In plain terms
Azimah
Pronunciation guide not yet available.

Source entry · Editorial review pending ↗
Azimah names the original rule Islamic law sets for ordinary circumstances, the standard a person returns to once a hardship eases.
What it means for me: Azimah is the default you return to once the hardship behind a rukhsah passes. Neither one is more religious than the other; each simply fits its own situation. Choosing between them is a question of circumstance, not devotion.
Example: Praying the full four units is the azimah for the prayer. Shortening it while traveling is the rukhsah that replaces it, only for as long as the journey lasts.
Do not confuse with: Rukhsah, concession. Azimah is the standing rule; rukhsah is the exception made for a hardship, available only while that hardship's reason remains present.
If scholars differ: Jurists agree azimah is the standard ruling once the reason for a rukhsah no longer applies. They differ on borderline cases, where a hardship is real but does not clearly match a recognized concession.
Related terms
Rukhsah
Rukhsah is a concession the law grants because of a standing excuse, while the original rule remains in force.
Qasr
Qasr is shortening the four-unit obligatory prayers to two units, a concession available to a traveler. It applies only to the four-rakah prayers; dawn and sunset prayers are not…
Wajib
Wajib names an act classed as obligatory in Islamic law. Leaving it without a valid excuse carries accountability. It sits at one end of a five-part scale: wajib, mustahab…
Sabab
Sabab names something the law treats as a marker that triggers a ruling once it exists, noticed or not.