Q: Is it permissible for me to change the purpose and the place of a vow I made to Allah to another purpose and another place? After I made it, I decided that the other purpose and place are better than the first.

A: The basic ruling is that if someone has determined a specific place in their vow, such as vowing to give some money in charity or building a Masjid (mosque) in a particular place, they have to fulfill their vow in that place and for the specific purpose they had determined, as long as there is no Shar‘y (Islamic legal) prohibitive impediment against this, unless they change it to another place that is better, such as to Al-Haramayn Al-Sharifayn (the Two Sacred Mosques: the Sacred Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah). There is nothing wrong with this and the evidence to support this is the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the man who had made a vow to slaughter a camel in Buwanah, He (peace be upon him) asked, “Were there any idols of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) there that were worshipped?” He said, “No.” He (peace be upon him) asked, “Were any of their festivals held there?” He said, “No.” He (peace be upon him) said, “Then fulfill your vow.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered him to fulfill his vow in the place that he had specified, as there was no legal impediment against this. The evidence that a vow can be changed from one place to another that is better is: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man who vowed to perform Salah (Prayer) in Baytul-Maqdis (Jerusalem), “Perform Salah here.” The man asked him again and he (peace be upon him) said, “Perform Salah here.” He asked him again and he (peace be upon him) said to him, “It is up to you.” (Related by Abu Dawud and Ahmad) (Part No. 23; Page No. 319) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.