Glossary of Islāmic words and phrases
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Abu Dā’ud: One of the authentic collections of hadīth
Abd: Slave or Servant, as in AbdAllāh (Slave of Allāh)
Ādam: The Prophet Adam, peace be upon him
Adkhār: Words spoken in the rememberance of Allāh
Adhān: Call to prayer
Ahadīth: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم . (plural of hadīth).
Ahkām: Rules
‘Ahlu’l-kitāb: The people of the Book, the Jews and Christians
‘Ahl As Sunnah wa al Jammah: Those righteous people upon the way of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and staying with the congregation of believers
Ākhira: The Hereafter
Ālim: Scholar. Plural is ulema. All derived from root word, ilm which means knowledge
Al Āmilen ‘alay-ha: The collectors of zakāh. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
alayhis salām, alayha salām, alayhum salām: Appears in Arabic as
عليه السلام ,عليها السلام ,عليهم السلام and reads as ‘peace be upon him/her/them’. This is an honourific used for the Angels and Prophets of Islām.
Allāh hu ‘Ālim: Allah Knows Best
Alhamdulillāh: All Praise is due to Allāh
Anbiya: Prophets (plural of nabi)
Ansār: The people of Medinah who aided the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم (Ansāri is one such person)
Arkān: Pillars
Arkãn al ēmān: The Pillars of Faith
Arkãn al Islām: The Pillars of Islām
Asbāb-an-nuzūl: Reasons for revelation. Describing the phenomenon, of verses of the Qur’an being revealed specifically in response to events during the life of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
Ashrātas sa’ah: Signs of the Hour. The signs that the Day of Judgement is near.
‘Asr: The mid-afternoon prayer
Aslama: To submit one’s self
Aurah: certain areas of the body that must be covered, for men and women
Āyah: A verse of the Qur’an. (plural: āyāt) Literally translates as ‘a sign’ because each verse of the Qur’an is itself a Sign towards belief in Allāh, tawhīd, the unseen and the truth that is Islām.
Bani Isra’īl: The Children of Israel
Bai’ya: Pledge
Bid’ah: An innovation into the religion and a sin
Bil ghaib: Within the realms of the Unseen
Bir: Righteous actions
Bukhari: One of the authentic collections of hadīth
Da’if: Weak, here referring to weakness of a hadith
Da’wah: Inviting others to Islāmā
Dāwūd: The prophet David, peace be upon him
Dhab: Sacrifice of an animal during Hajj
Dhul Hijjah: The 12th month of the Islāmic lunar calendar
Dhuhr: The midday prayer
Du’a: Supplicating to Allāh
Dunya: The life of this world
Ēmān: Faith or Belief.
Ēsa: The Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him. He is also known as Ēsa Ibn Maryam, Jesus, the son of Mary
Fard: a compulsory action in Islām
Fājr: The dawn prayer
Fajr as-sādiq: The true dawn, when the whiteness of dawn can be distinguished from the darkness of the night.
Fajr al-khādib: False dawn
Fidya: Paying an amount to the poor as compensation for missing Ramadhān fasts
Al Firdaws: Highest level of Paradise
Fi sabīl’Allāh: For the cause of Allāh. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.Fiqh: Islamic jurisprudence
Al Furqan: The Criterion. One of the names of the Qur’an as it provides the criterion to help us decide between right and wrong.
Fus-hah: Classical Arabic
Fuqarā: Desperately poor people. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
Al Ghaib: The Unseen
Al Ghārmīn: Those burdened by debt (They can meet their basic needs but not their debt). One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
Ghusl: A bath
Hadīth: A saying of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
Hajj: Compulsory Pilgrimage to Makkah if one is physically and financially able to do so
Halāl: Permissable
Halaq: Full shaving of the head during Hajj or Umrah
Haram: The Holy Mosque in Makkah
Harām: Forbidden
Hārūth and Mārūth: Two angels mentioned in Sūrah Baqarah
Hawl: One full lunar calendar year
Hayd: A woman’s monthly period
Hidayah: Allāh’s guidance
al Huwairiūn: The disciples who supported Ēsa, peace be upon him
Ibādah: Worship
Iblīs: Satan
Ibn as-sabīl: wayfarer stranded away from his hometown. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
Ibrahīm: The prophet Abraham, peace be upon him
Ihrām: is a state of being that pilgrims must enter before they start their Hajj.
Iftār: Breaking of the fast
Ihsa: Understanding, memorising and remembering the Names and Attributes of Allãh
I’jāz: The concept of inimitability of the Qur’ān. Study of the aspects that confirm the miraculous nature of the Qur’an.
Ilm: Knowledge. Root word for ālim (scholar) and ulema (scholars)
Imsak: The incorrect practice of stopping our eating early before dawn when intending to fast, as opposed to right up to dawn.
Insh’Allāh: If Allāh Wills
Injil: The Gospel
Inqiyād: Submission
Ikhlās: Sincerity
Imām: Leader of prayer, or leader
Al Irāda’ Ash-Shar-īyyah: The Specific Will of Allāh
Al Irāda’ Al-Qowniyyah: The General Will of Allāh
Isha: The night prayer
Ishāq: The Prophet Isaac, peace be upon him
Islām: To surrender to the Will of Allāh
Israfīl: The Angel, Israfīl
Istawa: Where Allah rose above or established Himself above His Throne
Iqāmāh: Words immediately before prayer in Jamā’ah
jamā’ah: Congregation
Jamarāt: Structures which, during Hajj, are ritually stoned.
