What it means
مکروه (makruh) comes from the Arabic root k-r-h, meaning “to dislike” or “to hate.” In Islamic jurisprudence (فقه, feqh), it names one of the five categories of religious ruling known as الاحکام الخمسة (al-ahkâm al-khamsa). A makruh act is one the law discourages but does not prohibit. Performing it carries no sin, but refraining from it is considered praiseworthy. It stands between مباح (mobâh, neutral) and حرام (harâm, forbidden) on the scale of Islamic legal categories.
How to use it
- خوردن سیر قبل از نماز مکروهه. (Khordan-e sir qabl az namâz makruhe.) “Eating garlic before prayer is makruh.”
- این کار مکروهه، ولی حرام نیست. (In kâr makruhe, vali harâm nist.) “This act is makruh, but it is not forbidden.”
- بهتره از کارهای مکروه دوری کنیم. (Behtar-e az kârhâ-ye makruh duri konim.) “It is better to avoid makruh acts.”
- مرجعم این رو مکروه میدونه. (Marja’-am in ro makruh mi-dune.) “My marja’ considers this makruh.”
Cultural note
The five-level classification system of Islamic law, which includes واجب (obligatory), مستحب (recommended), مباح (neutral), مکروه (discouraged), and حرام (forbidden), gives believers a nuanced moral map rather than a simple permitted or prohibited binary. Makruh rulings often reflect hygienic, social, or spiritual concerns that scholars identified from hadith. What counts as makruh can vary between Shia and Sunni legal schools, and even among different marja’s within Shia jurisprudence, so followers rely on their own marja’s resâle for specifics.