LessonsCommands: Definition, Obligation, Unrestricted Forms and RepetitionQuiz

Daily prayers recur, Ramadan fasting returns, and some legal liabilities arise repeatedly in fresh circumstances. This creates an apparent objection: if a command does not itself entail repetition, why is repeated worship obligatory?

The objection merges two different grounds: the linguistic force of the command and a renewed legal cause establishing duty. For example, the arrival of a new prayer time can establish a new duty. That need not mean that the original imperative intrinsically denotes an indefinite number of repetitions.

Failing to distinguish these grounds leads to two errors: treating every imperative as infinitely repetitive, or denying that worship can be repeatedly obligatory. The rule about wording and the rule about recurring causes must be held together.

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The apparent objection from recurring worship

Commands: Definition, Obligation, Unrestricted Forms and Repetition

Daily prayers recur, Ramadan fasting returns, and some legal liabilities arise repeatedly in fresh circumstances. This creates an apparent objection: if a command does not itself entail repetition, why is repeated worship obligatory?

The objection merges two different grounds: the linguistic force of the command and a renewed legal cause establishing duty. For example, the arrival of a new prayer time can establish a new duty. That need not mean that the original imperative intrinsically denotes an indefinite number of repetitions.

Failing to distinguish these grounds leads to two errors: treating every imperative as infinitely repetitive, or denying that worship can be repeatedly obligatory. The rule about wording and the rule about recurring causes must be held together.