Wajib
Wajib names an act Islamic law demands with full binding force, rewarded for doing it and answerable for leaving it without excuse.
What it means for me: Wajib tells you an answer is binding, not a suggestion to weigh against convenience. It carries the same weight whether the topic is worship or a transaction. Treat it as settled, not as one option among several.
Example: A man asks whether he must return a lost item he found. The answer says, 'this is wajib,' so he knows leaving it is not a neutral choice.
Do not confuse with: Fard — the majority use the two words interchangeably, so the practical demand on you is the same either way. The Hanafi school keeps them apart by the strength of the evidence behind each ruling.
If scholars differ: The majority hold wajib and fard are synonyms, describing one binding demand. The Hanafi school treats wajib as resting on evidence that is probable, reserving fard for evidence that is decisive. See Wajib, sunnah, mubah, makruh, and haram, explained.
Often appears in
See the term in context
What is the difference between a pillar (rukn) and an obligation (wajib) in prayer?
First, the difference between a pillar (rukn) and an obligation (wajib) in prayer is that a pillar is not waived whether intentionally, by oversight, or out of ignorance; rather, it must be performed. As for an…
What is the difference between a pillar (rukn) and an obligation (wajib) in prayer, and when are the transitionary takbirs and the tasmi' (saying "Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah") uttered?
The questioner did not specify the paragraph that was unclear to him. However, if he meant the sum of what was mentioned before his question, then these are the duties of prayer. The difference between a pillar (rukn)…
Is zakat obligatory on a golden ornamental palm tree weighing one ton, and what is the amount of this zakat, and what is the difference between what is obligatory (wajib) and an individual religious duty (fard ayn)?
Zakat is obligatory on a golden ornamental palm if it reaches the nisab and a full year has passed over it. One-quarter of one-tenth (2.5%) of its value is to be given, either in gold or its equivalent in cash. The…
Questions that use it
What is the difference between Furood (obligatory acts) and Arkaan (pillars), and is a Fard higher than a Wajib (necessary act) and cannot be compensated for by the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw), like a “pillar”?
What is correct concerning prayers in which a prostration of doubt was repeated without a takbir, taking into consideration following Imam Ahmad's view on the prostration of forgetfulness for unknowingly omitting wajib (obligatory) acts?
What is the difference between Wajib and Fard?