''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 ''
wajib'' (compulsory). One definition is "duties recommended, but not essential; fulfilment of which is rewarded, though they may be neglected without punishment". 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.
Examples
There are possibly thousands of mustahabb acts,
including:
*
As-Salamu Alaykum
As-salamu alaykum ( ar, ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, , ), also ''Salamun Alaykum'' is a greeting in Arabic that means 'Peace be upon you'. The (, meaning 'peace') has become a religious salutation for Muslims worldwide when gre ...
(a traditional Islamic
greeting
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indi ...
) (though responding to the greeting is an obligation)
*
Sadaqah (charity outside of
zakat)
*
Umrah (except in the
Shafi'i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
and
Hanbali
The Hanbali school ( ar, ٱلْمَذْهَب ٱلْحَنۢبَلِي, al-maḏhab al-ḥanbalī) is one of the four major traditional Sunni schools ('' madhahib'') of Islamic jurisprudence. It is named after the Arab scholar Ahmad ibn Hanba ...
madhhab
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 centurie ...
, wherein it is
fard)
See also
*
Ihtiyat Mustahabb
*
Makruh
*
Supererogation, a similar concept in Western philosophy and religion
References
External links
Difference between the Terms Sunnah and Mustahabb in the Terminology of Islamic Jurisprudence
Arabic words and phrases in Sharia
Islamic jurisprudence
Islamic terminology
Islamic ethics
Sharia legal terminology
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