Qist Maktab · Islamic Studies · Class 12
A vow (nadhr) is a self-imposed religious commitment, not the same as an ordinary promise or an oath. Its legal effects depend on the words used, the kind of act promised and the conditions attached. A vow to perform a permissible act of worship differs from a vow involving disobedience, which must not be fulfilled as an act of obedience. Compare a conditional vow made after recovery from illness with an unconditional commitment. Hanafi rulings on whether a specific vow is binding and what follows from nonfulfilment require analysis of its precise formulation.