The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

Indeed, the one who examines the divine obligations will find that some of them are individual and some are collective. The fard ‘ayni (individual obligation) is the obligation which must be undertaken by every mukallaf (legally responsible person) by himself. If a Muslim abandons this obligation, then he would not be free of the sin, even if all the Muslims had undertaken it. If he undertook the obligation while all the Muslims neglected it, then he would be free of the sin and blame before Allah 􀀬. This means that it is incumbent on every Muslim to search for the individual obligations and adhere to them, so as to be absolved from guilt, and to relieve his conscience before the Creator of obligations. Likewise, what has been said about the individual obligations is also the case regarding the prohibitions, as long as they relate to the individual. This means that the Muslim has to perform the salah, fast in Ramadan, make pilgrimage to the Sacred House when he can, pay the zakah when his wealth reaches the nisaab (the minimum amount above which zakah is due), look after his parents, eat the halaal and good; abstain from eating the evil and haraam and abstain from zina (adultery), lying and backbiting, and other such things, which the Muslim must inquire about. Thus he will undertake any action if it is ma’roof and abstain if it is munkar.