[Book of Vows]
[Section One: The Categories of Vows]
This book is divided into three sections:
Section One: the categories of vows.
Section Two: which vows are binding and which are not, together with a summary of their legal rulings.
Section Three: identifying what becomes due because of a vow and its rulings.
Section One: The Categories of Vows
Vows are first divided into two main classes: one on the basis of wording and the other on the basis of the objects that are vowed.
From the standpoint of wording, vows are of two types:
- Absolute, phrased as a declarative statement.
- Conditional, phrased in the form of a condition.
The absolute vow is itself of two varieties:
• One in which the vowed act is explicitly mentioned.
• One in which it is not explicitly mentioned.
The first is illustrated by a person saying, “I owe God a vow that I will perform the pilgrimage.”
The second is illustrated by his saying, “I owe God a vow,” without specifying what the vow entails. The first may include the word “vow” explicitly or may omit it, as when he says, “I owe God that I will perform the pilgrimage.”
As for the conditional vow, phrased in the form of a condition, it is exemplified by someone saying, “If such-and-such occurs, I owe God a vow to do such-and-such,” or, “that I will do such-and-such.” Sometimes the condition is attached to an act of God, Exalted is He—for example, “If God heals my sick relative, I owe such-and-such a vow.” At other times it is attached to the person’s own action, as when he says, “If I do such-and-such, I owe such-and-such a vow.” This is what the jurists call an oath, although, as we have already noted, it is not in fact an oath.
These, then, are the categories of vows in terms of their formulae.
From the standpoint of the subject matter—the acts or abstentions that are vowed—vows fall into four categories: a vow concerning acts of devotion, a vow concerning acts of disobedience, a vow concerning disliked acts, and a vow concerning permissible acts.
Each of these four further divides into two: a vow to abstain from the act, and a vow to perform the act.
[Section Two: What Vows Are Binding and What Are Not]
Regarding which of these vows are binding and which are not, the scholars are unanimous that an absolute vow relating to devotional acts is binding—except for a view reported from some Shāfiʿī scholars who hold that an unqualified vow is invalid. Their consensus pertains to an absolute vow made out of pious intent, not one made out of stubbornness; and provided the word “vow” is explicitly pronounced, not omitted—whether or not the specific act is stated. Likewise, they were unanimously agreed on the binding nature of