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The Islamic Glossary:
An Explanation of Names, Terms and Symbols
You might have noticed unfamiliar Arabic terms or English abbreviations / titles / names. An attempt at explaining them follows. If
there is still some term that is unclear/
The definitions are by no means comprehensive, and serve as an introduction to the term. A full definition of each term would surely
require more disk space than available in all the world.
Aaron : see Harun
Abar Ali : the name of a place where Masjidu Shajarah is
situated, 7 km. outside of Medinah.
Abbas : b. Ali b. Abi Talib was the brother of Imam Hussein
(A.S.). His mother was Umm al-Banin. Abbas was killed at Karbala.
Abu Dharr al-Ghiffari (Jundub b. Junada) : was a companion of
the Prophet (S.A.W.) who was loyal to Imam Ali (A.S.) He died in 32
(A.H.) 651 (A.D.) after being expilled by Uthman.
Abu Talib : was the father of Ali (A.S.). He looked after the
Prophet (S.A.W.) when the latter was a child.
'Adl :
Adam : was the first man and the first prophet of Allah.
Adhan : is the call for daily ritual prayers (Salat).
Ahlul-Bayt : refers to the Household of the Holy Prophet
(S.A.W.).
Ahwat : is a precaution. This can be obligatory or optional as
ruled by the Mujtahid.
Akhirah : is the Hereafter
A'lam : is the top ranking jurist
Ale Muhammad : Blood kin, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad
(S.A.W.).
Ali : b. Abi Talib (A.S.) is the first Imam (A.S.), the cousin
and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). He is referred to as
Ameer al-Mu'mineen, the Leader of the Faithful. He was poisoned
in 661 A.D.
Ali : b. al-Husayn b. Ali b. Abi Talib (A.S.) is the fourth
Imam.
Ali : b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Musa al-Hadi, Abu al-Hasan (A.S.)
is the 10th Imam.
Ali : b. Musa al-Rida, Abu al-Hasan (A.S.) is the eighth
Imam.
'Alim : is a scholar
Allah : refers to God, glory be to Him, there
is no god but He. Allah is a Divine name of God. It is the perfect name
for God as it truly denotes the absolute Oneness of God. The name has no
plural and no feminine form.
A'maal : is an act of worship.
Amirul Mu'mineen : The commander of the faithful, Imam Ali
(A.S.).
Amr bil Ma-roof :
Arafah : is the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah.
Arafat : is the area about 25 km. away from Mecca, Saudi
Arabia.
A.H. : refers to After Hijrah.
A.S. : refers to 'Alayhis-salaam, (God's) peace be with
him. It is said after the names of all previous prophets, their mothers
(e.g. Bibi Maryam [Mary] A.S.), the twelve divine Imams from the
household of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and Bib i Fatima (A.S.). It will
change to 'Alayhas-salaam (peace be with her) if it follows a
lady's name. After any two names we say 'Alayhimas-salaam and after more
than two names or when referring a group of people we say
'Alayhimus-salaam. Thus, we sa y Imams Hasan and Husayn
(A.S.='alayhimas-salaam) and the Ahul-Bayt
(A.S.'alayhimus-salaam).
Ashura :
'Asr : is the afternoon, and the prayer of the afternoon
Ayah : is a sign of Allah or a verse of the Qur'an (pl.
Ayat)
Ayatul Kursi : Verse No. 255 in Suratul Baqarah
Baab-al-Salaam : is one of the famous gates of Masjidul
Haraam.
Baligh : is one who is an adult
Batil : is void
Bilal : was a companion of the Prophet (S.A.W.)
Bismillah : means In the Name of Allah or I begin in
the Name of Allah
Bulugh : is puberty
David : see Dawood
Dawood : was a Prophet of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an and the
Old Testament.
Deen : is religion
Dhikr : is remembrance, the recitation of special invocations
during and after ritual prayers.
