Hudud
/hʊˈduːd/noun
In Islamic law, hudud are fixed offenses and punishments regarded as limits prescribed by God.
Did you know?Hudud is the plural of Arabic ḥadd, a word whose older sense is a physical boundary or sharp dividing edge, later applied to sacred legal limits.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥadd-
“To set a boundary or mark a limit; the precise reconstruction is debated.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥadd
“A limit, boundary, restriction, or defined legal boundary.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥudūd
“Plural of ḥadd: limits, boundaries, or prescribed legal penalties.”
7th–10th Century
Arabic
ḥudūd
“A category of offenses and sanctions treated in Islamic jurisprudence as divinely fixed limits.”
19th–20th Century
English
hudud
“A loanword used in English discussions of Islamic law, especially for fixed criminal punishments.”