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Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)

العَلانِيَة

In the lexicon, alaniya comes from proclaiming and showing a thing, and is the opposite of secrecy 1. Public voice (jahr) is narrower than openness, and secrecy is what is hidden in the heart 1 2. Acts of worship divide by openness: some are prescribed to be public, such as the call to prayer, the sermon, jihad and enjoining good; some are better kept private, such as reciting silently in the silent prayer; and some may be either, such as charity. An obligatory alms-giving is better shown when there is no fear of showing off, so that others may follow it, while a voluntary gift is better hidden where display is feared 1 2 3. The faults of narrators, witnesses and those entrusted with charities and endowments must be made public when they affect their fitness, and the scholars hold this is not forbidden backbiting 2. The judge is recommended to proclaim the restraint of a bankrupt and to call witnesses to it, and one Shafi'i view makes it obligatory 3.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Ethics and characterWorship and the pillars

Summary

In the lexicon, alaniya comes from proclaiming and showing a thing; it is the opposite of secrecy 1.

Public and private worship

Some acts of worship are prescribed to be public, such as the call to prayer, the sermon, jihad and enjoining good; some are better kept private, such as silent recitation in the silent prayer; and some may be either, such as charity 1 2.

Charity

An obligatory gift is better shown when there is no fear of display, so that others may follow; a voluntary gift is better hidden where display is feared 2 3.

The faults of narrators and trustees

The faults of narrators, witnesses and those entrusted with charities and endowments must be made public when they affect their fitness; the scholars hold this is not forbidden backbiting 2.

Restraint of a bankrupt

The judge is recommended to proclaim the restraint of a bankrupt; one Shafi'i view makes it obligatory 3.

Where to look further

The rules of restraint are treated under «hajr» 3.

People and things also explored

Deliberate act (amd), as against error, and its rulings· Wounding an animal that cannot be taken (aqr) and its effect on lawfulness and liability· Honey: its medicinal use and zakat (asal)· Resolve and its legal effect (azm)· 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)· Shakk (doubt in law: its kinds, the rule that certainty is not removed by doubt, and its effect on worship, contracts, penalties and evidence)· Halq (shaving and cutting hair)· Hay'a (the recommended forms of prayer, and the dignified offenders)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11788
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11789
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11790
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/alaniya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Deliberate act (amd), as against error, and its rulings

In the lexicon, amd is the purpose and intention of a thing, and its opposite is error (khata'), an act done without purpose. Deliberate acts carry rulings: a deliberate omission of a pillar of prayer, or speech, or eating in it, voids the prayer; a deliberate eating, drinking or intercourse breaks the fast by agreement. Deliberate homicide is forbidden by agreement; the majority accept the repentance of the killer, while some early scholars deny it. A deliberate utterance of unbelief counts as apostasy; a divorce pronounced deliberately takes effect, while a slip of the tongue or a word said by one who has lost his reason does not. Lying about the Prophet deliberately is among the gravest sins, and the false oath (yamin ghamus) is a major sin; breaking an oath deliberately may be obligatory, recommended, permitted, disliked or forbidden according to the matter sworn about.