One of my mom’s friends is constantly making excessive minnats (for example, I will pray 200 salat-ut-tasbeeh, or finish the quran 50 times if such and such a thing happens). After the her duaa is accepted and the event happens she is unable to fulfill her minnat and almost forces my mom to help her fulfill it; for example, you read quran 40 times, I’ll read it 10 times. Because the person is asking you to do a good deed you cannot refuse it, but it is also difficult to carry out the minnat within the period of time the friend gives. For this reason I was wondering if it is alright to tell the person to 1. not make such excessive minnats that you can’t fulfill yourself 2. to pray or carry out the good deed before you make the duaa (since making minnat is sort of like playing with allah). Jazakallah Khair
Answer:
(Fatwa: 743/698=B/1430)
Yes, it is right to stop her to make such vows. It is sufficient to make a vow of performing two-rak?ah salah or keeping one fast. The Hadith states that vows are made by misers. Those who are misers in performing good deeds and spending in Allah’s way, they make vows.
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband