Abū Qilābah reported: Thābit ibn al-Ḍaḥḥāk said, “A man in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) vowed to slaughter some camels at Buwānah. He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, ‘I have vowed to sacrifice camels at Buwānah.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, ‘Was there an idol from the idols of the Age of Ignorance that used to be worshipped there?’ They replied, ‘No.’ He then asked, ‘Was any festival of theirs ever held there?’ They replied, ‘No.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Then fulfill your vow, for no vow may be fulfilled if it involves disobedience to Allah, nor regarding something a human being does not own.’
The original wording of this ḥadīth appears in both Ṣaḥīḥs, and the chain cited here meets their criteria: every narrator is a well-known, reliable transmitter, and the isnād is continuous, free of any gaps or indirect transmission.
(1) The distinguished Companion Thabit ibn al-Dahhak ibn Khalifah al-Ansari al-Ashhali witnessed the Pledge of al-Ridwan. He was born three years after the beginning of the Prophet’s mission and died in 64 AH. On the day of the Trench he rode pillion behind the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and guided him to Hamra al-Asad. See: al-Isabah 1:193–94, no. 894.
(2) Copy A reads: “wathr,” which is probably a scribal corruption.
(3) Copy D reads: “qala.”
(4) Copies B, C, and D read: “qala.”
(5) Copies C and D read: “bi-l-nadhri” (concerning the vow).
(6) See Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Oaths and Vows, chapter “What is commanded regarding the fulfillment of vows,” hadith no. 3313 (3/607).
(7) In Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Oaths and Vows, chapter “Vows of obedience,” on the authority of Aishah, the Prophet said: “Whoever vows to obey Allah should obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Him should not disobey Him” (Fath al-Bari, no. 6696, 11/581). Sahih Muslim records a similar wording in the Book of Vows, chapter “No fulfillment of a vow involving disobedience to Allah,” hadith no. 1641 (3/1262–63): “There is no fulfillment of a vow involving disobedience, nor of a vow concerning what a servant does not possess.” The author is presumably referring to these two hadiths; Allah knows best.