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Rajul (the adult male): the rules that set men apart from women

الرجل

In the technical sense a rajul is a male of mankind who has passed childhood by puberty; for inheritance the word covers a male from birth. 1 2 Men are distinguished by several rules: silk and gold are forbidden to them, a silver ring is allowed, their nakedness runs from navel to knees, the call to prayer, leading men in prayer and the Friday prayer are theirs, the blood-money of a free Muslim man is one hundred camels, and jihad is obligatory on them when it is a collective duty. Only men give testimony in retaliation and hudud. 2 3 4 In inheritance and guardianship the man precedes where he is better placed to protect the interests, while the woman precedes in custody. 5

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Family, marriage and kinshipWorship and the pillars

Summary

In the technical sense a rajul is a male of mankind who has passed childhood by puberty; for inheritance the word covers a male from birth. 1 2 Men are distinguished by several rules: silk and gold are forbidden to them, a silver ring is allowed, their nakedness runs from navel to knees, the call to prayer, leading men in prayer and the Friday prayer are theirs, the blood-money of a free Muslim man is one hundred camels, and jihad is obligatory on them when it is a collective duty. Only men give testimony in retaliation and hudud. 2 3 4 In inheritance and guardianship the man precedes where he is better placed to protect the interests, while the woman precedes in custody. 5

People and things also explored

The sacrifice for a newborn (aqiqa): its ruling, age, animals and manner· Childhood (sighar: its stages, the rights and duties of the minor, guardianship, the minor in worship and contracts, marriage, testimony and penalties)· Shahwa (desire: its effect on touch and ablution, on fasting and pilgrimage, on looking, on marriage by touch and on the breaking of the marriage bond)· The male organ (dhakar) in the rulings· Shakk (doubt in law: its kinds, the rule that certainty is not removed by doubt, and its effect on worship, contracts, penalties and evidence)· Expiation (kaffara)· Para Pencari Tuhan· Taj Mahal

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8640
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8641
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8642
  4. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8643
  5. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8644
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islam.museum contributors. “Rajul (the adult male): the rules that set men apart from women”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/rajul-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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The sacrifice for a newborn (aqiqa): its ruling, age, animals and manner

In the lexicon, aqiqa is the hair a child is born with, and it names the animal sacrificed for a newborn; as a term it is what is slaughtered for a newborn in thanks to God. It differs from the festival sacrifice in its time and place: it is slaughtered when the child is born, at any time of the year, whereas the sacrifice is made on the days of sacrifice. The Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold it a confirmed sunna and the Malikis recommended; the Hanafis allow it as a voluntary act in thanks. The Shafi'is ask it from a father who can afford it, and the majority hold it for a girl as well as a boy. The Hanafis and Malikis fix the time at the seventh day, while the Shafi'is and Hanbalis count from the child's complete birth; the Shafi'is and Hanbalis require livestock, two sheep for a boy and one for a girl, while the Hanafis and Malikis give one for each. It is recommended to cook it without breaking its bones, eat from it, give it as gifts and charity, and to pronounce the reported formula at slaughter.