Fard
/fɑːrd/noun
An act or duty regarded as obligatory in Islam.
Did you know?Islamic jurisprudence distinguishes fard ʿayn, an obligation for every individual, from fard kifāya, a communal duty fulfilled when enough people perform it.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
farada
“To impose, prescribe, apportion, or make obligatory.”
Qur’anic Arabic
Arabic
farīḍa
“An imposed or prescribed duty; a religious obligation.”
Early Islamic jurisprudence
Arabic
farḍ
“A legally or religiously obligatory act.”
Medieval Persian and Urdu
Persian/Urdu
farz
“A religious duty or obligation, borrowed from Arabic farḍ.”
17th–18th Century
English
fard
“An Islamic religious obligation, appearing in English discussions of Muslim law and practice.”
Modern English
English
fard
“A duty considered obligatory in Islam.”