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shiewhero · member Joined: 06 Dec 2009 Posts: 36 Location: Trinidad

What is fard kafaayah?

jerrys1960 · Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:11 pm Post subject:

fard kafaayah is an obligation upon the community (in some cases the entire Muslim community . . . all Muslims everywhere); however if enough people undertake what ever obligation has been mandated, the rest of the people are relieved of the obligation.

What fard kafaayah means is that if the obligation is not undertaken by enough people, then all the people are guilty of a major sin. But if enough people undertake the obligation, the rest will be relieved of blame. Initially the command is addressed to all the people, as in the case of an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn), but then in the case of fard kafaayah the obligation is dropped if enough of the people undertake the orders, unlike the case with fard ‘ayn where the obligation is not dropped if someone else does it.

Jihad is a fard kafaayah, according to the majority of scholars.