* Note that
deviant sects are explained elsewhere in a separate section. Click here
A
Aayah (pl.
aayaat) A sign from Allaah; a miracle; a verse of the Qur’aan.
‘Abd A
slave; servant of Allaah.
Aboo Father
of.
Ahaadeeth See
‘hadeeth’.
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah Those people who unite upon the
Truth and follow the Sunnah.
‘Alaqah A
stage of the foetus. A clot of blood.
Ameer Leader;
Ruler.
Ansaar The
Helpers. The Muslims of Madeenah who helped those Muslims who migrated to Madeenah
from Makkah.
‘Aqeedah Creed;
Belief
Awliyaa’ pl.
Pious believers. (See ‘walee’)
B
Badr A
place 150km south of Madeenah; The Battle of Badr; The full moon.
Barzakh The
period that starts with death and the grave and ends with Resurrection.
Bid’ah Innovation;
anything introduced into the Religion seeking Allaah’s pleasure but having
no proof for it.
Bin/ibn son of.
Bint daughter
of.
D
Dajjaal Maseeh
ad Dajjaal. The lying Anti-Christ. The disbeliever who will put the world
to severe trial. He will be killed by Prophet ‘Eesaa (‘alayhis salaam).
Da’wah Calling
to Allaah; Promoting the Religion.
Deen (pl.
adyaan) Religion; complete way of life.
Dhawaat al asbaab Due
to/linked to a reason.
Dhikr (pl
adhkaar). Remembrance of Allaah.
Du’aa (pl.
ad’iyah). Supplication; prayer.
E
Eemaan Faith;
Belief in heart, speech of the tongue and actions of the limbs. It increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience.
F
Faajir (pl.
fujjaar). Evil doer.
Faasiq (pl.
fasiqoon). Sinner; evil doer.
Fatwaa (pl. fataawaa).
Religious ruling or verdict.
Fiqh Understanding;
Jurisprudence (Islamic Law).
Firqatun Naajiyyah Saved
Sect.
Fitnah (pl.
fitan). Trials, tests, conflicts.
Fitrah The
natural state that a person is born upon which includes the inclination to
worship Allaah alone.
G
Ghurla Uncircumcised.
H
Hadeeth (pl.
ahaadeeth). The sayings, actions or approvals authentically narrated from the Prophet
(r).
Halaal Permissible;
Lawful.
Haraam Prohibited;
Unlawful.
Hikaayah Narration
(term used by the Maatureediyyah Sect).
Hajj The
fifth pillar of Islaam. The pilgrimage to Makkah is to be made at least once in
a Muslim’s life for those who can financially and
physically perform it.
Hijaab Islaamic
outer covering for women; a screen.
Hijrah To
leave the lands of disbelief and travel to live in the lands of Islaam.
Hijree The
Hijree calendar is used by Muslims. It begins from the hijrah of the Prophet (r)
from
Makkah to Madeenah.
Hisaab
The Account; The Reckoning.
Hisaab bi ghairi
hisaab Account without reckoning.
Hisaab Munaaqashah Account by interrogation
Hisaab Muwaazanah Account by weighing
Hisaab Taqreer Account by acknowledgement
Hisaab Yaseer Easy Account
Hoorul ‘Ayn The
beautiful women specifically created for Paradise.
Hudood (sing.
Hadd). Prescribed/fixed punishments from Allaah.
I
‘Ibaarah Expression
(term used by the Ashaa’irah Sect).
Ibn/bin son
of.
Ihsaan Perfection;
Worshipping Allaah as though you see Him, knowing that He sees you.
Ijmaa’ Consensus. When scholars agree upon
a certain issue.
Ijtihaad Striving
to arrive at the correct ruling by a scholar qualified to do so.
Ikhlaas Sincerity
of worship to Allaah; Name of the 112th Soorah of the Qur’aan.
Ilhaad Denying,
distorting or adding to Allaah’s Names or Verses.
Imaam Leader
of a state; leader of the prayer.
Iraadah Will.
Irjaa’ A
deviant belief consisting of the removal of actions from faith: that a person is a believer even if he does not act upon his belief. A
follower of this belief
is called a ‘Murji’ee’.
Isnaad chain
of narration.
Istawaa’ Allaah’s
rising above the Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty.
Ittibaa’ Following.
J
Jaahiliyyah The
Days of Ignorance before the coming of the Prophet (r);
Un-Islamic practices that existed or came from the time
before Islaam.
Jabr Compulsion.
Jahannum Hellfire.
Janaazah (pl.
janaa’iz). Funeral.
Jannah Paradise.
