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Fatwa CenterFulfilling conditional vows by those who are competent for religious assignment and those who are not
Question
I would like to consult you regarding a matter that is confusing me. After the first half of the Algeria vs. Egypt soccer match ended, I performed two rak‘ahs (units of prayer) and, afterwards, I inattentively stated that I would fast two successive months if our team won the match. We won the match, but now I am unable to fast those two months. An imam told me that I was not competent for religious assignments then because I was only 16 years old. He advised me to observe the vowed fast-days after two or three years. Could you, please, give me a quick solution for my problem?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His Slave and Messenger.
Scholars considered vows that are conditional upon the occurrence of a certain thing disliked, because they are means whereby something is extracted from the miserly person. The vow of the adult Muslim is valid and binding and it is incumbent on him to fulfill it. This is due to the generality of the verse that reads (what means): {(Then let them) … and fulfill their vows...} [Quran 22:29]
Allaah, the Exalted, also says about His pious slaves (what means): {They [are those who] fulfill [their] vows ...} [Quran 76:7]
Moreover, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever vowed to obey Allaah, the Exalted, must obey Him..." [Al-Bukhari]
As for the vow of a young person below the age of puberty, his vow is considered effective and binding if he realizes that carrying out religious duties and obligations entails earning reward and neglecting them incurs punishment. However, he is not obliged to fulfill his vow, but it is recommended for him to deliver on it after reaching puberty. Therefore, if you have now attained puberty and have become competent for religious assignment, then you are required to fulfill your vow because the thing upon which you made the vow conditional has already occurred. Please note that the signs of reaching puberty for a male are: 1) Experiencing wet dreams, 2) Growth of coarse pubic hair around the sexual organ, 3) Reaching the age of 15, according to some scholars, or 18 years old, according to the Maaliki scholars, and perhaps this is the reason why the Imaam suggested that you were not considered an adult. Therefore, if you witnessed any of the aforementioned signs of attaining puberty, then you are obliged to fulfill your vow since the matter to which you rendered your vow conditional, took place.
Allaah Knows best.
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