''Mustahabb'' () is an
Islamic term referring to an action or thing that is recommended and favoured.
''Mustahabb'' actions are those whose ruling (''
ahkam'') in
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 ...
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 (a traditional Islamic
greeting, though responding to the greeting is an obligation)
*
Sadaqah (charity outside of
zakat)
*
Umrah
The Umrah () is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, located in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. It can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the '' Ḥajj'' (; "pilgrimage"), which has specific d ...
(except in the
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...
and
Hanbali madhhab
A ''madhhab'' (, , pl. , ) refers to any school of thought within fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. The major Sunni Islam, Sunni ''madhhab'' are Hanafi school, Hanafi, Maliki school, Maliki, Shafi'i school, Shafi'i and Hanbali school, Hanbali.
They ...
, 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 ethics
Sharia legal terminology
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