Dhuhr prayers : are the afternoon prayers
Dhul Hijjah : is the last month (12th) of the Islamic
calendar.
Dhul Qidah : is the 11th month of the Islamic calendar.
Du'a : is supplication
Ehtiaat : see Ahwat
Ehtiaat-Mustahabbi : is a preferable precaution
Ehtiaat-Waajib : is an obligatory precaution which must be
followed
Eid : is an Islamic holiday. The four Eids are listed
below.
Eid ul-Adha : falls on the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah.
Eid ul-Fitr : falls on the 1st day of Shawwal.
Eid-e Ghadeer :
Eid-e Mubahila :
Fajr : is dawn, and denotes Subhe-Sadiq, the prime time for
prayer
Farsakh : is a distance of five and a half kilometers
Fatiha : is the opening chapter of the Holy Qur'an.
Fatima or Fatema : (A.S.), the Chief of the women of the
worlds, is the daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.) and the wife of Ali b.
Abi Talib (A.S.), the mother of Hasan and Hussein (A.S.)
Fatwa : is a verdict, especially of a Mujtahid
Fidyah : is a sacrifice of an animal for expiation
Fiqh : is a science of religious jurispudence
Fitrah : is the charity due on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, on
the night after Ramadhan.
Foroo-e-Din : are the branches of Islam
Ghadeer : is the name of a place near Mecca, and the great
holiday named after the event that occurred at that place.
Ghasbi : is usurpation
Ghusl : is a spiritual bath required after sexual intercourse,
menstruation, seminal discharge, and other conditions.
Hadath-Akbar : is something that needs wudhu or ghusl
Hadath-Asghar : is a minor hadath that needs wudhu
Hadeeth : is a narration/tradition reported from the Prophet
(S) and the Imams (a)
Hajarul Aswad : is the Black Stone.
Hajj : is the Islamic pilgrimage
Hajjatul Tamatu : is the secnod session of the Hajj for those
who are not resident in Mecca or its vicinity.
Halal : is something that is lawful and permissible to
use/consume in Islam
Halq : is to shave off the hair from the head (during
Hajj)
Hamza : was an uncle of the Prophet who became a Muslim and was
martyred at the battle of Uhud.
Haq : is the right or claim to something
Haram : is that which is unlawful in Islam. It is necessary to
abstain from the acts which are haram.
Harun : was the brother of Musa (Moses) and Prophet of Allah
mentioned in the Qur'an.
Hasan : b. Ali b. Abi Talib (A.S.) was the secnd Imam.
Hasan : b. Ali b. Muhammad, Abu Muhammad al-Askari (A.S.) was
the 11th Imam.
Hijab : is the screening between non-mahram men and women
Hijra : is the day the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) left Mecca for
Medina. In particular, it was the Prophet's (S.A.W.) abandoning Mecca
because of its mounting hostility, and transferring himself and his
followers to Yathrib (200 miles north) whose peo ple had invited him. He
arrived on the 20th of September 622 AD, and the city proudly changed
its name to Medinatu'l-Nabi (the Prophet's (S.A.W.) city). On Imam Ali's
(A.S.) advice, Omar, reproached for not dating documents, took this
event as the start o f the Muslim era, dubbing the year of the Hijrah
year as Year 1 and starting it on the Lunar New Year's Day, the 1st of
Muharram 622 AD.
Hijr-e-Ismaaeel : is a small wall in an arc shape adjoining the
Ka'ba on one side
Hira : is the cave wherein Prophet Muhammad (S) sat for
worshipping Allah
Husain : b. Ali b. Abi Talib (A.S.) was the third Imam.
Ibadah : is devotion or worship
Ibrahim :
Iftar : is the breaking of the fast
Ihram : is the state in which every pilgrim in Hajj has to
perform his/her Hajj, consisting of two modest clothes and 25
restrictions.
Ihtiyat : is a precautionary action which usually requires
repetition.
