35/27. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3806 — Fulfilling a Vow to Obey Allah
Vows To Do Acts Of Worship
Fulfilling a Vow to Obey Allah and Rejecting Sinful Vows
Sunan an-Nasai : 3806
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3806
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللَّهَ فَلْيُطِعْهُ وَمَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ فَلاَ يَعْصِهِ " .
A'isha Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3806In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 46English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3837
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3806
This hadith draws a clear line between two kinds of vows. If a person vows to obey Allah, the Messenger of Allah says that the person should obey Him. If a person vows to disobey Allah, the person must not carry out that disobedience. The teaching is simple and balanced. A vow does not turn a sinful act into something acceptable. At the same time, a vow made for obedience is treated seriously in the wording of the narration. For someone searching for a hadith about fulfilling vows, the main point is that the content of the vow matters. Obedience is followed, while disobedience is rejected. The hadith gives no support for completing a promise when completing it would mean disobeying Allah.
What we learn from this hadith
- A vow to obey Allah should be fulfilled.
- A vow to disobey Allah must not be carried out.
- A sinful promise does not make disobedience acceptable.
- The content of a vow determines whether it may be followed.
