Recommended precaution

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Recommended precaution (Arabic: Ihtiyat Mustahabb) is a fiqh term, prominently used by Shi'a marjas when giving fatwas.

Basically, a recommended precaution is a precaution the believer can take to avoid unintentional transgressions of the Sunnah. Depending on the case, the recommendation can be:

to take the precaution of performing actions that are not clearly an obligatory religious duty;
to take the precaution of performing obligatory actions (for example, an ablution) more often than strictly prescribed;
conversely, to take the precaution of refraining from certain actions that are not by themselves established to be haram, but could easily lead one to unintentionally perform a haram act.

As example (where the act described is haram for an adult):

''It is a recommended precaution that even a child should not be made to sit in the toilet with its face or back facing Qibla. But if the child positions itself that way, it is not obligatory to divert it. [link]

The Rabbinic Jewish concept of "building a fence around the Law" is analogous.

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