Fardh
/fɑːrd/noun
An obligatory religious duty in Islamic law.
Did you know?Islamic jurisprudence traditionally distinguishes fardh ʿayn, an obligation on every individual, from fardh kifāyah, which is fulfilled when enough members of the community perform it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic era
Proto-Semitic
*farḍ
“Reconstructed root associated with imposing, prescribing, or assigning; the exact prehistoric form is uncertain.”
7th Century
Quranic Arabic
فَرْض (farḍ)
“Something prescribed, appointed, or made obligatory.”
8th–10th Century
Classical Arabic
فَرْض (farḍ)
“A divinely or legally mandated religious duty in developing Islamic jurisprudence.”
Medieval period
Arabic
فَرِيضَة (farīḍah)
“An obligatory duty or prescribed religious ordinance, a related form from the same root.”
20th Century
English
fardh
“A scholarly transliteration used in English-language writing about Islamic law and practice.”