Jihaad Striving
to raise high the religion of Allaah by da’wah then fighting.
Jinn A
creation made from fire.
Jizyah A
tax for disbelievers living under Muslim Rule.
Jumu’ah Friday;
Friday prayer.
K
Kaafir (pl.
kuffaar). Disbeliever in Allaah.
Ka’bah Allaah’s
House in Makkah. A cube building inside the Masjid al Haraam. Muslims face
the ka’bah for every prayer (qiblah) and go around it as part of
the ‘Umrah and Hajj
rituals (tawaaf).
Karaamah (pl. karaamaat).
Miracles that happen at the hands of pious believers.
Khaleefah (pl. khulafaa’).
Caliph. Muslim leader; Used for the first four Muslim Leaders: Aboo Bakr,
‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and ‘Alee (y).
Khilaafah Muslim
Rule.
Khutbah Religious
speech; Friday Khutbah. (person: khateeb)
Kufr Disbelief
in Allaah. (Person: kaafir).
Kufr asghar
Minor disbelief – does not take a
person outside of the religion.
Kufr akbar Major disbelief – takes a person outside
of the religion.
L
Lawh al Mastoor Inscribed
Tablet.
Lawh al Mahfoodth Preserved
Tablet.
M
Madhhab School
of Thought; Sect.
Mahshar The
Gathering Place on the Day of Resurrection.
Makkah The
birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (r).
The place where the ka’bah was built by Ibraaheem. A city in present day Saudi Arabia.
Manhaj Methodology
or way that a Muslim follows to derive understanding and application of
his Religion.
Maqaam al Mahmood ‘The
praised station.’ The Prophet (r)
will be given permission to intercede on the Day of
Resurrection.
Mashee’ah Wish.
Minbar The
steps on which an imaam stands to give his khutbah.
Mi’raaj The
Prophet’s (r)
Ascent to the heavens.
Mu’attilah A sect
that deny Allaah’s Names and Attributes. (A word derived from ‘Atala to
make void).
Mudd A
measurement of two cupped handfuls.
Mubtadi’ A
person who practises innovation (bid’ah).
Mudghah A stage
of the foetus, a chewed piece of flesh.
Muftee A
person qualified to give fataawaa, religious rulings based upon
evidence.
Muhaajiroon Those
Companions who migrated from Makkah to Madeenah (made hijrah).
Muhkam Aayaat
with clear and unambiguous meanings.
Muhsin Doer
of good (ihsaan - perfection).
Mujaahid (pl.
mujaahidoon). A person who makes jihaad; a fighter.
Mu’jizah A
miracle that happens to a Prophet.
Mu’min (pl. mu’minoon.
Noun: eemaan). A believer.
Musee’ Sinner.
Mushrik (pl. mushrikoon.
Noun: shirk). Polytheist; A person who worships others along with Allaah,
in belief or actions.
Mutashaabih Ambiguous
aayaat needing the clear (muhkam) aayaat to explain them.
Mutawaatir A hadeeth
reported by many narrators making it impossible for it to have been fabricated.
Muttaqoon (see noun:
taqwaa). Those having piety, God consciousness.
Muwwahhid (noun:
tawheed). A person who practises tawheed – directs all his worship to Allaah alone.
N
Nafl Extra,
non-obligatory actions.
Nawaasib See
Appendix on ‘Deviant Sects.’
Q
Qadaa’ Pre-ordainment;
the occurrence and execution of Allaah’s Predestination.
Qadar Predestination;
Fate.
Qiblah Direction
of the prayer towards Makkah and the ka’bah. Muslims face the qiblah
to pray wherever they are in the world.
Qiraa’ah A
reading of the Qur’aan.
Qiyaamah (Day
of) Resurrection; Standing.
Qisaas Retribution;
reprisal.
Qiyaas Analogical
reasoning.
Quraysh One
of the most powerful tribes in Arabia at the time of the Prophet (r)
and the one to which he belonged.
Quroon al Mufaddalah The
Best and most virtuous Generations.
R
Rabb Lord.
Rak’ah A
unit or cycle of formal prayer, consisting of standing, reciting Qur’aan,
bowing, prostrating and sitting.
Ribaa Interest;
usury.
Riddah Becoming
a disbeliever after being a believer.
Ruboobiyyah Lordship.
S
Sahaabee (pl.
sahaabah). The Companions of the Prophet (r).
They met him, believed in him and died upon that belief.
Saheeh authentic;
correct.
Salaam The
Islaamic greeting, ‘Assalaamu alaykum.’ Peace be upon you.
Salaah The
five daily prescribed prayers at fixed times performed according to the way of the
Prophet (r).
