At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Global / Diaspora
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Development of law, theology and institutions
Summary
Itmam in the lexicon means completion. Jurists gave it no technical definition beyond the lexical one. 1
Its specific use
Itmam has one specific use, which concerns number rather than manner: completing a prayer instead of shortening it on a journey. Shortening and completing are both perfection; what is considered in them is the number of units. 1
Completion and perfection
Al-Raghib distinguished tamam, reaching a limit that needs nothing outside it, from kamal, the achievement of a thing's purpose; on this view tamam entails kamal. Dictionaries and commentaries show no clear difference between the two, and no difference emerges in the technical sense. 1
Ruling in general
Completing an obligatory act once begun is obligatory by the agreement of the jurists. Completing a voluntary act once begun is disputed: the Hanafis and Malikis require it, while the Shafi'is and Hanbalis do not, with detail given under each act. 2 Where completion means performing the essential pillars, the effect of any verbal or physical act depends on performing them. 2
People and things also explored
Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Justice and uprightness (adl)· Contagion (adwa)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God· Term, deadline (ajal)· Hired worker (ajir)· Stranger, outsider (ajnabi)
Sources
- al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.1504
- al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.1505
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Completion (itmam)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/itmam/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.