35/25. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3803 — A Vow Cannot Advance or Delay
A Vow Does Not Bring Anything Forward Nor Put It Back
A Vow Cannot Advance or Delay Anything: Hadith on Nadhr
Sunan an-Nasai : 3803
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3803
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " النَّذْرُ لاَ يُقَدِّمُ شَيْئًا وَلاَ يُؤَخِّرُهُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ شَىْءٌ يُسْتَخْرَجُ بِهِ مِنَ الشَّحِيحِ " .
Ibn 'Umar Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah said: 'A vow does not bring anything forward or put it back; it is just a means of taking wealth from the miserly.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3803In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 43English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3834
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3803
This hadith gives a precise statement about nadhr, or vows. The Messenger of Allah said that a vow does not bring anything forward and does not put anything back. In other words, the vow itself has no power to change the timing of events. The narration then says that it is a means of taking something from a miserly person. This shows how a person who is slow to give may bind himself through a vow and then spend. The hadith about vows in Islam warns against thinking that a promise made in this form can control what comes sooner or later. It also invites honest self-reflection: good actions and giving should come from willingness, not from trying to use a vow to influence an outcome.
What we learn from this hadith
- A vow cannot bring an event forward.
- A vow cannot delay an event.
- A vow may cause a miserly person to give.
- People should not treat vows as a way to control outcomes.