Ihtiyat Wajib : means precautionarily obligatory. Its
significance is the same as that of wajib with the difference that in
the problems where a mujtahid says it is "precautionarily obligatory",
one has the option of leaving his taqlid in this particular problem and
following the rulings of the second-best mujtahid in that problem.
Imam : means Leader in Arabic. The term is generally applied to
religious leaders. However, there are 12 infallible and noble Imams, the
descendants of Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Iman : is full, deep belief or faith.
Injil : is the New Testament.
Inshallah : means with the will of Allah
Iqamah : is the announcement of the beginning of prayer.
Isa : was the son of Mariam (Mary). He is a prophet of
Allah.
Isha : is the commencement of darkness, and the prayer of that
time.
Ishmael : see Ismaeel
Islam : was revealed to the Prophet (Sura III: Ali-Imran--The
Family of Imran, verse 19) "The Religion of Allah is Al-Islam," and
again (Sura V: Ma'idah--The Table Spread, verse 3) "This day I have
approved al-Islam for you as a religion." Islam is the verbal noun of
"asalama"--to submit oneself to God.
Ismaeel : was the son of Abraham, Prophet of Allah and the
father of the Arabs.
Istighfar : is to seek the forgiveness of Allah
Ja'far : b. Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn, al-Sadiq, Abu Abd
Allah (A.S.) was the 6th Imam.
Ja'iz : see Halal
Jacob : see Yaqub
Jama'at : is a group or a congregation
Jesus : see Isa.
Jihad : is a holy war (striving or fighting in the way of
Allah) by the order of the Imam.
Jinn : is a type of creature having, like humans, free
will
Joseph : see Yusuf
Jum'ah : is Friday
Ka'bah : is the cubic house built by Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) and
his son Ismaeel (A.S.) more than 3000 years ago in Mecca, towards which
all Muslims face for their Salat. It contains the Hajarul Aswad or the
Black Stone.
Kafa : is the shroud for the dead
Kaffarah : are alms to be given as penance on different
occasions.
Karbala :
Khadija : was the daughter of Khuwaylid and the wife of the
Prophet (S.A.W.). She was the mother of Fatima (A.S.).
Khums : is "a fifth", obligatory tax-like charity
Kifie : is an obligatory Islamic rule. If one person performs
the act, then it is not required for others to perform. For example, the
burial of a deceased Muslim is obligatory on any one person to
perform.
Labbaik : literally means a response to the call
Madina : means city, and Medinatu'l Nabi (the city of the
Prophet) was the name taken by the citizens of Yathrib, the town to
which the Prophet (S.A.W.) and his companions migrated during
Hijrah.
Maghrib : is sun-down and the prayer associated with it
Mahram : is a person with whom marriage is forbidden
Makruh : is something abominable
Maqame-e-Ibrahim : is a place near the Ka'bah, where there is a
stone bearing the footprint of Prophet Ibrahim (a)
Marwah : is a remnant of a mountain in Mecca.
Masjid : is a mosque, a place of Islamic worship.
Masjid-u-Shajarah : is a mosque outside Madinah, where most of
the Hajis go there for wearing Ihram; a Meeqat
Masjid-ul-Haram : is the Grand mosque in Makkah, where the Holy
Ka'ba is situated
Mayyit : is a corpse, a dead body of a human being
Mecca : is a holy city in Arabia
Medina : see Madina
Meeqat : are appointed places for wearing Ihram before entering
Makkah
Mina : is an area about 12 km. from Mecca.
Moses : see Musa
Muhammad : (S.A.W.) is the Last of the Messengers of Allah to
mankind.
Muhammad : b. Ali b. al-Husayn al Baqir, Abu Ja'far (A.S.) is
the 5th Imam.
Muhammad : b. Ali b. Musa, al-Jawad, is the 9th Imam.
Muhammad : b. al-Hasan al-Askari (A.S.) is the 12th Imam.
