Oaths and Vows

This subtopic gathers questions on swearing by God and breaking an oath, with its expiation. It also holds vows, their binding force and expiation, and conditional oaths that are not divorce formulas.

Questions readers ask here:

Oaths sworn by divorce belong under Divorce Wording, Oaths and Conditions.

172 questions

Is seeking forgiveness for a sin considered a covenant, the breach of which would nullify the covenant, or do covenants have specific forms and wordings that differ from the rulings of repentance and seeking forgiveness?
Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow to pray twenty rak'ahs and recite three juz' (parts) of the Qur'an - on the day of committing a sin - in two cases? And is it permissible to postpone the fulfillment of the vow? And what is the ruling on repeating the vow with the repetition of the sin? And does looking at the hair of a foreign woman or the 'awrah (private parts) of a man necessitate the fulfillment of this vow?
Is failure in the baccalaureate exam inevitable after swearing off masturbation and then engaging in it again?
Is the initial statement of donating to the mosque considered a vow that must be fulfilled, after having vowed and donated to a relative?
What are the consequences of not fulfilling a vow to write a book on scientific miracles in agriculture, and is expiation (kaffarah) obligatory, and if so, what is it?
Is vowing to pray ten rak'ahs so as not to repeat a prayer due to obsessive-compulsive disorder considered a sin, and must it be fulfilled despite its futility in preventing the obsession?
What is the ruling on a woman's fasting that she vowed for a year before her marriage, and is her ritual bath (ghusl) from janabah valid after Fajr prayer, and is she permitted to do so in Ramadan?
What is the ruling on swearing by the Mus'haf in the mosque to clear oneself of an accusation of theft, and what is the punishment for the liar?
What is the ruling on abandoning a fast after vowing it to Allah due to an inability to exert effort?
Is expiation obligatory for one who swore by the Holy Qur’an not to return to masturbation, but then experienced an emission upon unintentionally seeing obscene images?
Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow of fasting two consecutive months for someone who made such a vow to avoid masturbation, but then emitted semen as a result of pressure on the lower abdomen and not from manual masturbation?
Must one continue the prayer of a vow for life if the duration was not specified when the vow was made?
Is it permissible to be released from a covenant with Allah to regularly perform the Fajr prayer on time, by paying a sum of money as a penalty for non-compliance, and what is the ruling on this paid money?
Is performing the obligatory prayer after success considered fulfilling a vow, or is it a prayer like that of other Muslims, and how are vows recognized in such a case?
What should I do, as I swore by Allah that I would memorize the Qur’an after marriage, otherwise Allah would punish me and diminish my husband’s provision, and I am unable to memorize it?
Is it permissible to fulfill a vow with prayer performed intermittently after the fortieth day, knowing that the vow was for 100 rak'ahs to be prayed all at once immediately after the fortieth day?
What should I do to uphold my covenant with Allah and not break it after my repentance and regret for my sin, and what are the consequences for one who breaks their covenant with Allah, and what must I adhere to in order to be a chaste, believing girl?
Is it permissible to break an oath I swore by Allah not to use a tool I need, and am I required to offer expiation, knowing that I said: "No expiation will be accepted from me"?
What should one do who vowed to pray Duha and Qiyam al-Layl daily, then broke her vow and wishes to be absolved of it because she does not want a permanent commitment?
What should one do who made two vows for two different matters, one of which was fulfilled but not the other, and he does not know which vow pertains to which matter?
Is saying, "I promise You, my Lord, that for every 500 Riyals, I will give out 100 Riyals," considered a form of vow (nadhr)?
What is the ruling on the following vows: a vow not to shave the beard until marriage to a specific woman occurs, a vow to fast for a full month consecutively upon marrying her, and an oath not to clean the house until she cleans it?
I have vowed to pray 100 rak'ahs for Allah, is this permissible?
Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow to build a wall for a neighbor if its cost significantly exceeds the amount intended?

Oaths and Vows

Is seeking forgiveness for a sin considered a covenant, the breach of which would nullify the covenant, or do covenants have specific forms and wordings that differ from the rulings of repentance and seeking forgiveness?

Is failure in the baccalaureate exam inevitable after swearing off masturbation and then engaging in it again?

Is the initial statement of donating to the mosque considered a vow that must be fulfilled, after having vowed and donated to a relative?

What are the consequences of not fulfilling a vow to write a book on scientific miracles in agriculture, and is expiation (kaffarah) obligatory, and if so, what is it?

Is vowing to pray ten rak'ahs so as not to repeat a prayer due to obsessive-compulsive disorder considered a sin, and must it be fulfilled despite its futility in preventing the obsession?

What is the ruling on a woman's fasting that she vowed for a year before her marriage, and is her ritual bath (ghusl) from janabah valid after Fajr prayer, and is she permitted to do so in Ramadan?

What is the ruling on swearing by the Mus'haf in the mosque to clear oneself of an accusation of theft, and what is the punishment for the liar?

What is the ruling on abandoning a fast after vowing it to Allah due to an inability to exert effort?

Is expiation obligatory for one who swore by the Holy Qur’an not to return to masturbation, but then experienced an emission upon unintentionally seeing obscene images?

Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow of fasting two consecutive months for someone who made such a vow to avoid masturbation, but then emitted semen as a result of pressure on the lower abdomen and not from manual masturbation?

Must one continue the prayer of a vow for life if the duration was not specified when the vow was made?

Is it permissible to be released from a covenant with Allah to regularly perform the Fajr prayer on time, by paying a sum of money as a penalty for non-compliance, and what is the ruling on this paid money?

Is performing the obligatory prayer after success considered fulfilling a vow, or is it a prayer like that of other Muslims, and how are vows recognized in such a case?

What should I do, as I swore by Allah that I would memorize the Qur’an after marriage, otherwise Allah would punish me and diminish my husband’s provision, and I am unable to memorize it?

Is it permissible to fulfill a vow with prayer performed intermittently after the fortieth day, knowing that the vow was for 100 rak'ahs to be prayed all at once immediately after the fortieth day?

What should I do to uphold my covenant with Allah and not break it after my repentance and regret for my sin, and what are the consequences for one who breaks their covenant with Allah, and what must I adhere to in order to be a chaste, believing girl?

Is it permissible to break an oath I swore by Allah not to use a tool I need, and am I required to offer expiation, knowing that I said: "No expiation will be accepted from me"?

What should one do who vowed to pray Duha and Qiyam al-Layl daily, then broke her vow and wishes to be absolved of it because she does not want a permanent commitment?

What should one do who made two vows for two different matters, one of which was fulfilled but not the other, and he does not know which vow pertains to which matter?

Is saying, "I promise You, my Lord, that for every 500 Riyals, I will give out 100 Riyals," considered a form of vow (nadhr)?

What is the ruling on the following vows: a vow not to shave the beard until marriage to a specific woman occurs, a vow to fast for a full month consecutively upon marrying her, and an oath not to clean the house until she cleans it?

I have vowed to pray 100 rak'ahs for Allah, is this permissible?

Is it obligatory to fulfill a vow to build a wall for a neighbor if its cost significantly exceeds the amount intended?