Making vows for other than Allah

Q 4: My wife was sick and I consulted many doctors, (Part No. 23; Page No. 231) but she was not cured. Some people told me that I should make a vow for Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Dusuqy in the city of Dusuk, in Egypt, and I did. After a period of time, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) caused her to recover. For this reason, I wanted to make a celebration for the sake of the shaykh and fulfill my vow. However, one of the Fuqaha' (Muslim jurists) in the city told me that what I wanted to do was Haram (prohibited). What is the ruling of Shari`ah (Islamic law) on this act?

A: The vow you made is Haram. It is a form of major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship), because making a vow is an act of `Ibadah (worship) that must be dedicated to none but Allah (Exalted be He). Consequently, it is not permissible for you to fulfill the vow you made, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is no fulfillment of a vow which involves disobedience to Allah, or with regard to a thing the son of Adam does not own.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: "Anyone who vows (to do an act) to obey Allah should obey Him (i.e. Fulfill their vow); and anyone who vows (to do an act) to disobey Allah should not disobey Him (i.e. Should not fulfill their vow)." (Related by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith) The first Hadith was related by Abu Dawud with an authentic Sanad (chain of narrators). May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.