Response, answer (ijaba)

In the lexicon, ijaba means the return of speech; it is the same as istijaba. It is called a reply only after a request. ¹

A reply may be given by act, such as accepting an invitation to a wedding feast; by speech, whether a whole sentence such as returning a greeting or a bare particle such as yes or indeed, which is taken as binding in rulings; or by an understood gesture. Silence may also count as a reply, such as the silence of a virgin asked for consent to marriage. ¹

Ighatha is aid and support. A reply may be aid or may not be, and a reply must follow a request, whereas ighatha may come without one. Qabul is assent and approval; a reply may be assent and approval or may not. ¹

The ruling depends on what is asked. Answering the call to Islam, performing the religious duties, and an Amir's call to jihad are obligatory without dispute. ^{1 2} Answering a cry for help is obligatory by agreement, and prayer is broken to answer it. Answering the defendant's summons before a judge is obligatory by agreement. ² A reply may be recommended, such as repeating the call to prayer after the muezzin, or forbidden, such as answering a call to sin. ²

In a contract, the reply is what matches the offer, and jurists call it acceptance (qabul). A person's hope that God will answer his supplication and deeds is the acceptance he seeks from God. ²