Hujna (hybridness, in the fiqh sense: spoils shares and speech)

هُجْنَة

Hujna is defect and ugliness in the lexical sense; the hajin among horses is the foal of a non-Arab mare by a stallion, and among people the one born of an Arab father and a non-Arab mother. 1 Good speech avoids naming disgusting defects directly and uses euphemism. 2 On the share of a hybrid horse in the spoils, the Hanafis, Malikis and Shafi'is give it the same share as an Arab horse; the Hanbalis distinguish: an Arab horse (ateeq) earns its rider three shares, while a hajin, a muqraf and a birdhawn earn two shares, one for the rider and one for the horse. 2 3 The Hanbali position relies on a report from Khalid ibn Ma'dan, transmitted as mursal in Abu Dawud's Marasil. 3

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
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Summary

Hujna is defect and ugliness in the lexical sense. The hajin among horses is the foal of a non-Arab mare by a stallion; among people it is one born of an Arab father and a non-Arab mother. 1

Speech etiquette

Good speech avoids naming disgusting things outright and uses euphemism that conveys the meaning. 2

The spoils share of a hybrid horse

The Hanafis, Malikis and Shafi'is give a hybrid horse the same share as an Arab horse. 2 The Hanbalis distinguish: a rider on an Arab horse (ateeq) gets three shares; on a hajin, a muqraf or a birdhawn he gets two, one for himself and one for the horse. They rely on a report from Khalid ibn Ma'dan, transmitted as mursal in Abu Dawud's Marasil. 3

Connections

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Related to
Hadr (blood and value wasted: no retaliation, no compensation)· Al-hajna — the stigma of mixed lineage

People and things also explored

Hudna (truce with non-Muslims)· The mawali (clients)· Khalid ibn Abdallah al-Qasri· Al-hajna — the stigma of mixed lineage· Dissuading others from fighting· Hadr (blood and value wasted: no retaliation, no compensation)· Ali spares Amr ibn al-As after he was exposed· Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16447
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16448
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16449
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Hujna (hybridness, in the fiqh sense: spoils shares and speech)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/hujna-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Hudna (truce with non-Muslims)

Hudna, in the lexical sense, is calm; as a technical term it is an agreement to refrain from fighting with the enemy for a period. The Hanafis call it a settlement for money or without money when the imam sees benefit; the Hanbalis define it as a contract by the imam or his deputy to cease fighting non-Muslims for a known period matching the need. It differs from aman, the lifting of the licence to kill a belligerent and take his property for a time, and from the dhimma contract, which is a permanent safe-conduct while hudna is temporary. Its legitimacy rests on the Qur'an (Surat al-Tawba, and Surat al-Anfal 61), on the Prophet's truce with Quraysh at Hudaybiyya for ten years, and on consensus that it is permitted in general, and may be obligatory in necessity.