Farz
/fɑːrz/noun
An obligatory religious duty in Islam, especially in South Asian Muslim usage.
Did you know?Farz is the South Asian form of Arabic farḍ, a central Islamic legal term contrasting obligatory acts with merely recommended ones.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
farḍ (فَرْض)
“An imposed obligation, prescribed duty, or fixed portion”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
farḍ
“A religious duty regarded as obligatory under Islamic law”
Medieval Persian
Persian
farz
“An obligation or religious duty; borrowed from Arabic”
13th–16th Century
Early Urdu
farz
“A compulsory religious duty, contrasted with optional or recommended acts”
19th–20th Century
English
farz
“An obligatory Islamic duty, chiefly in writing about South Asian Islam”
Modern English
English
farz
“An Islamic obligation or duty, usually retained as a specialized loanword”