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Dhira' (forearm, cubit, and their rulings in fiqh)

الذراع (في الفقه)

In lexicon dhira' is the arm from the elbow to the fingers, and also the measuring cubit; the jurists use both senses. 1 2 Washing the arms up to the elbow is required in ablution by the majority, and resting the forearms on the ground in prostration is disliked. 2 3 Cutting the arm at the joint carries retaliation if deliberate and half a diya if accidental; breaking it short of the joint carries a discretionary sum according to most jurists. 3 4

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Worship and the pillars

Summary

In lexicon dhira' is the arm from the elbow to the fingertips; the measuring cubit is also called dhira'. The jurists use both senses. 1 The majority require washing the arms up to the elbow in ablution, and a worshipper is disliked to rest his forearms on the ground in prostration. 2 3

Injury to the arm

Cutting the arm at the joint is retaliated for if deliberate and carries half a diya if accidental. 3 Breaking it short of the joint: the Hanafis, Shafi'is and some Hanbalis set a discretionary sum, while the Hanbalis set four camels for a broken forearm bone. 3 4

The cubit as a measure

The jurists measure abundant and scant water by the cubit, fix the distance of a journey, and reckon the jarib, the qasaba and the qafiz by it. 4

People and things also explored

The ruling on one who abandons prayer· Ada' (performance of an obligation within its time)· Adhan (the call to prayer: its ruling, wording, conditions, recommended features and the muezzin)· Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation· The adornment of desires and the goods of this world· The people of the bench (ahl al-suffa)· The earth made a place of prayer and purity· Spending in the way of God (infaq)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8413
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8414
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8415
  4. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.8416
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Dhira' (forearm, cubit, and their rulings in fiqh)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/dhira-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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The ruling on one who abandons prayer

Al-Sallabi quotes Ali: whoever does not pray is an unbeliever. He then reports from al-Nawawi the dispute over one who neglects prayer while believing it obligatory: the majority (Malik, al-Shafi'i) hold him a sinner to be asked to repent, others hold him an unbeliever, a view ascribed to Ali; Abu Hanifa and the Kufans hold him not an unbeliever but to be disciplined.