The Command (al-amr)

Definition
A command is a statement that requests the performance of an act in a manner that implies authority, as in: “Establish prayer and give zakat.”

By saying “a statement,” we exclude gesturing, for a gesture is not called a command even if it conveys the same meaning.

By saying “a request to perform an act,” we exclude a prohibition, for that is a request to abstain; the word “act” here means bringing something into existence and therefore covers spoken acts that are commanded.

By saying “in a manner that implies authority,” we exclude a plea, supplication, and the like, whose imperative sense is known only through contextual clues.

Forms of the Imperative
The imperative appears in four forms:

1. The imperative verb itself, as in: “Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book” (Q 29:45).
2. The noun that functions as an imperative verb, such as: “Come to prayer.”
3. The verbal noun used in place of the imperative verb, as in: “When you meet those who disbelieve—strike their necks” (Q 47:4).
4. The present tense prefixed with the lām of command, as in: “So let you believe in Allah and His Messenger” (Q 58:4).