Fard

Farḍ (Arabic: فرض) or farīḍah (فريضة) is an Islamic term which denotes a religious duty commanded by Allah (God). The word is also used in Persian, Pashto, Turkish, and Urdu (spelled farz) in the same meaning. Muslims who obey such commands or duties are said to receive hasanat, ajr or thawab each time for each good deed.

Fard or its synonym wājib (واجب) 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 obligatory and the former merely necessary. 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 farḍ al-'ayn (الفرض العين) relates to tasks every Muslim is required to perform, such as daily prayer (salat), or the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime (hajj).
• Sufficiency duty or farḍ al-kifāya (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 fulfill it.

See also

• Dua

Ahkam

• Ahkam, commandments, of which fardh 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)
• Dao (Chinese, meaning the "way" or "path")