العروة الوثقى الزيدية - موقع إسلامي يهدف لتعريف الزائر بفكر وتراث المسلمين الزيدية

The Question

Question: If a man vows to fast a month or two, without specifying which month, and he wishes to fulfill that vow, but fasting will cause him to miss important lessons in (religious) knowledge, and this will cause significant deficiency for the students of knowledge, is he required to hasten in fulfilling the vow, or is it permissible for him to delay the fasting and give precedence to seeking knowledge?

The Answer

fasting and give precedence to seeking knowledge?
Answer – and Allah is the One who grants success: What is required is to give precedence to what is more important, then to what is next in importance; sound human nature so judges. On that basis, one gives precedence to seeking the knowledge that is obligatory, such as knowing the fundamentals of the religion and the rulings of those acts of worship that have become personally obligatory upon the student, like the rulings of purification and prayer, and other than that of what it is not permissible, in the sight of Allah, to remain ignorant of.
Yes, if the one who made the vow did not stipulate continuity in his vow, then it is appropriate that he distribute that fasting over the days of the weekly holidays, thus combining between both matters.
The scholars of the madhhab have said: One who vows to fast a month is not obligated to fast it continuously, unless he intends continuity or explicitly mentions it in words.

Source: Min Thimār al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥikmah vol.2