Glossary  of  Islamic Terms

a.s.

:An abbreviation of ‘alaihis salaam’, that is “Peace be on him”.

a.t.f.s.

:An abbreviation of ‘ajjil allaahu ta’ala farajahu shareef’, that is “May Allah hasten his reappearance”.

Aale Muhammad :

Progeny of Muhammad

Aamal :

Rituals

Ababeel

:Little birds that destroyed the army of the People of Elephants by dropping on them pebbles of baked clay they had carried in their beaks and claws.

Abjad

:Numerical values of Arabic letters

Ahle Sunnat wal Jamat

: Majority Muslims who believe Abu Bakr to be the first caliph

Ahlul Bayt

:People of the house. They are the Holy Prophet (a.s), Janabe Fatima Zahra (s.a.), Ali (a.s) and his eleven successors.

Allamah

:A learned scholar

Amirul Momineen

:Leader of the believers. Title of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s)

Amr-e-Takveeni

:Things beyond the control of man. Natural factors etc.

Amr-e-Tashri

:Things under the control of man. Voluntary deeds etc.

Aqiqa Ceremony

:Islamic ritual of sacrificing a goat

Arsh

:Throne or heavens

Ashura

:10th of Mohurrum, day of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s) and the tragedy of Kerbala

Asr

:Afternoon (prayer)

Ayat

:Verse of the Holy Quran

Azan

:Call for prayer

Bada

:Change in divine will

Baseer

:All-seeing

Bismillah

:In the Name of Allah

Dirham

:Unit of currency

Dua

:Invocation

Etekaaf

:A recommended ritual consisting of a continuous stay of at least three days in the mosque during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan.

Fajr

:Morning

Faqih

:Jurisprudent

Firon

:Pharaoh

Ghusl

:Ritual bath

Hadith-e-Nabawi

:A statement of the Holy Prophet (a.s) or a Masoom (a.s)

Hadith-e-Qudsi

:A saying of Allah apart from the verses of Quran

Hafiz

:One who knows the Quran by heart

Hajj

:Annual pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Zilqad

Halaal

:Permissible, legal

Haraam

:Prohibited, illegal

Hasanah

:Unit of heavenly rewards

Hijrat/Hijrah

:Flight of the Holy Prophet (a.s) from Mecca

to Medina. Beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Hourul Eein

:Black-eyed Houries of Paradise

Hujjat

:Proof

Iblis

:Satan

Iddah

:Waiting period for women before they could remarry

Ihram

:Pilgrim dress

Ijma

:Consensus

Imam-e-Zaman

:Imam of the time

Insha-Allah

:If Allah wills

Iqamah

:Shorter call for Prayer

Isha

:Late evening

Istekhara

:Seeking the advice of Allah

Janabat

:A state of ritual impurity that can be removed by performing Ghusl (Bath)

Jannatul Maawa

:Paradise, Lit. Garden of perpetuity

Juz

:Arabic word for part. 30th part of Quran

Ka’ba

:The Holy House of Allah, the directions that Muslims face during prayers.

Kaffarah

:Fine, penalty

Khariji

:A group which arose against Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s) after the battle of Siffin. A heretic sect.

Khilqat

:Creation

Liaan

: Sworn allegation of adultery committed by either husband or wife

Maghrebain

:The two prayers of Maghrib (early evening) and Isha (late evening)

Maghrib

:Evening prayer, time of sunset

Mahram (pl. Mahrams)

:Relatives between whom marriage is

prohibited

Makrooh

:Detestable, in the Islamic terminology it denotes an action performing which does not incur sin but refraining from which earns divine rewards

Makruh

:variant spelling of above term

Maliki

:Followers of the Sunnite Imam. Imam Malik

Maraja’ Taqleed

:The Mujtahid whom people follow in matters of practical law

Masjidul Haram

:The sacred mosque in Mecca

Masoomeen

:(Singular- Masoom): Infallible

Mehr

:Dower

Mithqal

:A measure of weight of about 4.6 gms.

Momin

:Believer

Mubah

:Permitted. It denotes an action performing which earns no rewards and refraining from it is not punishable.

Muhrim

:One dressed in Ihram (pilgrim dress)

Mullahs

:Muslim scholars/leaders

Mureed

: The Restorer

Mus’haf

:Scroll

Mustahab

:Recommended. It is an action performing which earns rewards and refraining from it is not punishable.

Mutawatir

:A tradition related through so many narrators that it is considered absolutely authentic

Najis

:Unclean

Nasibi

:A person who harbors malice against any one of the members of Holy Ahle Bayt (a.s).

