Al-Athram records, with his chain to ʿIkrimah from Ibn ʿAbbās, that Ibn ʿAbbās was asked about a man who had pledged all his wealth to the poor. He answered, “Keep your property and atone for your oath.”

Shaykh al-Islām said: If someone vows a disliked act of worship—such as spending the whole night in prayer or fasting every day of the year—he is not obliged to carry out that vow; rather, he must offer the expiation for an oath.

The Permanent Committee for Fatwa likewise ruled: Since a vow of obedience is an act of worship, and Allah praises those who fulfill it—“They fulfill their vows” (76:7)—should a person vow a disliked act of worship the vow itself becomes reprehensible, for it is a form of disobedience, and it is not to be fulfilled.

4. A devotional vow (nadhar al-tabarrur): this covers prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, ʿumrah, and similar acts intended as a means of drawing closer to Allah Most High. Such a vow must be honored, whether made unconditionally or linked to the attainment of a blessing or the removal of a hardship—e.g., “If Allah heals my patient,” or “If my absent property returns safely, I will do such-and-such.” The same applies to an oath intended as devotion, such as, “If my wealth comes back safely, I shall certainly give such-and-such in charity.” Whenever the condition is fulfilled, the vow becomes binding.