Mustahab
Mustahab names an act Islamic law encourages without binding force, rewarded when done and carrying no accountability at all when left.
What it means for me: Mustahab opens a door without locking you into it. You may take it up for the reward it brings, or set it aside without blame. It sits above the merely permitted and below anything required.
Example: A woman asks about a habit she has seen other worshippers keep. The answer says 'mustahab,' so she knows she may adopt it for reward, or leave it with a clear conscience.
Do not confuse with: Wajib, the obligatory. Hearing that something is mustahab should not leave you feeling you have fallen short by not doing it. Missing a wajib is a different matter.
If scholars differ: The majority treat mustahab, *mandub*, and sunnah in this sense as synonyms. Some jurists rank grades within it, treating a confirmed sunnah as weightier than an ordinary mustahab. This scale is set out further in Wajib, sunnah, mubah, makruh, and haram, explained.
See the term in context
Who coined the terms "Mustahab" (desirable/recommended) and "Makrooh" (disliked/reprehensible) based on the criteria of reward and recompense, and what did they rely on from the Qur'an and Sunnah in doing so? And how did jurists differentiate between what is "Haraam" (forbidden) and "Makrooh," and what is "Waajib" (obligatory) and "Mustahab," especially in Hadiths that contain explicit commands and prohibitions?
The Usulis (jurists specialized in the principles of Islamic jurisprudence) have coined terms to differentiate between actions. They call an action where one is given a choice between doing it or leaving it, with a…
What is the difference between Sunnah, Mandub, Mustahabb, and Nafl?
Some scholars hold that the terms: Sunnah, Mandoub (recommended), Istihbab (preferable), and Nafl (supererogatory) are synonymous, all referring to actions for which one is rewarded for performing them and not punished…
Is it necessary to eat with the family despite not feeling hungry for five hours, and what is the correct Sunnah for eating?
Islam's guidance regarding food and drink is comprehensive and beneficial, and it is divided into two levels: the level of virtue, where one eats only what is necessary to sustain oneself, and the level of obligation,…
Questions that use it
Is washing the private parts during ritual ablution considered an innovation (bid‘ah) if there is no impurity on them, or is it among the recommended (mustahabb) practices?
What is the ruling on taking still pictures with a mobile phone or camera that are not printed, and is this permissible despite the belief that photography in general is forbidden?
Is henna mustahabb or Sunnah? Is it haram for an unmarried woman to engrave and decorate it? Is a married woman who applies it for her husband, then goes out with it and is seen by strange men, committing a sin? And what is meant by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab's prohibition of engraving and embellishing?