المعنى الاصطلاحي :

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A person who is missing while there is no news about him or his location, and it is unknown whether he is alive or dead.

الشرح المختصر :

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"Mafqood" (missing/lost) is a person who is absent with no available news about him being alive or dead. It makes no difference whether the location where the person who went missing is known or not. Some Muslim jurists categorize the "mafqood" into four types: 1. The "mafqood" in the Muslim lands. Some scholars divided this type into two sub-types: a) The "mafqood" during an epidemic. b) The "mafqood" under other circumstances. 2. The "mafqood" in the land of enemies. 3. The "mafqood" in a fight between Muslims and non-Muslims. 4. The "mafqood" in a fight between two Muslims groups. Other Muslim jurists divided a missing person into two types: 1. The "mafqood" - with no news about him - in a journey that is apparently safe, like a business trip, or travel for study, tourism, etc. 2. The "mafqood" in a condition that indicates his death, like a soldier who disappeared in a battlefield, a traveler whose ship sank leaving some survivors, a person who was lost in a deadly desert, etc. The state of being missing or lost comes to an end either by the return of the concerned person, confirming his death, or the lapse of a legally prescribed time period.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

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"Mafqood": lost, missing, absent. "Fuqdān": losing or missing something. Derived from "faqd", which means loss and disappearance of something; it also means quest for a missing thing; opposite: "wujood" (existence), "thuboot" (showing up).

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