What is the ruling on making a vow to Allah that whoever breaks it must do such and such, such as saying: "If I commit this sin again, I will harm myself in a certain way"? And if one returns to the sin, must he fulfill what he vowed to Allah, or not, given that Islam prohibits self-harm?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If someone makes a covenant with Allah to abandon a sin and then commits it, they must repent for the sin and for breaking the covenant. They also owe an expiation for a broken oath (kaffarat ).
Allah Almighty says: "And fulfill [every] covenant. Indeed, the covenant will be questioned about."
The expiation for a broken oath is feeding ten needy persons, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. If one cannot find [the means], then [it is] fasting for three days.
It is not permissible to harm oneself as a punishment.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/195569
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 195569
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy