Hardship (haraj)

الحرج

Hardship (haraj) means narrowness in the lexicon; jurists use it for whatever causes narrowness to the body, the soul, or both. ¹ For the usulis it is a graded notion, and only what the lawgiver has counted as hardship is taken into account. ¹ ² It is distinguished from the concession (rukhsa), a permission granted for an excuse while the forbidding cause remains; from the strict rule (azima), what God imposes on the servants; from toil (mashaqqa); from necessity (darura), a state in which one would die or nearly die without what is forbidden; and from need (haja), a lack that, if unmet, produces great corruption. ² ³ Hardship is removed by the law, on the basis of the verses ”God desires ease for you and not hardship” and ”He has laid no hardship on you in religion”; the maxims ”hardship brings ease” and ”necessities permit forbidden things” are drawn from this. ³

Depth

At a glance

Era: The Prophetic Era
Region: Global / Diaspora
Review: Draft Completeness 0/5 · Help complete it

Ethics and character

Summary

Hardship (haraj) means narrowness in the lexicon; jurists use it for whatever causes narrowness to the body, the soul, or both. ¹ For the usulis it is a graded notion, and only what the lawgiver has counted as hardship is taken into account. ¹ ² It is distinguished from the concession (rukhsa), a permission granted for an excuse while the forbidding cause remains; from the strict rule (azima), what God imposes on the servants; from toil (mashaqqa); from necessity (darura), a state in which one would die or nearly die without what is forbidden; and from need (haja), a lack that, if unmet, produces great corruption. ² ³ Hardship is removed by the law, on the basis of the verses "God desires ease for you and not hardship" and "He has laid no hardship on you in religion"; the maxims "hardship brings ease" and "necessities permit forbidden things" are drawn from this. ³

People and things also explored

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)· Ada' al-shahada (performing testimony: the duty on request, the excused witness, and the wording)· Manners of the Qur'an bearer· Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Adha (harm of a slight kind: removing harmful things and the duty not to harm)· Justice and grace (adl wal-fadl)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.6981
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.6982
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.6983

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Hardship (haraj)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/haraj-hardship/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Ideas

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

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)

Paying a debt in the form owed is obligatory by consensus. A debt due now must be paid on demand when the debtor can pay; a deferred debt is not due before its term. Payment is made in like items, with value owed where there is no like; a better payment is allowed when unconditioned. Remission, gift, assignment, set-off and settlement take the place of payment. A solvent debtor who refuses is compelled, imprisoned and his apparent property sold; the majority hold that a bankrupt is put under interdiction and his property divided among creditors, against Abu Hanifa. The insolvent is given respite, and his debt may be paid from zakat if he borrowed for himself in a lawful matter. A dead person's debt attaches to his estate and takes precedence over bequests and inheritance.