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Resolve and its legal effect (azm)

العَزْم

In the lexicon, azm is the resolve of the heart to act, and it also means patience and perseverance. As a technical term it is an inclination to a thing with a settled intention to do it 1. Hamm is the first stage of azm, and azm is the end point of hamm 2. The jurists agree that a person is not punished for evil thoughts that he neither acts on nor speaks, and that one who resolves on an evil and does not do it incurs no penalty, while a resolve on a good act is recorded as a good deed before it is done 2 3. They differ on whether a firm resolve to commit a sin is itself punished: some say not, many scholars say yes 3. A firm resolve never to return to the sin is a condition of repentance 4. Related questions on resolving to perform a wide-time obligation or to abstain from what is forbidden are treated in the legal theory appendix 3 4.

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At a glance

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

Summary

In the lexicon, azm is the resolve of the heart to do a thing; it also means patience and perseverance. As a technical term it is an inclination to a thing with a settled intention to do it 1.

Hamm and azm

Hamm is the first stage of azm, and azm is the end point of hamm 2.

Reward and punishment for resolve

A person is not punished for evil thoughts that he neither acts on nor speaks; one who resolves on an evil and does not do it incurs no penalty, while a resolve on a good act is recorded as a good deed 2 3. Many scholars hold that a firm resolve to commit a sin is itself punished 3.

Resolve in repentance

A firm resolve never to return to the sin is a condition for valid repentance 4.

Where to look further

Questions of resolve for a wide-time obligation or abstaining from the forbidden are treated in the legal theory appendix 3 4. Intention is treated under «niyya» 2.

People and things also explored

Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)· 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)· 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.11595
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11596
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11597
  4. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11598
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Resolve and its legal effect (azm)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/azm/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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

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

In the lexicon, alaniya comes from proclaiming and showing a thing, and is the opposite of secrecy. Public voice (jahr) is narrower than openness, and secrecy is what is hidden in the heart. 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. 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. 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.