Nawafil

:Recommended prayers

Para

:30th part of Quran

q.s.

:An abbreviation of ‘Quddasa Sirruhu’, which literally means: “May his resting place remain pure.”

Qaim

:One would rise. A title of Imam Mahdi (a.s)

Qibla

:Prayer direction

Qunut

:Supplication recited in ritual prayers, usually in the second unit (rakat)

Quraish

:the tribe of the Messenger of Allah (a.s)

Rajm

:Stoning, punishment for adultery

Rakat

:A unit of ritual prayer

Rizq

:Sustenance

Ruhul Quds

:An angel

Ruku

:Bowing down or genuflection in the ritual prayers

(a.s)

:An abbreviation of ‘sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam’, that is “Blessings be on him and peace”.

Sadat

:Sayyid, descendants of Imam Ali (a.s) through Imam Husain (a.s).

Sadaqah

:Voluntary charity, alms

Safar

:Second month of the Islamic calendar

Salaam

:Salute, Islamic greeting

Salaat

:Ritual prayers

Salawat

:Allaahumma S’alle a’laa Muha’ammadinw wa aali Muh’ammad

Samee

:All-hearing

Saqifah

:The place where Abu Bakr took caliphate

Sayyid

:Lit. chief. A term for descendants of Lady Fatima through Imam Husain (a.s)

Sayyidush Shohada

:Chief of the Martyrs, a title of Imam Husain

(a.s)

Shabaan

:The eighth month of the Muslim (Lunar) calendar

Shab-e-Qadr

:The Night of Power or 19th, 21st and 23rd nights of the month of Ramadan

Shaf

: Lit: Middle. It is a Two Unit prayer and a part of Salaat of Shab (Midnight Prayer)

Shahadatain

:the two testimonies of Islamic faith.

Shariat/Shariah

:Islamic law

Shaykh

:Lit. elder. A genealogical division among Muslims

Sheb-e-Abi Talib

:Valley in Mecca where the Messenger of Allah (a.s) and the early Muslims took refuge for sometime

Shura

:Consultation committee formed by Umar for selecting Uthman as the next caliph

Siraat

:Path

Sujud

:Plural of Sajdah, prostration

Sunnah

:Practice (esp. of the Messenger of Allah)

Surah

:Chapter of Quran

t.s.

:Abbreviation of Taaba Saraa. See the meaning of ‘q.s.’

Tabi’in

:Followers of the companions of the Prophet

Tahlilaat

:Saying: Laa Ilaaha illallaah

Takbir

:Allaho Akbar, God is the Greatest

Takbiratul Ihram

:Saying Allaho Akbar at the beginning of the ritual prayer

Taqayyah

:Dissimulation

Taqleed

:Emulation of a scholar in Islamic practical law

Taqwa

:Piety

Tasbeehaat

:Plural of Tasbih, glorification of Allah (esp. in bowing and prostrations in the ritual prayers)

Tasbeehaat-e-Arba

:Glory be to Allah and Praise be to Allah and There is no god except Allah and Allah is the Greatest.

Tasbih

:Rosary

Tashahud

:Recitation in the sitting position in the second and the last unit of the ritual prayer

Tawakkul

:Reliance

Tawfeeq (pl. Tawfeeqaat)

:Divine inspiration

Tawheed

:Belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah

Tayammum

:Substitute of ablution/ritual bath when use of water is not possible or advisable

Taziyah

:A replica of the tomb of Imam Husain (a.s)

Thawr, cave of

:The cave where the Messenger of Allah (a.s) hid on way to Medina

Torah

:The Old Testament

Two Shaykhs

:Abu Bakr and Umar

Umrah

:Optional pilgrimage to Mecca

Umratul Qaza

:Lapsed Umrah

Wajib

:Obligatory

Wali

:Guardian

Watr

:Single Unit Prayer. A part of Midnight Prayer

Wilayat

:Guardianship, belief in the guardianship of Ahle Bayt (a.s) and love towards them

Wudhu

:Ritual ablution

Zakat

:Obligatory Islamic wealth tax

Ziyarat

:Visitation/ or recitation of salutation while facing the tomb of religious personalities

Zihar

: Pre-Islamic form of divorce, consisting in the words of repudiation: You are to me like my mother’s back. (anti a’layyah ka-zahri ummi).

Zinnoorain

:Master of two lights. Uthman, the third caliph

Zuhoor

:Reappearance (of Imam Mahdi ^[a.t.f.s.]).

Zuhr

: Noon prayers

Zuhrain

:The two ritual prayers of Zuhr (noon) and Asr (afternoon)