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Insat (silent attentive listening, and its rulings in worship)

الإنصات

Insat is lexically and in usage silence for listening; some define it as silence alone. 1 It differs from istima', which is the intent to hear in order to grasp what is heard; insat is silence with the intent to listen. 1 Sama' does not require intent to the thing heard, whereas insat does. 2 The majority hold silent attention obligatory on those present at the Friday sermon, and the Hanafis and Shafi'is hold the same for the Eid sermons, while the Malikis hold it recommended. 2 Listening to the recitation of the Qur'an, both within prayer when the imam recites aloud and outside it, is sought by the law. 2

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Worship and the pillars

Definition

Insat is, lexically and in usage, silence for listening; some define it simply as silence. 1

Related terms

  • Istima': the intent to hear in order to grasp or benefit from what is heard. Insat is silence with that intent. 1
  • Sama': hearing, which does not require intent toward what is heard, whereas insat does. 2

Where insat applies

  • The Friday sermon: the majority hold silent attention obligatory on those who attend; the matter has disputes and detail. 2
  • The Eid sermons: the Hanafis and Shafi'is treat them as the Friday sermon; the Malikis hold it recommended. 2
  • Qur'an recitation: attentive silence is sought by the law both within prayer when the imam recites aloud and outside it, on the basis of sura al-A'raf (7:204). 2

People and things also explored

The ruling on one who abandons prayer· Ada' (performance of an obligation within its time)· Adhan (the call to prayer: its ruling, wording, conditions, recommended features and the muezzin)· Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation· The adornment of desires and the goods of this world· The people of the bench (ahl al-suffa)· The earth made a place of prayer and purity· Spending in the way of God (infaq)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3505
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3506
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Insat (silent attentive listening, and its rulings in worship)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/insat/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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The ruling on one who abandons prayer

Al-Sallabi quotes Ali: whoever does not pray is an unbeliever. He then reports from al-Nawawi the dispute over one who neglects prayer while believing it obligatory: the majority (Malik, al-Shafi'i) hold him a sinner to be asked to repent, others hold him an unbeliever, a view ascribed to Ali; Abu Hanifa and the Kufans hold him not an unbeliever but to be disciplined.