Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil, Discussion on Ṣalāh, Vol. 1, p. 218
Is Witr prayer farḍ or wājib? What is the detailed difference between farḍ and wājib?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿammā baʿd!
Witr prayer is not farḍ; rather, it is from taṭawwuʿ (voluntary worship).
In the book Irshād al-Fuḥūl, it is stated that according to the majority of scholars, farḍ and wājib are synonymous (mutarādif), and there is no practical difference between them.
However, according to the Ḥanafī school, a distinction is made between farḍ and wājib, explained in the books of fiqh such as Musallam al-Thubūt:
But it must be noted that this differentiation of farḍ and wājib as separate categories is not explicitly found in the Qurʾān or Sunnah. The textual sources of Islam do not present such a division.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
❖ Question:
Is Witr prayer farḍ or wājib? What is the detailed difference between farḍ and wājib?
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿammā baʿd!
Witr prayer is not farḍ; rather, it is from taṭawwuʿ (voluntary worship).
In the book Irshād al-Fuḥūl, it is stated that according to the majority of scholars, farḍ and wājib are synonymous (mutarādif), and there is no practical difference between them.
However, according to the Ḥanafī school, a distinction is made between farḍ and wājib, explained in the books of fiqh such as Musallam al-Thubūt:
- If a command (ṭalab) is established by definitive evidence (dalīl qaṭʿī), it is termed farḍ.
- If a command is established by probabilistic evidence (dalīl ẓannī), it is termed wājib.
But it must be noted that this differentiation of farḍ and wājib as separate categories is not explicitly found in the Qurʾān or Sunnah. The textual sources of Islam do not present such a division.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
