Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
term referring to someone who violates
Islamic law
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
. As a fasiq is considered unreliable, his testimony is not accepted in Islamic courts. The terms ''fasiq'' and ''fisq'' are sometime rendered as "impious", " venial sinner", or "depraved".
Constant committing of minor sins or the major sins that do not require greater punishment, which are described as
wickedness
Wickedness is generally considered a synonym for evil or sinfulness. Among theologians and philosophers, it has the more specific meaning of a profound evil committed consciously and of free will. It can also be considered the quality or state ...
in
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
terminology, are punished by the judge's discretion, without a certain limit and measure.
In
tazir
In Islamic Law, ''tazir'' (''ta'zeer'' or ''ta'zir'', ) lit. scolding; refers to punishment for offenses at the discretion of the judge (Qadi) or ruler of the state. or "to leave or go out of."
In its original
Quranic
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 ...
usage, the term did not have the specific meaning of a violator of laws, and was more broadly associated with ''
kufr
''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam a ...
'' (disbelief). Some theologians have associated fasiq-related behaviour to ''ahl al-hawa'' (people of caprice).Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. "The Approved and Disapproved Varieties of" Ra'y"(Personal Opinion in Islam)." American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 7.1 (1990): 39.
Theological debate
*The jurist
Wasil ibn Ata
Wāṣil ibn ʿAtāʾ (699–748) (), also known as al-Ghazzal, was a Muslim theologian and jurist. He is considered to be the founder of the Mu'tazilism, Mu'tazilite school of Kalam.
Born in 699 in the Arabian Peninsula, he initially studied un ...
(700–748 CE) submitted that a ''fasiq'' remained a member of
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
society, so retained rights to life and property though he could not hold a religious position. This opinion set him at odds with
Murji'ah
Murji'ah (, English: "Those Who Postpone"), also known as Murji'as or Murji'ites (singular Murji'), were an early Islamic sect. The Murji'ah school of theology prioritized the importance of one's professed faith over the acts, deeds, or rituals th ...
jurists who considered a ''fasiq'' to be a '' munafiq'' (hypocrite), and the
Kharijites
The Kharijites (, singular ) were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the conflict with his challeng ...
who considered the ''fasiq'' a ''
kafir
''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam as ...
''.
*To the Kharijites "faith without works" was worthless, so one who professed
Islam
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 ...
Ayatollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...
Sharia
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...