Hisbah
Encyclopedia
Hisbah is an Islam
ic doctrine of keeping everything in order within the laws of Allah
. This doctrine is based on the Qur'an
ic expression Enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong
.
This doctrine has the following major aspects.
For example, in Saudi Arabia
, the state establishment responsible for hisbah is the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
In a minority of Islamic states, namely Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the Aceh province of Indonesia and Iran, there is an establishment of mutaween
or "religious police", as called in English-speaking countries. In some places, it is state-established, in others it is independent of state.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic doctrine of keeping everything in order within the laws of Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
. This doctrine is based on the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic expression Enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong
Enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong
Commanding right and forbidding wrong, or al-amr bi al-maʿruf wa al-nahy ʿan al-munkar, is an Islamic doctrine mentioned in the Qur'an. This expression is the base of the Islamic institution of hisbah. It forms a central part of the Islamic doctrine for all Muslims...
.
This doctrine has the following major aspects.
- An obligation of a MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
- An obligation of a state to ensure its citizens observe the hisbah, in particular, the ShariaShariaSharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law. - In a broader sense, hisbah also refers to the practice of supervision of commercial, guild, and other secular affairs. Traditionally, a muhtasibMuhtasibA ' was a supervisor of bazaars and trade in the mediæval Islamic countries. His duty was to ensure that public business was conducted in accordance with the law of sharia....
(al-Muhtasib) was appointed by the CaliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
to oversee the order in marketplaces, in businesses, in medical occupations, etc. The position of muhtasib may be approximately rendered as "inspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
". See Hisbah (business accountability) for this aspect.
For example, in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, the state establishment responsible for hisbah is the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
In a minority of Islamic states, namely Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the Aceh province of Indonesia and Iran, there is an establishment of mutaween
Mutaween
The word mutaween most literally means "volunteers" in the Arabic language, and is commonly used as a casual term for the government-authorized or government-recognized religious police of Saudi Arabia....
or "religious police", as called in English-speaking countries. In some places, it is state-established, in others it is independent of state.