Question No. 3656 10 September 2026 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified سطح محتوا: مقدماتی

Is It Valid to Reduce or Increase the Amount Vowed for Imam Hussein?

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Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei

Tracking code: #Q-3656

A question from one of our dear readers:
When we make a vow—for example, to spend a certain amount in Imam Hussein’s name on a specified day, such as Ashura—is that amount considered designated for Imam Hussein simply by making the intention? Or, if someone has to use part of the money for a reason such as difficulties with the banks, may they spend a slightly smaller amount from the sum set aside and spend the remainder in another way for Imam Hussein two or three days later?
Or may they spend less than the amount they originally intended?
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ

Subject category: Jurisprudence and Rulings Ahl al-Bayt and Islamic History

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

A vow must be fulfilled according to the intention, time, place, and amount specified when it was made. If an emergency prevents this, the vow may be fulfilled once the situation has passed. If the appointed time has gone by, the vow remains due for the following year. Without a valid reason, reducing or increasing the amount, or changing the time, is not permissible.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

As a general rule, a vow must be fulfilled at the time and place specified, in the manner and amount stated, and with the intention with which it was made. If circumstances of necessity prevent this, it must be fulfilled as soon as those circumstances have passed. If the intention was tied to a particular time, and that time itself—with its distinctive qualities—was the sole object of the vow (as with Ashura), then if it has passed, the vow remains in force for that same time the following year.

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Is It Valid to Reduce or Increase the Amount Vowed for Imam Hussein?

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

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