his vow to remain standing, to sit down, and, despite his vow not to seek shade, to seek it. He commanded him to fulfil only his vow to fast. This clearly shows that these acts are not means of drawing near to Allah which a person who vows to perform them is commanded to undertake.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in an authentic hadith:

“Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him; and whoever vows to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him.”

Likewise, a person who vows to perform these acts is not commanded to do so. Whoever performs them as acts of worship and means of drawing near to Allah, adopting them as a religious practice and a path to Allah Most High, is misguided and ignorant, acting contrary to the command of Allah and His Messenger. It is clear that anyone who does this, having vowed a devotional retreat or the like, does so as a religious observance. There is no doubt that doing so as a religious observance is forbidden, for he regards something that is not a means of drawing near to Allah as such, and seeks to draw near to Allah Most High through something Allah does not love. This is forbidden. However, someone who does this before knowledge reaches him may be excused for his ignorance if the proof has not been established against him. Once knowledge reaches him, he must repent.

The guiding principle concerning speech is summed up in the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.”

Speaking good—that which is obligatory or recommended—is better than remaining silent about it. As for that which is neither obligatory nor recommended, remaining silent about it is better than saying it.