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According to the Bible, a man must fulfil any vows he might make to
God. He must not break his word. On the other hand, a woman's vow is not
necessarily binding on her. It has to be approved by her father, if she
is living in his house, or by her husband, if she is married. If a father/husband
does not endorse his daughter's/wife's vows, all pledges made by her become
null and void:
"But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of
her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand ...Her
husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to
deny herself" (Num. 30:2-15)
Why is it that a woman's word is not binding per se ? The answer is simple:
because she is owned by her father, before marriage, or by her husband
after marriage. The father's control over his daughter was absolute to
the extent that, should he wish, he could sell her! It is indicated in
the writings of the Rabbis that: "The man may sell his daughter, but the
woman may not sell her daughter; the man may betroth his daughter, but
the woman may not betroth her daughter." [17] The Rabbinic literature also
indicates that marriage represents the transfer of control from the father
to the husband: "betrothal, making a woman the sacrosanct possession --
the inviolable property -- of the husband..." Obviously, if the woman is
considered to be the property of someone else, she cannot make any pledges
that her owner does not approve of.
It is of interest to note that this Biblical instruction concerning
women's vows has had negative repercussions on Judaeo-Christian women till
early in this century. A married woman in the Western world had no legal
status. No act of hers was of any legal value. Her husband could repudiate
any contract, bargain, or deal she had made. Women in the West (the largest
heir of the Judaeo-Christian legacy) were held unable to make a binding
contract because they were practically owned by someone else. Western women
had suffered for almost two thousand years because of the Biblical attitude
towards women's position vis-a-vis their fathers and husbands [18].
In Islam, the vow of every Muslim, male or female, is binding on him/her.
No one has the power to repudiate the pledges of anyone else. Failure to
keep a solemn oath, made by a man or a woman, has to be expiated as indicated
in the Qur'an:
"He [God] will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: for
expiation, feed ten indigent persons, on a scale of the average for the
food of your families; Or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If
that is beyond your means, fast for three days. That is the expiation for
the oaths you have sworn. But keep your oaths" (Qur'an 5:89).
Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, men and women, used to present their
oath of allegiance to him personally. Women, as well as men, would independently
come to him and pledge their oaths:
"O Prophet, When believing women come to you to make a covenant
with you that they will not associate in worship anything with God, nor
steal, nor fornicate, nor kill their own children, nor slander anyone,
nor disobey you in any just matter, then make a covenant with them and
pray to God for the forgiveness of their sins. Indeed God is Forgiving
and most Merciful" (Qur'an 60:12).
A man could not swear the oath on behalf of his daughter or his wife. Nor
could a man repudiate the oath made by any of his female relatives.
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