Back to search

Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow to donate money if blessed with a male child, even though the firstborn was female and a male was born three years later? And is it obligatory to fulfill a vow to slaughter a sheep if the husband is promoted, even though the promotion did not occur within the expected period but later?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Nathr al-Mujaza (contingent vow) is considered reprehensible by most scholars. However, it is obligatory to fulfill it if the condition upon which it was made is met. The intention of the vower determines when the vow becomes binding. In the first case, if you intended to give charity when you are blessed with a male child, then the vow must be fulfilled. But if your intention was, "If your pregnancy is a male," and this condition was not met, then nothing is binding upon you. In the second case, if you made an absolute vow, then its fulfillment becomes obligatory upon your husband's promotion. However, if you intended his promotion within a specific period and he was not promoted within that time, then the condition was not met, and nothing is binding upon you.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy