35/42. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3852 — A Vow Should Not Become Self-Torture
What Is The Requirement Upon One Who Made A Vow That Something Would Be Obligatory For Him, Then He
Vow to Walk to the Ka'bah: Do Not Torture Yourself
Sunan an-Nasai : 3852
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3852
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ رَأَى النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلاً يُهَادَى بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ فَقَالَ " مَا هَذَا " . قَالُوا نَذَرَ أَنْ يَمْشِيَ إِلَى بَيْتِ اللَّهِ . قَالَ " إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْ تَعْذِيبِ هَذَا نَفْسَهُ مُرْهُ فَلْيَرْكَبْ " .
Anas Narrated from:
The Prophet saw a man being supported by two others and said: 'What is this?' They said: 'He vowed to walk to the House of Allah.' He said: 'Allah has no need for this man to torture himself. Tell him to ride.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3852In-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 92English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3883
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3852
This hadith describes a man who had vowed to walk to the House of Allah. He had become so weak that two people were supporting him. When the Prophet saw him and learned about the vow, he said that Allah had no need for the man to torture himself and ordered that he ride. The teaching is tied to this clear situation: the man’s chosen form of fulfilling the vow had turned into severe physical hardship. The Prophet did not tell him to continue suffering. For readers searching for the hadith about walking to the Ka'bah, self-torture in worship, or a difficult vow, the text shows that causing such harm to oneself was not required in this case.
What we learn from this hadith
- Worship should not be turned into self-inflicted torture.
- The man’s weakness was visible because others had to support him.
- The Prophet instructed him to ride instead of continuing on foot.
- A vow did not require him to keep harming himself.
