35/41. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3850 — Vows Beyond Ownership Are Not Binding
Expiation For Vows
No Vow in Sin or What a Person Does Not Possess
Sunan an-Nasai : 3850
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3850
أَخْبَرَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا خَلَفُ بْنُ تَمِيمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا زَائِدَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ جُدْعَانَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ نَذْرَ فِي مَعْصِيَةٍ وَلاَ فِيمَا لاَ يَمْلِكُ ابْنُ آدَمَ " . قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ زَيْدٍ ضَعِيفٌ وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ خَطَأٌ وَالصَّوَابُ عِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ . وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ مِنْ وَجْهٍ آخَرَ .
'Abdur-Rahman bin Samurah Narrated from:
The Prophet said: "There is no vow to commit an act of disobedience or with regard to that which the son of Adam does not possess."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3850In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 90English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3881
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3850
This narration states that there is no vow to commit an act of disobedience and no vow concerning what the son of Adam does not possess. Both parts set a boundary for vows. A vow must not require wrongdoing, and it cannot create control or ownership that a person does not have. The translation attributes this report to Abdur-Rahman bin Samurah. It does not give extra details about expiation in this wording, so the explanation should stay with the two limits actually stated. For searches about invalid vows, vows over another person’s property, or vows involving sin, the hadith gives a concise principle: a serious promise is still restricted by obedience and by what is genuinely within one’s possession.
What we learn from this hadith
- A vow to commit disobedience is not binding.
- A person cannot make a valid vow over what he does not possess.
- A vow does not create ownership or control.
- The wording here focuses on invalid vows rather than detailing expiation.
