Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow to give a third of one's salary to the poor, a third to one's mother, and the rest for oneself, regardless of whether one said, "A promise upon me before God," or not?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
For a vow () to be valid, it must include a formula that expresses commitment as an act of drawing closer to God Almighty.
The phrase: "When I travel, I will give [charity/money]" does not inherently indicate commitment and thus does not constitute a vow, unless the speaker uttered it with the intention of making a vow, in which case it becomes a vow by virtue of their intention.
As for the phrase: "A promise upon me before God," the questioner is not certain about it, and the default is its absence. Therefore, a ruling should not be made based on it merely due to doubt and possibility.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/164417
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 164417
- Added here
- . 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