Fard (Obligatory)
The obligatory acts in Islam, including the five daily prayers.
Fard (Arabic: فرض) means "obligatory" or "commanded" and refers to actions in Islam that are strictly required of every adult Muslim. The five daily prayers are fard — neglecting them is a sin, and performing them brings great reward.
In the context of prayer, a distinction is made between two types of fard: fard 'ayn (individual obligation) and fard kifayah (collective obligation). The five daily prayers are fard 'ayn — each individual Muslim is personally obligated to pray them. The Jumu'ah prayer (Friday prayer) is fard 'ayn for men who are able to attend.
Within the prayer itself, certain actions are fard (obligatory for the prayer's validity): standing upright, reciting Surah Al-Fatiha, performing ruku and sujud, and sitting for the final tashahhud. If one omits a fard action, the prayer is invalid.
Related terms
Bid'ah (Innovation in Religion)
An innovation or addition to religion that has no basis in the Quran or Sunnah.
Dhul-Hijjah (The Month of Pilgrimage)
The twelfth and last month of the Islamic calendar, in which Hajj and Eid al-Adha take place.
Ma'ad (Resurrection)
Belief in resurrection and judgment day — the fifth article of faith in Shia Islam.
Mafatih al-Jinan (Keys to Paradise)
The most widely used Shia prayer book, compiled by Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi.
Hijri (Islamic Calendar)
The Islamic lunar calendar, which begins with the Prophet's migration to Medina.
Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence)
Islamic legal theory that defines the methods for deriving legal rules from the sacred sources.