Idrak (attaining: catching up with a prayer, reaching a term, and the right to one's own property)

In the lexicon, idrak means reaching or attaining, as of an animal, a fruit, or a sight; its verbal noun is darak. The jurists use it in these senses: a price "attains" a buyer when it binds him, a boy "attains" the age of puberty when he reaches it, and fruit "attains" when it ripens; the word also gives the guarantee of eviction (daman al-darak). Some jurists use it for harvesting. ¹ The usulis use "sources of the law" (madarik al-shar') for the places where rulings are sought, such as ijtihad. ¹ Some jurists distinguish the one who attains a prayer, the one who catches up with it (lahiq), and the one who is overtaken (masbuq), though in the lexicon attaining and catching up are synonyms. The one who attains a prayer has prayed all of it with the imam, even if he joined in part of the first bowing. The one who catches up has missed all or some of its units through an excuse after he joined. The overtaken one is the one whose imam went ahead of him in all or some of the units. ¹

The ruling varies with the juristic or usuli use; the usuli use is treated in the usuli appendix. ² In worship, attaining the obligatory prayer means joining it and receiving its full reward when it is completed in the best manner, though the jurists differ on what counts as attaining it. ² Most jurists hold that attaining the merit of congregational prayer happens by joining the imam in any part of his prayer, even at the end of the last sitting before the greeting. The Malikis hold that the merit is gained only by attaining a full unit with the imam. ² In dealings, the rule is that whoever finds his own property with another has a better claim to it than anyone, provided he proves it was his by evidence, or the holder of the property confirms it. ² The guarantee of eviction falls under this rule: the buyer recovers the price when the sold item is claimed by a better title. Most jurists hold the guarantee valid, on the saying "whoever finds the property of his own with a man has the better claim to it, and the buyer follows the one who sold to him," and because people need it. ²

The jurists treat idrak in many places: attaining a unit at the end of a prayer's time, attaining standing at Arafat in the pilgrimage, zakat on fruit once it ripens, and the guarantee of eviction, which the Shafi'is treat under guarantee, the Malikis under sale, the Hanafis under surety, and the Hanbalis under salam as the guarantee of the sold item. ² Other places are the attaining of puberty by a boy or girl under interdiction, the sale of fruit on the tree before and after it ripens, and the attaining of game alive in hunting and slaughter. ²