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Fatwa CenterVowed to Fast Four Consecutive Days if He Committed a Certain Sin
Question
assalamualaikum i vowed to Allah that if i committed a certain sinI would fast 4 days in a row afterward, to deter myself. This worked well, bc fasting 4 days is hard and i dont want to incur any more sin for breaking the oath. But the problem is when I learned theres excuses for expiating oaths, so I end up deceiving myself, bc I think i’m excused from fulfilling the oath and would sin and pay the expiation. my question is: when exactly is it permissible for me to expiate this type of oath?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His Slave and Messenger.
First and foremost, know that you have no excuse for falling into that sin, as it is prohibited regardless of whether you had vowed to avoid it or not. So fear Allah and do not disobey Him while justifying the sin by saying you can simply offer a Kaffārah (an expiation) instead of fasting the days you vowed. If you do fall into the sin, you must repent to Allah sincerely by regretting the act, abandoning it, and firmly resolving not to return to it.
As for what results from the vow if you commit the sin, the opinion that states that you have a choice between fasting four days (as fulfilment of your vow) or offering a Kaffārah for breaking an oath is not agreed upon by all scholars. In fact, some scholars hold that you must fulfil the vow exactly as stated. The Kuwaiti Encyclopedia of Fiqh states: “Some jurists are of the view that the one who makes such a vow is obligated to fulfil exactly what was named in the vow (Nadhr al-Lajaj, i.e. a vow of compulsion or insistence where a person makes a pledge to Allah to do something to deter himself from a certain action).” [End quote]
So fear Allah and do not disobey Him. In case you have committed the sin, you are obligated to fast four days to fulfil your vow.
Allah knows best.
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