Discover the meaning of the term Al-khaṣ (خاص) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readEvery word coined for a known meaning to the exclusion of all else; the meaning meant is that for which the word was coined, whether essence or accident; the exclusivity marks the word's being restricted to that meaning; it was qualified by exclusivity to distinguish it from the equivocal (mushtarak).
It denotes exclusiveness; one says: so-and-so khassa (devoted himself exclusively to) such a thing, that is, took it alone without any share for another.
In the principles of fiqh: every word coined for a known referent exclusively; the referent is what the word was coined for, whether an essence or an accidental meaning; and by exclusivity, the word's being restricted to that referent.
What covers part of what the word embraces.
One of the scholars who devoted himself to verifications rather than to mere repetition (taqlid).
Every word coined for a known meaning exclusively; the meaning is what the word was coined for, essence or accident; and by exclusivity, the word's restriction to that meaning; qualified by exclusivity to distinguish it from the equivocal (al-Ta'rifat, p. 101).
Every word coined for a known meaning exclusively, whether a genus such as 'human', a species such as 'man', or an essence such as 'Zayd'.