Islam Museum Islam Museum islam.museum
Search ⌕ ARENUR
Accessibility
Text size 100%

Saved on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere.

Original ruling (azima) and concession (rukhsa)

العَزِيمة

In the lexicon, azima is effort and earnestness in a matter, and the azima of God is His obligation. As a technical term it is what is made easier for the person in a case of excuse and inability while the forbidding cause still exists; by another definition it is the original ruling, free of any opposing ruling 1 2. The Hanafis divide azima into obligation, necessity, sunna and voluntary; al-Qarafi restricts it to the obligatory and the recommended; al-Baydawi holds that all five rulings apply to it, while some restrict it to the obligatory 2. Sometimes the law lifts hardship, so that the person may choose between the original ruling and the concession, and the jurists differ on which to prefer 2 3. The full discussion is in the legal theory appendix 3.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Development of law, theology and institutions

Summary

In the lexicon, azima is effort and earnestness in a matter, and God's azima is His obligation. As a technical term it is the ruling for the person in a case of excuse, while the forbidding cause still exists 1 2.

Divisions

The Hanafis divide azima into obligation, necessity, sunna and voluntary. Al-Qarafi restricts it to the obligatory and the recommended, while al-Baydawi holds that all five rulings apply to it 2.

Choosing between the original ruling and the concession

Sometimes the law lifts hardship, so that the person may choose between the original ruling and the concession (rukhsa). The jurists differ on which to prefer 2 3. The full discussion is in the legal theory appendix 3.

People and things also explored

Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Justice and uprightness (adl)· Contagion (adwa)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God· Term, deadline (ajal)· Hired worker (ajir)· Stranger, outsider (ajnabi)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11598
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11599
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11600
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Original ruling (azima) and concession (rukhsa)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/azima/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)

In the lexicon, add is gripping a thing with the teeth and holding it. If a person bites another without right and a wound results, the biter must pay the damages for the wound, assessed as a just award by experts. If one man bites another's hand and the bitten man pulls it free so that the biter's front teeth fall out, most jurists hold that there is no liability, relying on a prophetic judgement in such a case; the Shafi'is limit this to a bitten man who chose the easiest means of release, and the preferred Maliki view requires compensation.