Azimah
Azimah names the original rule Islamic law sets for ordinary circumstances, the standard a person returns to once a hardship eases.
What it means for me: Azimah is the default you return to once the hardship behind a rukhsah passes. Neither one is more religious than the other; each simply fits its own situation. Choosing between them is a question of circumstance, not devotion.
Example: Praying the full four units is the azimah for the prayer. Shortening it while traveling is the rukhsah that replaces it, only for as long as the journey lasts.
Do not confuse with: Rukhsah, concession. Azimah is the standing rule; rukhsah is the exception made for a hardship, available only while that hardship's reason remains present.
If scholars differ: Jurists agree azimah is the standard ruling once the reason for a rukhsah no longer applies. They differ on borderline cases, where a hardship is real but does not clearly match a recognized concession.
See the term in context
What is the third opinion among scholars regarding taking dispensations (rukhas), and does it prefer taking the dispensation or the strict ruling (azimah), or is there no preference between them?
The questioner confuses legal concessions (al-rukhsa al-shar'iyyah) with jurisprudential dispensations (al-rukhas al-fiqhiyyah). While it is permissible to act upon a legal concession, scholars differ on the ruling…
What is the difference between iradah (will) and azimah (resolve)? May Allah reward you.
Willpower is absolute volition and the inclination of the soul to undertake something, whereas determination is willpower coupled with resolve, meaning the firm intention to carry out something without hesitation.…
If a bearded man is in grave danger, such as death or torture, is it better for him to remain steadfast and not shave his beard, or to avail himself of the concession and shave it, especially if his parents order him to do so out of fear for him? And would he be sinful for disobeying them in this situation?
Shaving the beard is permissible under duress (ikrah) that is considered valid by Sharia, such as fear for one's life. However, patience and adherence to the stricter ruling (al-azimah) are preferable to taking the…
Questions that use it
Is Fatimah Az-Zahra' purified from menstruation?
Is it permissible to cut ties with sisters and the mother and not visit them to avoid their harm, evil, and insults, especially since the mother does not forbid such behavior?
What is the interpretation of the noble verse: "But whoever disputes with you concerning him after knowledge has come to you, say, 'Come, let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and ourselves and yourselves, then supplicate earnestly [together] and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars'"? And is it true, as the Shias claim, that "ourselves" refers to Ali, "our sons" refers to Al-Hasan and Al-Hussein, and "our women" refers to Fatimah Az-Zahraa, and that "our women" is a plural of veneration for Fatimah Az-Zahraa?