In Islamic terminology, something which is ''makruh'' ( ar, مكروه,

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...

: ''makrooh'' or ''makrūh'') is a disliked or offensive act (literally "detestable" or "abominable"). This is one of the five categories (''al-ahkam al-khamsa'') in Islamic law – ''

wajib ' ( ar, فرض) or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God. The word is also used in Turkish, Persian, Pashto, Urdu (''spelled farz''), and Malay (''spelled fardu or fardhu'') in the same meaning. Muslims who obey such c ...

fard ' ( ar, فرض) or ' () or fardh in Islam is a religious duty commanded by God. The word is also used in Turkish, Persian, Pashto, Urdu (''spelled farz''), and Malay (''spelled fardu or fardhu'') in the same meaning. Muslims who obey such ...

'' (obligatory), ''

Mustahabb ''Mustahabb'' () is an Islamic term referring to recommended, favoured or virtuous actions. ''Mustahabb'' actions are those whose ruling ('' ahkam'') in Islamic law falls between '' mubah'' (neutral; neither encouraged nor discouraged) and '' ...

/mandub'' (recommended), ''

mubah ''Mubāḥ'' (Arabic: مباح) is an Arabic word meaning "permitted", which has technical uses in Islamic law. In uṣūl al-fiqh (''principles of Islamic jurisprudence''), ''mubāḥ'' is one of the five degrees of approval ( ahkam): # () - ...

'' (neutral), ''makruh'' (disapproved), ''

haram ''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...

'' (forbidden). Though a ''makruh'' act is not ''

'' (forbidden) or subject to punishment, a person who abstains from this act will be rewarded. Muslims are encouraged to avoid such actions when or as possible. It is one of the degrees of approval (''

ahkam ''Ahkam'' (, ar, أحكام "rulings", plural of ()) is an Islamic term with several meanings. In the Quran, the word ''hukm'' is variously used to mean arbitration, judgement, authority, or God in Islam, God's will. In the early Islamic peri ...

'') in

Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

. Acts considered ''makruh'' can vary between different

madhhabs A ( ar, مذهب ', , "way to act". pl. مَذَاهِب , ) is a school of thought within ''fiqh'' (Islamic jurisprudence). The major Sunni Mathhab are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. They emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries CE an ...

due to differing scholarly interpretations of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

and

Hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

, with

Hanafi The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named a ...

scholars in particular differing from the other

in regards to classification of ''makruh''.

Overview

Actions that are reprehensible and violate rules of

Fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

are considered to be ''makruh.'' ''Makruh'' is considered to be of two types: * ''Makruh Tahrimi'', مکروہ تَحریمی - Actions disliked in the same vein as

actions, but does not have definitive proof and instead uses speculative evidence for their prohibition. Unlike haram actions, committing these types of actions does not lead to unfaithfulness. This type of ''makruh'' is primarily cited by Hanafi scholars when issuing Fatwa, and is not used by scholars of other

. * ''Makruh Tanzihi'', مکروه تنزیهی - Not strictly forbidden according to scholars, but is disliked if done. Engaging in actions that are considered this type of ''makruh'' will not lead to punishment, but avoiding these types of actions will bring one closer to God. This type of ''makruh'' is primarily used by all

, and is interchangeable with the word ''makruh'' in most cases. The

school uses the ''makruh tahrimi'' classification on the basis that there is doubt (but not extremely significant) in the chain of narration and/or authenticity of a

that provides evidence that a particular act is considered haram. All other

would consider classifying an act as haram in this case.

Examples

Some of the examples of something considered ''makruh'' are the use of a great amount of water when performing

ritual purification Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may ...

s known as the ''

wudu Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The 4 Fardh (Mandatory) acts of ''Wudu'' consists of washing the face, arms, then wiping the head and the fe ...

'' (partial ablution, or ''abdest'') and '' ghusl'' (full ablution) or the consumption of garlic before attending the mosque or socializing with others. An example of a food which is considered ''makruh'' for Muslims of the

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten. The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...

s (but only for the Hanafi school). There are, however, shared attitudes within the Hanafi school of whether shrimp are considered water game and are thereby ''

halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...

''. Hanafis believe in refraining from it and in eating something else if possible. An example in regards to clothing that is considered ''makruh'' is wearing garments below the ankle. However, debate among scholars, particularly of the

Maliki The ( ar, مَالِكِي) school is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas in the 8th century. The Maliki school of jurisprudence relies on the Quran and hadiths as primary ...

school, has led to some considering it haram while others maintain it is ''makruh''. While the wearing of silk garments and gold jewelry by men is considered haram in all other schools, the Hanafi school considers it ''makruh tahrimi'' due to doubt in the chain of narration and authenticity of the Hadith in which this evidence is sourced. Another example of ''makruh tahrimi'' is making an offer to buy something that has an offer already placed by another person. Similarly to the rule on men and silk garments, the Hanafi school considers it ''makruh tahrimi'' since the Hadith in which the evidence is found has some doubt to the chain of narration. Other examples of ''makruh'' acts in Islam include swearing, talking while taking ablutions for prayer, and slaughtering an animal for food where other animals of its kind can see it.

References

Arabic words and phrases in Sharia Islamic jurisprudence Islamic terminology Islamic ethics Ritual purity in Islam Sharia legal terminology {{ethics-stub

Overview

Examples

See also

References