Q449 :It is a practice that people make a solemn
intention that they will do this or that if certain wishes of theirs
are granted by Allah. Is this permissible in the first place? If so,
how does it vary from asking Allah to fulfil for us certain favours,
without making such a pledge? What sort of pledges are
preferred?
A449 : A pledge of the type you describe is known in
Islamic technology as “nathr”. That is different from “Niyyah,” which
means intention. Nathr is a pledge. You express in words your resolve
that you will fulfil or do something, such as fasting any number of
days, or giving to the poor certain amount of money, or offering three
hours of night worship, etc. Here you are netmitting yourself to doing
any of these action upon the fulfilment of a certain wish you have in
mind. Niyyah, as it is used in Arabic, is making up one’s mind to do
something, whether that is dependent on the fulfilment of something
else or not. It has a much wider usage and it applies to everything.
That is what is meant by the Hadith which states “actions are but by
intentions.” It means that the value of a certain action we do is
determined by the intention behind it. If someone attends
congregational prayer in the mosque regularly in order to give the
neighbourhood a certain impression of himself, his action is not as
another who attends congregational prayer less frequently but has no
aim behind it other than obeying Allah and His messenger. There is
another difference between a pledge, or nathr, and an intention, or
niyyah. A pledge must be fulfilled once it is made. It benetes a debt
owed to Allah by the person who has pledged it. If you do not fulfil
it, you will be questioned by Allah about it. The reason is that you
have volunteered such a pledge and this cannot be done in jest.
Therefore, fulfilment is required as a duty. An intention is different
in the sense that if you do not fulfil it, you are not held to account
for that. If it is a good action that you have intended, you are
awarded for carrying it out. If you do not do it, you lose that reward
but you incur no sin. People make such pledges because they believe
that by making them, they stand a better chance of having their wishes
fulfilled. That is not true. Making a pledge to fast, or pray, or do
whatever, does not get them any nearer to having their wishes
fulfilled. Allah does not need our worship so that He fulfil our wishes
if we offer more worship to Him. It is far better to pray Allah to
grant us whatever wishes we want to be acnetplished, provided that they
are not sinful. We should remember that He can grant us whatever wish
we may have. His bounty is without limits. When we implore Him
confirming our obedience to Him and submission to His will, He answers
our prayer. Then, when our wishes are fulfilled, we express our
gratitude to Him by voluntarily doing what he likes us to do. We can
prostrate ourselves before Him in gratitude, and that is known as a
“sajdah of thanks,” (or “Sajdae shukr”) or we can give something to
charity or fast, or do similar actions of worship.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )