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Guarding (hirasa)

الحراسة

Hirasa (guarding) means keeping a thing safe continuously, and the term keeps this meaning in law. ¹ It differs from ribat, which is residence at a frontier to strengthen the Muslims, and from himan, the reservation of a plot against grazing. ¹ ² It takes the five rulings: obligatory, as when part of an army guards another during the prayer of fear; recommended, as in guarding a frontier or a volunteer raid; permitted, as in guarding fruit or markets; and forbidden, as in guarding places of unlawful amusement. ² Using a dog for guarding is generally allowed, and the guard's liability is disputed. ³

Depth

At a glance

Era: The Prophetic Era
Region: Global / Diaspora
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Crime and punishment

Summary

Hirasa (guarding) means keeping a thing safe continuously, and the term keeps this meaning in law. ¹ It differs from ribat, which is residence at a frontier to strengthen the Muslims, and from himan, the reservation of a plot against grazing. ¹ ² It takes the five rulings: obligatory, as when part of an army guards another during the prayer of fear; recommended, as in guarding a frontier or a volunteer raid; permitted, as in guarding fruit or markets; and forbidden, as in guarding places of unlawful amusement. ² Using a dog for guarding is generally allowed, and the guard's liability is disputed. ³

People and things also explored

Habs (imprisonment and detention)· Hadr (blood and value wasted: no retaliation, no compensation)· Harisa (a superficial wound)· Hashima (a head wound that breaks the bone: its compensation)· Cauterising the stump (hasm)· Hija' (satire and insult in verse: its rules)· Hirabah (highway robbery)· Safe custody (hirz) in theft

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.6978
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.6979
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.6980

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Guarding (hirasa)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/hirasa/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ideas

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

Habs (imprisonment and detention)

In the technical sense habs is holding a person back, preventing him from acting for himself and going about his affairs. Jurists agree that it is lawful. Most treat it as a branch of discretionary punishment (ta'zir), used either as a penalty or to secure a suspect, and most set no upper limit on its length, leaving that to the judge. It may be open-ended or for life, and it ends with death, repentance or the pardon of the person wronged. Jurists also set rules for women, ambiguous and juvenile detainees, the prisoner's transactions, maintenance and oaths, the prohibited forms of discipline, and the jailer's qualities and the state's duty to oversee prisons.