FARẒ (فرض). That which is obligatory. A term used for those rules and ordinances of religion which are said to have been established and enjoined by God Himself, as distinguished from those which are established upon the precept or practice of the Prophet, and which are called sunnah.
FARẒ KIFĀʾĪ (فرض كفائى). A command which is imperative (farẓ) upon all Muslims, but which if one person in eight or ten performs it, it is sufficient (kifāʾī), or equivalent to all having performed it.
They are generally held to be five in number: (1) To return a salutation; (2) To visit the sick and inquire after their welfare; (3) To follow a bier on foot to the grave; (4) To accept an invitation to dinner; (5) Replying to a sneeze. [[SNEEZING].]
They are also said to be six or seven in number, when there are added one or two of the following: (1) To give advice when asked for it; (2) To help a Muslim to verify his oath; (3) To assist a person in distress. ʿAbdu ʾl-Ḥaqq says this last injunction applies to all cases, whether that of a Muslim or an infidel. (Mishkāt, book v. c. i. part 1.)
FARẒU ʾL-ʿAIN (فرض العين). An injunction or ordinance the obligation of which extends to every Muslim, as prayer, fasting, &c.
FĀSID (فاسد). A seditious or rebellious person.
FĀSIQ (فاسق). A term used in Muḥammadan law for a reprobate person who neglects decorum in his dress and behaviour. The acceptance of such a person’s evidence is not admissible. He is not regarded as a Muslim citizen, although he may profess Islām.
FASTING. Arabic Ṣaum (صوم); Persian Rozah (روزه). Fasting was highly commended by Muḥammad as an atonement for sin. The following are the fasts founded upon the example of the Prophet and observed by devout Muslims:—
(1) The thirty-days of the month of Ramaẓān. This month’s fast is regarded as a divine institution, being enjoined in the Qurʾān ([Sūrah ii. 180]) and is therefore compulsory. [[RAMAZAN].]
(2) The day ʿĀshūrāʾ. The tenth day of the month Muḥarram. This is a voluntary fast, but it is pretty generally observed by all Muslims, for Abū Qatādah relates that the Prophet said he hoped that the fast of ʿĀshūrāʾ would cover the sins of the coming year. (Mishkāt, book vii. ch. vii. pt. 1.) [[ʿASHURAʾ].]