—and he is therefore obliged to carry it out. This type of pledge is called nadhru al-tabarrur (a vow of voluntary devotion) or nadhru al-taqarrub (a vow intended to draw nearer to Allah).

2 – Al-Bahūtī states in his commentary on al-Iqnāʿ: It is permissible to perform the act vowed before the condition has actually materialized, just as one may pay the expiation immediately after taking an oath and before breaking it.

3 – Shaykh al-Islām said: Suspending a vow upon acquiring ownership—such as saying, “If Allah grants me wealth, then I am bound to give it, or part of it, in charity for His sake”—is unanimously valid. The proof is Allah’s word: “And among them are those who pledged to Allah, saying, ‘If He grants us of His bounty, we will surely give charity…’” (Repentance 9:75).

4 – The hadith indicates that a person who vows to perform prayer—or any act of worship—in Bayt al-Maqdis may fulfil it instead in the Sacred Mosque, because the Sacred Mosque is superior to al-Aqsa. However, if he specifically designates the superior mosque—such as the Sacred Mosque—he may not substitute one that is inferior. This is the view of the three imams; Abū Ḥanīfah, however, holds that prayer can never be restricted to any particular mosque.

5 – The hadith further shows that excessive questioning, persistent insistence, and needless strictness are disliked, for they weary the one being asked and can lead the questioner into error.

6 – It also establishes that fulfilling a vow is obligatory so long as it is a nadhru tabarrur, a devotional vow made to draw close to Allah.

7 – Finally, the hadith highlights the virtue of the Sacred Mosque: it is the noblest and most excellent spot on earth. Consequently, anyone who vows an act of worship elsewhere attains a fuller reward by performing it there, for worship in the Sacred Mosque is superior, more complete, and more perfect.