Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, nazr () is a vow or commitment to carry out an act. The failure to fulfill the commitment results in the need to take a compensating action, often of a charitable nature, such as feeding the poor. Nazr can also take the form of

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

to a superior or the payment of a fee when taking office. The concept is ancient and recurs throughout the history of the

Islamic world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

. For instance in 1632,

Mirza Zulqarnain Mirza Zulqarnain or Mirza Zul-Qarnain (c. 1594 – c. 1656) was a '' diwan'' and ''faujdar'' of Armenian descent in the court of the Mughal Empire. He was brought up in the royal harem and, after being appointed to official posts, spent mo ...

, a Christian official in the

Mughul Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, paid nazr of five elephants to the Mughal Court."Mirza Zulqarnain - An Armenian Noble"
by Ruquiya K. Husain, ''

Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Indian History Congress is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians with over 35,000 members. It was established in 1935. The name of any new applicant for membership needs to be proposed and seconded by existing Ordinary or L ...

'', vol. 59 (1998), pp. 260-265. via Jstor.org

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* Islamic practices Arabic words and phrases in Sharia {{arabic-lang-stub