Salaf Pious
predecessors; Specifically, the early Muslims such as the Companions and the Successors
(the Taabi’een) and those that followed them (the Atba Taabi’een). Generally, anyone who follows their beliefs and methodology.
Seerah The
history and biography of the Prophet (r).
Shaam An
area encompassing Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon
and Syria.
Shafaa’ah Intercession.
Shahaadah Declaration
of faith; The saying, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.’
Sharee’ah Islamic
Legislation.
Shaykh (pl.
shuyookh). A religious scholar; an old man; a term of respect.
Shirk Associating
partners with Allaah.
Soofism (person:
Soofee). A deviant sect that ascribes to Islaam. They innovate in acts of worship
and some of them commit shirk such as grave worship.
Soor The
Horn that will blow on the Day of Resurrection.
Soorah (pl.
suwar). A division of the Qur’aan; a chapter. There are 114 suwar in the Qur’aan.
Sunnah A
practice of the Prophet (r), some of which are
compulsory upon us; optional, non- obligatory act of worship such as
sunnah prayer, sunnah fasts etc.
T
Taaghoot (pl.
tawaagheet). Anything worshipped other than Allaah; Every kind of rule other than
Allaah’s rule.
Taabi’ee (pl.
Taabi’een). The generation of Muslims after the Companions; The Successors.
Tadbeer To
manage (affairs).
Tafseer Explanation
of the Noble Qur’aan.
Tahiyyatul masjid The
two rak’ah prayer performed upon first entering the masjid (as a greeting).
Tahreef To
distort the meaning of something. i.e. distorting Allaah’s Attributes by saying
‘istawaa’ rising above, is ‘istawlaa’
conquering.
Takfeer Pronouncing
disbelief (kufr) on someone.
Takyeef Asking
‘how’ (kayf) Allaah’s Attributes are? This is an innovation.
Talbiyyah A
verbal response to Allaah’s Call to come on Hajj. I am responding to You upon obedience
to You. The actual wording of the talbiyyah is: Labbayk Allaahumma labbayk,
labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Innal Hamda wan Ni’mata laka wal mulk. Laa shareeka
lak.
Tamtheel Likening
Allaah to the creation.
Taqdeer Decree.
Taqleed Blind
following.
Taqwaa To do
what will protect you from Allaah’s Anger and Punishment by performing His Commands
and staying away from His Prohibitions; Performing acts of obedience upon a light from Allaah,
hoping for His Reward and leaving disobedience to Allaah upon a light from Allaah, fearing
His Punishment.
Tashbeeh (Group:
Mushabbihah) Likening Allaah to His creation. Saying that He resembles it.
Ta’teel Denying
Allaah’s Names and Attributes.
Tawaaf The
circling of the ka’bah as an act of worship during ‘Umra and Hajj or instead of
tahiyyatul masjid
prayer.
Tawassul Seeking
nearness to Allaah through good deeds.
Ta’weel To
give a figurative explanation to any of Allaah’s Attributes; false
interpretations. (For example, to falsely interpret
Allaah’s ‘Hand’ to mean ‘His power’).
Tawheed Singling
out Allaah alone for worship; The Oneness of Allaah in His Lordship, His worship
and His Names and Attributes.
U
‘Ulamaa’ (sing.
‘aalim; noun: ‘ilm – knowledge). Religious scholars; People of Knowledge.
Ulul ‘azam The
Mighty Prophets (Nooh, Ibraaheem, Moosa, ‘Eesaa and Muhammad – peace be upon
them all).
Uhud A
well-known mountain in Madeenah,
Saudi Arabia;
The Battle of Uhud.
Ummah Muslim
Nation.
‘Umrah The
lesser Hajj.
W
Wa’d Promises.
Wa’eed Threats.
Wahdatul wujood The
Unification of Existence. A deviant belief that Allaah is everywhere (instead
of above the heavens, above the Throne).
Walaa’ wal baraa’ Allegiance
and dissociating
Walee (pl.
awliyaa’). Pious believer; Friend, helper, protector, guardian.
Wasat The
Middle way or path.
Z
Zakaah The
third pillar of Islaam. An annual, compulsory charity (2.5%) on wealth that is over a certain limit (nisaab)
which has been possessed for over a year. It is given to the poor as well as to other
categories that are mentioned in the Qur’aan.
Zamzam The
spring of water that miraculously appeared in the desert at the time of Prophet
Ibraaheem to quench Haajar’s baby, Ismaa’eel’s, thirst.
It continues to flow near the ka’bah to this day and pilgrims quench their thirst
from it and make du’aa for their health.
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