termPage.definition
What Allah has forbidden — leaving it is rewarded; doing it is sinful and may be punished. Established by definitive texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
termPage.pronunciation ḥa-RĀM
termPage.etymologyHeading
From the root ح-ر-م (ḥ-r-m), meaning 'to prohibit, to make sacred (off-limits).' The same root yields al-Ḥaram — the sacred precinct of Makkah.
termPage.usageInQuran
'Say: My Lord has only forbidden immoralities — what is apparent of them and what is concealed — and sin, oppression without right...' (al-A‘rāf 7:33)
termPage.scholarlyNotes
Scholars distinguish ḥarām li-dhātihi (forbidden in itself, e.g. pork) from ḥarām li-ghayrihi (forbidden due to an external factor, e.g. food bought with stolen money).
termPage.practicalApplication
Do not approach the boundaries of the ḥarām — the Prophet ﷺ said the one who circles a sanctuary is about to fall into it.
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Analogical reasoning in fiqh.
The lesser pilgrimage — performed any time of year.
Understanding the rulings of the Sharī‘ah.
Recommended.
Permissible — neither commanded nor forbidden.
Dry purification with clean earth when water is unavailable.