Niyyah Or Vow
QUESTION:
When I started my freelance website business, I made an intention to spend half of my earnings in the path of Allah Ta’ala. I then learned that it’s better to divide your earnings in three parts, i.e. 1/3 on your family, 1/3 in the path of Allah Ta’ala and 1/3 to reinvest in the business. So, I changed my intention from half to a third. I’m not sure if I said this as a vow or if it was merely an intention, as I suffer from Waswasa. How can I resolve this?
ANSWER:
A vow is taken to make something compulsory upon one’s self which was not compulsory on one to complete; or making something compulsory on one’s self if some matter or need is fulfilled, in honour of Allah Ta’ala.
There are three conditions for the validity of a vow:
a) A similar action must be obligatory in Shari’ah. For example, one may vow to keep a fast, as fasting is obligatory in Shariah, or one may vow to perform Salaah, as Salaah is obligatory in Shariah, etc.
b) The vowed action must be an act of Ibaadah. For example, Wudhu is a means to an Ibaadah and not an Ibaadah itself, whilst Salaah is a direct act of Ibaadah. Hence, one may vow to perform Salaah, and not to make Wudhu.
c) The action that one vows to carry out must not be a compulsory act such as the five daily Salaah. Hence, one cannot take a vow to perform Fajr Salaah if a particular need is fulfilled.
As such, based on the above, according to our understanding you merely had an intention and not a vow. Hence, a vow will not be enacted.
In conclusion, we advise you to make Dua to Allah Ta’ala to assist you from the whispers of Shaytaan and recite the following Dua in abundance:
رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِين ِ المؤمنون آ 97
‘My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the Shayaateen.’
التزام المكلف شيئا لم يكن عليه منجزا أو معلقا بحدوث أمر تعظيما لله تعالى (القاموس الفقهي ص :350)
فتاوى عثمانية (9/9)
إذا نذر شيئا لزمه الوفاء به إذا اجتمع فيه ثلاثة شروط: أن يكون من جنسه واجب وأن يكون مقصودا و ليس واجبا (نور الإيضاح ص 143
ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Abdul Kader Fazlani
Date: 21 Safar 1448 / 05 August 2026
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb