The Difference Between Fard and Wajib
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The third question in the letter of the brother, Sharif Khalifa Ahmad Sudani, residing in Riyadh, states: What is the difference between fard and wajib? Please provide examples of this. May Allah reward you for your assistance?
Answer: Fard and wajib are one and the same thing. It is that for which the doer deserves reward and the leaver deserves punishment. It is called fard, and it is called wajib. However, some scholars use the term fard for that which strong evidence has established as obligatory, and they call that whose evidence is weaker than that wajib. Otherwise, the principle held by the majority of scholars is that fard and wajib are one and the same thing. So, the prayer is called fard, and it is called wajib. The congregational prayer is called fard, and it is called wajib. Zakah is called fard, and it is called wajib. Fasting Ramadan is called fard, and it is called wajib. Hajj, with the ability to perform it, is called fard, and it is called wajib. This is what is known among the majority of scholars. It is the thing for which evidence has established that it is binding, for which the leaver deserves punishment and the doer deserves reward. This is called fard, and it is called wajib.
However, some scholars, as mentioned earlier, may be lenient and apply the term fard to that whose evidence is strong and has become clear, manifest, and known from the religion by necessity. They call that fard, such as the prayer... fard, and zakah is fard. They call the tasbih in ruku' and the tasbih in sujud wajib. They call the takbirs, except for the first one, wajib; because their evidence is less than the evidence for the obligation of the prayer itself. Likewise, they call the stoning of the pillars in Hajj wajib, and they call staying overnight in Mina and Muzdalifah wajib. They call tawaf a pillar and fard, and they call standing at 'Arafah fard and a pillar; because its evidence is more apparent and greater. And so on, there are many examples from the scholars. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Answer: Fard and wajib are one and the same thing. It is that for which the doer deserves reward and the leaver deserves punishment. It is called fard, and it is called wajib. However, some scholars use the term fard for that which strong evidence has established as obligatory, and they call that whose evidence is weaker than that wajib. Otherwise, the principle held by the majority of scholars is that fard and wajib are one and the same thing. So, the prayer is called fard, and it is called wajib. The congregational prayer is called fard, and it is called wajib. Zakah is called fard, and it is called wajib. Fasting Ramadan is called fard, and it is called wajib. Hajj, with the ability to perform it, is called fard, and it is called wajib. This is what is known among the majority of scholars. It is the thing for which evidence has established that it is binding, for which the leaver deserves punishment and the doer deserves reward. This is called fard, and it is called wajib.
However, some scholars, as mentioned earlier, may be lenient and apply the term fard to that whose evidence is strong and has become clear, manifest, and known from the religion by necessity. They call that fard, such as the prayer... fard, and zakah is fard. They call the tasbih in ruku' and the tasbih in sujud wajib. They call the takbirs, except for the first one, wajib; because their evidence is less than the evidence for the obligation of the prayer itself. Likewise, they call the stoning of the pillars in Hajj wajib, and they call staying overnight in Mina and Muzdalifah wajib. They call tawaf a pillar and fard, and they call standing at 'Arafah fard and a pillar; because its evidence is more apparent and greater. And so on, there are many examples from the scholars. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.