alFard

alFard is the definite form of the Arabic term fard, meaning an obligation or duty in Islamic jurisprudence. The root f-r-d conveys the sense of something that is compulsory and binding. In fiqh (Islamic legal theory), fard denotes acts prescribed by revelation that must be performed; neglect or deliberate avoidance is considered a sin.

The concept is commonly distinguished from other categories of religious duties, such as wajib (obligatory but sometimes considered less stringent than fard), sunnah (recommended acts), mustahabb (commendable but not required), and mubah (neutral or permissible actions). Within fard, scholars distinguish fard ‘ayn (an individual obligation that each Muslim must fulfill personally) and fard kifaya (a collective obligation that, once fulfilled by some members of the community, absolves others).

Typical examples often cited as fard ‘ayn include the five daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, zakat if a person has the requisite wealth, and the obligation to perform Hajj for those who are physically and financially able. Fard kifaya can encompass duties such as certain funeral rites or community defense in historical contexts, where the community as a whole is obligated to arrange them; if enough people perform the duty, others are excused.

In scholarly usage, al-Fard appears across Sunni and Shia legal texts, though the application and examples can vary slightly by school of thought. The term is rarely used outside purely religious contexts, but transliteration variants (al-Fard, al-Farḍ) are common in Islamic literature. In some cases, it may appear as a proper noun in names or titles, though its primary meaning remains the theological concept of an obligatory duty.