Mustahabb (Arabic: مُسْتَحَبّ, lit. 'beloved thing') is an Islamic term referring to an action or thing that is recommended and favoured.
Mustahabb actions are those whose ruling (ahkam) in Islamic law falls between mubah (neutral; neither encouraged nor discouraged) and wajib (compulsory). One definition is "duties recommended, but not essential; fulfilment of which is rewarded, though they may be neglected without punishment".[1] Synonyms of mustahabb include masnun and mandub. The opposite of mustahabb is makruh (discouraged).
Parallels have been drawn between the concept of mustahabb in Islamic law and the concept of supererogatory acts in the Western philosophical tradition.[2]
Examples
editThere are possibly thousands of mustahabb acts,[3] including:
See also
edit- Ihtiyat Mustahabb
- Makruh
- Supererogation, a similar concept in Western philosophy and religion
References
edit- ^ Reuben Levy, The Social Structure of Islam, p. 202
- ^ ZAROUG, ABDULLAHI HASSAN (1985). "THE CONCEPT OF PERMISSION, SUPEREROGATORY ACTS AND ASETICISM [sic] IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE". Islamic Studies. 24 (2): 167–180. ISSN 0578-8072. JSTOR 20847307.
- ^ Turner, Colin (2013-12-19). Islam: The Basics. Routledge. p. 133. ISBN 9781134296910. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
External links
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