''Fasād'' ( ), or ''fasaad'', is an Arabic word meaning 'rottenness', 'corruption', or 'depravity'. In an

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

context, it can refer to "spreading corruption on Earth" or "spreading mischief in a Muslim land", moral corruption against

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

, or disturbance of the public peace. The spread of ''fasad'' is a major theme in the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, and the notion is often contrasted with ''

islah Islah or Al-Islah (الإصلاح ,إصلاح, ') is an Arabic word, usually translated as "reform", in the sense of "to improve, to better, to put something into a better position, correction, correcting something and removing vice, reworking, ...

'' ("setting things aright"). Classical Quranic commentators commonly interpreted "corruption in the land" as open disobedience against God or its result. In certain contexts, classical jurists took it to refer to the legal category of

Hirabah In Islamic law, ''Ḥirābah'' () is a legal category that comprises highway robbery (traditionally understood as aggravated robbery or grand larceny, unlike theft, which has a different punishment), rape, and terrorism. Ḥirābah means piracy o ...

, comprising armed assault, rape and murder. Some contemporary Muslims view destruction of the natural environment to be among the central meanings of verses referring to ''fasad''. The term has been used in the legal codes of the

Islamic Republic of Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. In Iran, laws referencing it have been used to prosecute or threaten political opposition figures.

In Islamic scripture

Quran

The spread of ''fasad'' is a major theme in the Quran, and the notion is often contrasted with ''

'' ("setting things aright"). Terms derived from the verbal root appear in a number of Quranic verses. The verb ''afsad'' (to cause fasad) appears, for example, in chapter 2 (

Al-Baqara Al-Baqarah (, ; "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), also spelled as Al-Baqara, is the second and longest chapter (''surah'') of the Quran. It consists of 286 verses ('' āyāt'') which begin with the "'' muqatta'at''" letters ''alif'' ()'', lām'' ( ...

), verse 11-12,

When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only Want to make peace!" Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not. –

Classical Quranic commentators commonly interpreted spreading "corruption in the land" or "mischief on the earth" as open disobedience against God or its result. Some contemporary Muslims view destruction of the natural environment to be among the central meanings of these verses. In chapter 5 (

Al-Ma'ida Al-Ma'idah (; 'The Table pread with Food is the fifth surah, chapter of the Quran, containing 120 āyah, verses. Al-Mā'idah means "Meal" or "Banquet" . This name is taken from verses 112 to 115, which tell the Disciples of Jesus in Islam ...

) of

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

, verse 33 contains the expression "to strive mischievously in the land" (yas'awna fi-l-ardi fasadan):

The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive to spread corruption through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter. –

The scope of this verse has been limited by most classical commentators to the armed crimes falling under the legal category of

, which comprises armed robbery, assault (including rape), and murder, particularly of innocent travelers on the road. A "small minority" viewed this verse as applying to apostates in general. This verse follows verses 26-31 which refer to the incident in which Qabil (

Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...

), son of

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

, killed his brother Habil (

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

). Those who cause mischief in the land (yufsiduna fi al-ard) are counted as "the losers" in Al-Baqara, verse 27:

Those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it, and sever that which Allah ordered to be joined, and (who) make mischief in the earth: Those are they who are the losers. –

The word "losers" indicates being bereft of something, and can also mean "being lost", in the sense of losing one's way or one's self.

Hadiths

Mischief has a broad meaning in Sahih Bukhari and other texts of Islam. Breaking ties with one's Muslim kith and kin is stated to be a form of ''fasad'' in Book 73 of Sahih Bukhari,Fethi Ahmed (2005), The Dilemma of Corruption in Southeast Asia, University Malaya Press, , pp 25-28

The Prophet said, "Allah created the creations, and when He finished from His creations, Ar-Rahm (womb) said, "(O Allah) at this place I seek refuge with You from all those who sever the ties of kith and kin. Allah said, 'Yes, won't you be pleased that I will keep good relations with the one who will keep good relations with you, and I will sever the relation with the one who will sever the relations with you.' Allah's Apostle added. "Read (in the Qur'an) if you wish, the Statement of Allah: 'Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land and sever your ties of kinship? (Surah Muhammad, Chapter 47: Verse 22)' –

thieves who killed a shepherd and did other crimes were punished by death
bukhari:5727
Sunan Abu Dawud, in 38.4359, states that the punishment for fasad was revealed for

polytheists Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an apparently polytheistic religion, such as Chinese folk religions, is really so, or whet ...

In modern politics and law

Pakistan

Pakistan law includes the principle of fasad-fil-arz (corruption on earth), which allows an offender to be punished (with a sentence of up to 14 years of imprisonment) even if they are forgiven by the victim's party under Qisas and Diyat.

Iran

After the Islamic revolution in Iran, suspected royalists were purged from the civil service and the army with justifications that employed the Quranic notions of ''fasad'' and '' fitna''. The clerical leadership attempted to present this campaign as analogous to the actions of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and

Ali ibn Abi Talib Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...

. Acting as the prayer leader of Tehran, Ayatollah

Hussein-Ali Montazeri Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri ( ; 24 September 1922 – 19 December 2009) was an Iranian Shia Islamic theologian, Islamic democracy advocate, writer, and human rights activist. He was one of the leaders of the Iranian Revolution and on ...

commented that Muhammad was sent by God "to salvage he inhabitants of Meccafrom corrupted moralities 'mafasid akhlaq''. He identified fasad with "plotters, spies and traitors in government offices and institutions" and warned that failure to take action against it would put an end to "the sciences, the arts and progress".Haggay R. (1992), "Crushing the opposition: adversaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran", ''The Middle East Journal'', Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 427–428 In the

the offense is known as ''

Mofsed-e-filarz ''Mofsed-e-filarz'' (, also ''Mofsed fel-Arz'', ''Afsad-i fil Arz'', or ''fasad-fel-arz'', ''Al-Mufsid fi al-Arḍ'', also ''fasad fi 'l-ard''; ) is the title of capital crimes, or the person guilty of them, in Iran, which has been translated in ...

'' and is a capital crime. The charge was used by Islamic Republican judicial authorities in the early days of the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

, resulting in many imprisonments and executions. Possibly more than 8,000 people suffered that fate, ranging from former members of the Shah's government, leaders of opposition or terrorist groups, or simply opponents of the regime. It has been used against leaders of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

on a number of occasions,Baha’i Leaders Remain Unjustly Detained After One Year
ICHRI, 14 May 2009 and in February 2011 a large majority of members of the Iranian parliament called for the prosecution and execution of

Iranian opposition The Iranian opposition consists of groups and individuals in Iran who oppose the government of the Islamic Republic since its foundation in 1979. These groups are ideologically diverse, ranging from monarchists to supporters of parliamentary dem ...

leaders

Mehdi Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi (, born 26 September 1937) is an Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician leading the National Trust Party. Following 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, Karroubi was put under house arrest in February 2011. As of 2021, he ...

and

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh (, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian politician, artist, architect and opposition figure who served as the 45th and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a reformist candidate for the 2009 Iranian p ...

on the charge of mofsed-e-filarz.Iran Lawmakers Want Opposition Leaders Killed
ALAN COWELL and NEIL MacFARQUHAR, nyt.com, February 15, 2011

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Tafsir Sura 5, Verse 33
Analysis of Qur'anic verses. Arabic words and phrases in Sharia Islam and capital punishment