How to Fulfill an Oath at the Time of Menstruation?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question: Assalamu alaykum

I have taken an oath to perform two cycles of nafl prayer in a day if I performed a certain task. I performed that task but my period started just after that. What’s the ruling on it? Can I perform two nafl prayers when my periods will be over?

Answer: Wa ‘alaylkum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

I pray you are well. Thank you for your question.

You can simply pray 2 units when your period ends and your oath will be fulfilled.

The oath you swore is called a nadhr in the Shariʿa: an oath to perform a certain act of worship if a particular thing happens. In oaths such as these, when fulfilling them, it is only important that the act of worship be present. Stipulated times, places, cash and specific poor people are overlooked.

So if someone swore to fast all of Dhul-Qaʿda, but ends of fasting all of Muharram instead the oath is considered fulfilled. The same applies to praying 2 units on a Friday, but praying them on Sunday instead, or giving a particular £10 note to a specific poor person, but doing a bank transfer of that amount to someone else.
(Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah).

May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.

Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.

In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.

His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.

When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.