Hadith Research Libraryمكتبة الحديث والرجال
Sahih al-Bukhari, 1866
sahih

Hadith text · Matn

‏ لِتَمْشِ وَلْتَرْكَبْ ‏

‏‏.‏ قَالَ وَكَانَ أَبُو الْخَيْرِ لاَ يُفَارِقُ عُقْبَةَ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْد اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ عَنْ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ يَزِيدَ عَنْ أَبِي الْخَيْرِ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ

English translation

Narrated `Uqba bin 'Amir:

My sister vowed to go on foot to the Ka`ba, and she asked me to take the verdict of the Prophet (ﷺ) about it. So, I did and the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "She should walk and also should ride." Narrated Abul-Khair from `Uqba as above.:

Original Arabic chain wording

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَنَّ ابْنَ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَهُمْ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ، أَنَّ يَزِيدَ بْنَ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ أَبَا الْخَيْرِ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ نَذَرَتْ أُخْتِي أَنْ تَمْشِيَ، إِلَى بَيْتِ اللَّهِ، وَأَمَرَتْنِي أَنْ أَسْتَفْتِيَ لَهَا النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ، فَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 28, Hadith 46
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 29, Hadith 89 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The vow is when the person makes an action that is not obligatory incumbent upon himself. So, if what was solemnly pledged was something feasible and was a pious deed not consisting of any sin; yet the servant is unable to fulfil it; then it must be fulfilled somehow. The religion grants facilitation and ease in fulfilling what has been vowed. In this hadeeth, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (ra) reports that his sister had vowed to go on foot to the Ka‘bah. And when she felt distressed for not being able to fulfil her pledge, she requested her brother, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (ra) to ask for the Messenger of Allah’s verdict on her behalf, saying: ‘Is it incumbent upon her to fulfil her vow even though she is unable to do so, or no?’ So, when he asked the Prophet ﷺ this question, he ﷺsaid to him: “Let her walk, and ride.” Meaning: let her walk for however long she is able to and let her ride when she is unable to walk. It was said that: whoever vows to walk, it is not obligatory for him to do so; whether he is able to do so or not, because walking in and of itself is not an act of obedience. Rather, obedience in this regard pertains to reaching to that place one vowed to reach; like The Ancient House (i.e., an epithet for the Ka‘bah, see Quran 22:29 & 33). It is further added that there is no difference between walking and riding, and for that reason, the Prophet ﷺallowed for ‘Uqbah ibn Naafi‘’s sister to ride even though she vowed to walk. As such, this indicates that the vow is not necessary for walking, even if the pledge goes beyond one’s capability in fulfilling it. On the contrary, he ﷺordered the very old man to ride in the hadeeth narrated by Anas (ra) in both Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim; he ﷺdid so because the old man was in apparent discomfort. The Prophet ﷺcommanded ‘Uqbah’s sister (raa) to both walk and ride, because she was not described as weak or frail. Thus, it is as if he ﷺordered her to walk if she was able, and to write if she became weak. This hadeeth highlights the facilitation that the religion grants in times of need and hardship. And lastly, it highlights that the obligations of the religion and their observance is based upon the ability of the servant to act upon them..
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