Muharram : is the first month of the Islamic calendar.
Mujtahid : is s specialist on the deduction of the Islamic
rules from four major sources: the Qur'an, Hadith, conscience of the
community, and reasoning.
Mu'min : is a believer, one who has Iman (pl. Mu'mineen)
Muqallid : is a follower of a qualified specialist on religious
matters.
Musa : was a Prophet of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an and the
Old Testament.
Musa : b. Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Kadhim, Abu al-Hasan (A.S.) is
the 7th Imam.
Muslim : is one who believes in Allah, his Prophet (S.A.W.),
the day of Resurrection (Qiyamat), recites the Kalemah, and accepts the
commandments of Allah and His Prophet (S.A.W.) as the Truth.
Mustahab : or Sunnat is something that is recommended and
performed in desire for (divine) love
Muzdalafah : (also called Mash'ar) is the area between Mina and
Arafat, about 20 km. form Mecca.
Nabi : is a Prophet
Nabuwwat :
Nadhr : is one of the three types of vows to Almighty
Allah.
Nafilah : are the recommended prayers after or before the daily
obligatory Salat.
Nahi anil Munkar :
Najasat : is an impurity
Najis : is something that is impure
Naar : is the fire of Hell
Nikah : is a pronouncement of marriage according to
Shari'ah
Niyyah : is an intention to perform an activity.
Noah : see Nuh
Non-mehram : is one with whom marriage is permitted
Nuh : was a prophet of Allah mentioned in the Qur'and and the
Old Testament
Pak : is something that is clean, not najis
Prophet : refers to a Messenger sent by Allah to mankind, such
as: Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa
(Jesus)(A.S.), and the Last Messenger, the Seal of the Prophethood,
Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Qadha : is the duty that is required for a missed ritual
activity, such as prayers or fasting.
Qamar : is the moon
Qiblah : is the direction of Salat (towards the Ka'bah).
Qira-at : is the reading of the prayer
Qiyam : is the standing during the Salat for recitation of
Suratul Hamd and the second Surah, and the standing after the
Ruku'.
Qiyamat : is the day of Resurrection
Qunut : is the act of raising both palms in fornt of the face
while praying in the second Rakat of Salat.
Qur'an : is the Holy Book, the Living Miracle, revealed from
Allah as a guidance to mankind.
Quraysh : is the tribe of Mecca to which Prophet Muhammad
(S.A.W.) belonged. All his descendants are also called Qurayshi.
Qurbani : is a sacrifice
Qurbat : is the niyyah of nearness to Allah
Rajab : is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar.
Ramadhan : is the ninth and the holiest month of the islamic
calendar. It is the month of fasting from sunrise to sunset.
Rasool :
Rukn : literally means a "pillar". It is also a basis of the
prayer.
Ruku' : is the act of bowing in the Salat
S.A.W. : stands for Sallal-lahu 'alayhi wa-alihi
wa-sallam in Arabic, and means Blessings and peace of God be with
him and his household. It is a prayer which is said after the name of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Sadaqah : is the charity given to the poor.
Saee : means walking between the rocks of Safa and Marwah
Safa : is the part of a mountain in Mecca.
Saheefa-Kamila : is a collection of supplications by our 4th
Imam (a), Zainul Abideen.
Sajdah : is the act of prostration in the Salat, when seven
portions of the body touch the earth: the forehead on pure ground, two
palms, two knees, and the two big toes. The two Sajdahs together are
called sajdatain :.
Salam : is a salutation. It is also the last recitation at the
end of Salat.
Salat : are the obligatory prayers
Salawat : are invocation of blessings, specifically the
recitation of Allahumma Sali 'Ala Muhammadin Wa Aali Muhammad,
meaning O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
Salman : (al-Farsi) was the Persion Companion of the Prophet
(S.A.W.)
Sawm : is the act of fasting
Sayyid : is a descendant of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
Shaabaan : is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.
