Fard: Difference between revisions

Fard (Arabic: الفرض) also farida (Arabic: الفريضة) is an Islamic term which denotes a religious duty. The word is also used in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu (spelled farz) in the same meaning.

Fard or its synonym wajib is one of the five types of Ahkam into which Fiqh categorizes acts of every Muslim. The Hanafi Fiqh however makes a distinction between Wajib and Fard, the latter being more obligatory than the former. In Indonesian, wajib also means obligatory, since the word is derived from Arabic.

Individual duty and sufficiency

The Fiqh distinguishes two sorts of duties:

• Individual duty or fard al-ayn (Arabic: الفرض العين) relates to tasks every Muslim is required to perform, such as daily prayer (salah), hijab, or the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime (hajj).
• Sufficiency duty or fard al-kifaya (Arabic: الفرض الكفاية) is a duty which is imposed on the whole community of believers (ummah). The classic example for it is janaza: the individual is not required to perform it as long as a sufficient number of community members fulfil it.

See also

Ahkam

• Ahkam, commandments, of which fard are a type
• Mustahabb, recommended but not required

Other religions

• Mitzvah (somewhat similar Jewish concept)
• Dharma (Hindu/Buddhist/Sikh term that can be used to mean "duty" or "obligation", although there are also other meanings)