I took a vow a year ago, but I did not fulfill it. What is the ruling on this? The vow was to give a portion from a sum of money—granted to me by virtue of a court judgment—in charity. I have spent this money, but now I have other money . The value of the vowed money equaled US$ 350 back then, but now it is equal to US$ 550. What is the solution?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

Making vows is disliked because it was authentically narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade it. Whoever vows to obey Allaah Almighty should fulfill his vow because the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “If one vows to obey Allaah, the Exalted, then he should obey Him, and if one vows to disobey Allaah Almighty, then he should not disobey Him.” [Al-Bukhari and others]

If the statement of your vow specified a certain timing for fulfilling it, then it is obligatory to fulfill it in this timing. Delaying it in spite of your ability to fulfill it on time is an act of disobedience to Allaah Almighty. If you have done so, then you should hasten to repent to Allaah, the Exalted, and fulfill the vow. Nevertheless, if the statement of the vow did not specify a certain timing, then, according to the opinion of the scholars who held the view that it is not obligatory to immediately fulfill vows, there is no harm in delaying it.

If the vowed object is a certain amount of money, as appears from the question, then you should pay the amount that you vowed, even if its value in dollars has changed, as you have mentioned, because it is obligatory upon you to pay the exact amount of money that you vowed, regardless of its value in any other currency.

Allaah Knows best.