Shahadah : is declaration
Shaheed : is a martyr in the way of Islam (pl. Shuhada).
Shaitan : is Satan, the enemy of mankind
Shari'ah : are the rules and regulations of Islam, the divine
Law. Shari'ah is the totality of of Allah's Commandments relating to
man's activities.
Shams : is the sun
Shawwal : is the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.
Shi'a : is a follower of the twelve Imams (A.S.).
Sunnat : or Mustahab means recommendable, desirable. The acts
whose neglect is not punished, but whose performance is rewarded, e.g.,
the call for prayers (adhan).
Surah : is any chapter of the 114 in the Holy Qur'an. It
literally means a sign, or a revelation. Each Surah in the Qur'an is
named from some subject or word which is particularly striking.
Tabarra :
Tafseer : is a term used for a commentary of any book,
specifically the Holy Qur'an.
Taharat : is the state of being clean and not impure
Tahur : is the cave wherein Prophet Muhammad (S) stayed before
finally migrating to Madinah
Takbirah : is saying "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the
Greatest).
Talbiyah : is the formula of response to the Call of Allah,
which must be pronounced immediately after Niyyah of Ihram
Tawaf : is part of the worship of Hajj and Umrah
Tawalla :
Tawbah : is repentance
Tawheed : is Divine Unity
Tayammum : means spiritual cleansing which is sometimes a
substitute for wudhu and ghusl
Thawab : is a Divine blessing
Turbah : is earth, especially from the shrines of the Holy
Imams (A.S.), on which Muslims place their heads during Sajdah
Umm Kulthum : see Zaynab
'Umra : is the "little" pilgrimage, performed in ritual purity
wearing the Ihram, the seamless ceremonial garments consisting of a
white sheet from the navel to the knees and a white sheet covering the
left shoulder, back and breast, knotted on t he right.
Usule Din : are the principles of Islam.
Wafat : is a death
Wajib : is obligatory (pl. Wajibat). An act which must be
performed.
Wudhu : is a spiritual wash of the face and hands before
Salat
Yaqub : was a prophet of Allah, mentioned in the Qur'an and the
Old Testament.
Yusuf : was a prophet of Allah, mentioned the Qur'an and the
Old Testament.
Zakat : is an obligatory charity
Zamzam : is the name of a well at Makkah
Zaynab : (Umm Kulthum) was the younger daughter of Ali and
Fatima (A.S.).
Ziyarat : is to visit and/or to recite special salutations for
the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and his household (A.S.).
With contributions from Br. Hasnain
Kassamali
from
Articles of Islamic Acts by Ayatullah al-Khui, Islamic Seminary
Publications, 1989
al-Ahkam al-Shar'iyyah (The Islamic Religious Rules) according to
Ayatullah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khu'i (R.A.), by Sayyid
Muhammad Taqi Jalali. Trans. Miyaniji Musabji. The Islamic Community,
1986.
Resalah (Epistle) Concise Commandments of Islam, According to the
verdicts of Hadhrat Ayatullah Uzma Sayyid Muhammad Redha Musavi
Gulpaygani (R.A.). A Translation of Mokhtasarol Ahkam. Dar al-Quran
al-Karim, 1992.
Kitab al-Irshad. The Book of Guidance. Shaykh al-Mufid. Trans.
I.K.A. Howard. Muhammadi Trust.
Know Your Islam. Muhammadi Trust. Compiled by Yousuf N. Lalljee,
1976.
Manaseke Haj, according to the verdicts of Ayatullah Gulpaygani.
1993, published by Islamic Universal Association, 20 Penzance Place,
Holland Park, London, W11 4PG
Western Civilization through Muslim Eyes. Sayyid Mujtaba Rukni
Musawi Lari, trans. F.J. Goulding.
The Tendency of Rationalizing the Laws of the Shari'ah. Sayyid
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