Nakhai, Qatadah, Abdullah ibn Shareek, Ash-Shafi'i, Al-Anbari, Ishaq, Abu Ubayd, Abu Thawr, and Ibn Al-Mundhir. This is supported by the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "There is no vow in anger, and its expiation is the expiation of an oath," and his saying: "Whoever vows to walk, or to offer a sacrificial animal (hadi), or to give his wealth in the way of Allah, or to the poor, or to the curtains of the Kaaba, then its expiation is the expiation of an oath." Thus, the questioner has the choice between giving the mentioned amount as charity or offering the expiation of an oath. The covenant is dissolved by breaking it the first time, so the expiation is not repeated with the repetition of the action, unless one intends to repeat the breaking of the covenant, or if the wording of the covenant implies repetition, such as "every time."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/189061