Q: Your Eminence, when I was seventeen years old, Allah (Praised and Exalted be He) guided me to His Path. I enjoyed the pleasure of obeying Allah (Praised and Exalted be He). Once, I offered Fajr (Dawn) Prayer in a Masjid (mosque) then sat in the Masjid until sunrise. (Part No. 23; Page No. 276) At that time, I felt some kind of peace of mind and tranquility and made a vow that whenever I memorize one Hadith, I will offer two Rak`ahs (units of Prayer). Afterwards, I tried to fulfill this vow but I felt it was hard for me. I regretted making this vow to the extent that I stopped memorizing or reading any Hadith whenever I remembered the fulfilling of the vow. I hope Your Eminence will find me a religious license that absolves me from fulfilling this vow. I am sure Islam is the religion of ease.

A: If the reality is as you have mentioned; that you made this vow, then you have to fulfill it because it is a vow to obey Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him; and whoever makes a vow that he will disobey Allah, should not disobey Him. Related by Imam Al-Bukhari in his Sahih (authentic book of Hadith). You will be rewarded for fulfilling your vow. Allah (Exalted be He) praises those who fulfill their vows: They (are those who) fulfil (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil will be wide-spreading. However, fulfilling your vow should not prevent you from memorizing the Prophetic Hadith. With regard to reading the Hadith, it is not included in your vow, so you do not have to stop it. (Part No. 23; Page No. 277) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.