Ahkam (Commands of Allah)
It must be known that Ahkam or Commands of Allah, relating to the acts and deeds of human beings are of eight kinds viz; (1) Fardh (2) Wajib (3) Sunnah (4) Mustahab (5) Haram or prohibited (6) Makrooh Tehreemi (7) Makrooh Tanzeehi and (8) Mubah or permissible.
1) Fardh is that Command of Allah which is based on Dalil Qataii or decisive evidence. He who gives it up without an excuse is an evil-doer and deserves punishment and he who denies it is a disbeliever. It is of two kinds (a) Fardh Ain (Individual) and (b) Fardh Kifayah (Collective).
(a) Fardh Ain or Individual Obligation, fulfillment of which is for every Muslim because the divine address is directed to each and everyone individually. The Muslim who gives it up without an excuse, deserves punishment and is an evildoer e.g; five times salat, Jummah salat, etc.
(b) Fardh Kifayah or Collective Obligation, fulfillment of which is not for every Muslim; rather it will be deemed performed by all the Muslims if some of them fulfill it. And if nobody fulfills it, all the Muslims will be sinners. e.g. funeral salat, etc.
2) Wajib or obligatory: Wajib is that Command of Allah, which demands commission of an act, which is based on Dalil Zanni or presumptive evidence. The person who gives it up without an excuse is an evildoer and deserves the punishment provided he does so without any doubt and the person who denies it, is also an evildoer and not a disbeliever.
3) Sunnah (Prophet's precepts): Sunnah is that act which has been committed by the Prophet (saw) or his companions. It is of two kinds (a) Sunnah Muakkadah and (b) Sunnah Ghair Muakkadah.
(a) Sunnah Muakkadah is that act which the Prophet (saw) always committed and never gave it up without an excuse but he never warned or scolded the person who gave it up. Its performance is of an obligatory nature. The person who gives it up without an excuse and behaves as such perpetually is an evildoer and sinner and he will be deprived of the intercession by the Prophet (saw); however, if it is left off and on, it is allowed; but giving up a Wajib entails more punishmen than giving it up.
(b) Sunnah Ghair Muakkadah is that act which has been committed by the Prophet (saw) or his companions and sometimes it is given up by them without an excuse. The person who does it, deserves reward and the person who gives it up, does not deserve punishment. Sunnah Ghair Muakkadah is also called Sunnah Zaidah or Sunnah Aadiah also.
4) Mustahab or Desirable: Mustahab is that act which has been committed by the Prophet (saw) or his companions but not always or often; rather it has been omitted off and on. Its doing deserves reward and the person who does not do it, does not entail sin. It is called in the terminology of Fiqh, Nafl, Mandoob or Tatawwoa also.
5) Haraam or Prohibited: A Haraam act is that act which has been proven on the basis of Dalil Qataii or the most authentic evidence. The person who denies it is a Kafir (Infidel) and the person who does it is sinful and deserves punishment.
6) Makrooh Tehreemi is that act which has been proven on the basis of presumptive evidence. The person who denies it is an evildoer as is the case with the denier of Wajib. The person who commits this act, without an excuse, is sinful and deserves punishment.
7) Makrooh Tanzeehi is that act neither the commission of which entails reward nor the omission of which entails punishment.
8) Mubah or Permissible: A Mubah is that neither the commission of which entails reward nor the omission of which entails punishment.
- From Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi's (ra) How to Perform the Salah Correctly.
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