Jibrīl: The Angel Gabriel (Peace be upon him)
Jinn: Another creation of Allah, made from smokeless fire
Jahannam: Hellfire
Jannah: Paradise
Juz: A section of the Qur’an. As well as being divided into sūrahs, the Qur’an is also divided into 30 juz of equal length
Ka’bah: The cube structure in Makkah acting as a direction marker of prayer for Muslims all over the world and built by the Prophet Ibrahīm, peace be upon him.
Kabā’ir: Major sins
Kaffārah: A severe penalty that must be undertaken where a person in Ramadhān nullifies the fast by having sexual relations whilst fasting.
Kāfir: Disbeliever
Khutba: Sermon
Kirāman Khātibīn: Two angels on either side of us, being the Noble Recorders, recording our deeds.
Kufr: State of disbelief
Kuffār: Disbelievers
KutubAllāh: The Books revealed by Allāh
Al Lauh Al Mahfūz: The Safe Tablet, upon which the destiny of Allāh’s creation was written down beforehand
Lūt: The Prophet Lot, peace be upon him
Madani sūrah: Describing a sūrah of the Qur’ān as being revealed in Madinah (Medina)
Mahabbah: Love (for the shahādah)
Makki sūrah: Describing a sūrah of the Qur’ān as being revealed in Makkah (Mecca)
Makruh: Strongly disliked
Magrib: The sunset prayer
Mahram: A permitted male companion for a lady when travelling.
Mālik: The Chief Guard of Hellfire
Al Malā’ika: The Angels
Malik Al Mawt: The Angel of Death, leading those angels responsible for carrying away our souls
Maryam: Mary, the mother of Jesus (Maryam, um Ēsa)
Masha’Allāh: What Allāh has Willed
Masah: A dispensation that allows for wiping over socks during wudhu, instead of full washing of feet.
Masjid: Mosque (literally the place for sujūd [prostration])
Masjid al Haram: The Holy Mosque in Makkah
Mithqāl: unit of measurement equal to approximately 4.5 grams.
Mika’īl: The Angel, Micheal
Misākīn: The needy. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
Al mu'allafatu qulūbahum: Those whose hearts need to be strengthened and reconciled towards Islām. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
Miqāt: boundary points outside Makkah that pilgrims must go to, to don their ihrām and start their Hajj
Mu’jiza: Miracle
Mujāhidīn: Those fighting for the sake of Allāh
Munkar and Nakīr: The angels who question us in our graves
Mūsa: The prophet Moses, peace be upon him
Mushrik: A person who commits shirk.
Mushrikeen: A community of people who commit shirk.
Muslim: A person who has surrendered themselves to the Will of Allāh. A person who follows Islām.
Muslim: One of the authentic collections of hadīth
an-Nār: The Fire. Another name for Hellfire
Nabi: Prophet (plural: anbiya)
Najas: impure
Nafl: A voluntary good deed
Nawāfil: Voluntary deeds
Nūr: Light
Nifās: A woman’s bleeding after childbrith
Nisāb: a certain minimum amount of wealth that a person must have before they are required to pay zakāh.
Nisa’ī: One of the authentic collections of hadīth
Niyyah: Intention
Qabūl: Acceptance
Qada: Compensating one day of fasting later, for a day that was missed during Ramadhān
Qadr: Divine Preordainment. Everything that occurs in Allāh’s universe was already decreed to occur by Him.
’Qara’a: To read. The root verb of the word Qur’an
Qasās al Anbiya: Stories of the Prophets
Qasr: shortening of salāh
Qibla: The direction of prayer, facing Makkah
Qiyām: Standing position in salāh
Qur’aish: The very tribe in Makkah of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
Rabb: Lord
RadhiAllāhu anho/anha/anhuma/anhum: Appears in Arabic as رضي الله عنه/ ها/ هما / هم and reads as may Allāh be pleased with him/her/them both/them: This is an honourific used for the Companions of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم
Rak’āh: A unit or cycle of prayer
Ramy: Ritual during Hajj of the stoning of the the devil, represented by the the structures known as the Jamarāt
Rasūl: Messenger (plural: rusul)
Ar Riqāb: For freeing of slaves. One of the categories permissible to receive zakāh.
Rizq: Livelihood, bounty, means of sustenance, provision
Ruku: Bowing
Rukn: A pillar, or support for a building, a corner
Rukn as-salāh: This is a pillar or cornerstone of salāh. These actions or words must be done or read respectively. If they are missed in any rak’ah then that rak’ah must be repeated. It would not be acceptable simply to perform sajdah sahw
Rukn al ēmān: A pillar of faith
Rusul: Messengers (plural of Rasūl). Rusulihi means ‘His Messengers’
as Sa’ah: The Hour. Another name for the Last Day
Sabr: Patience
Sadaqāh: Voluntary charity (not mandatory like Zakah)
Sahābah: Companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
Sajdah: Prostration
Sajdah Sahw: This is an additional prostration, performed at the end of the salāh, if certain parts of the salāh are missed or forgotten. However, there are areas that it does not cover;
Sakhīna: Tranquility
Sawm Ramadhān: Obligatory fasting in the month of Ramadhan
Salāh: Prayer performed in a prescribed manner
Salaf as Sāleh: Our Pious Predecessors, or Early Generation of Muslims
Ṣallallāhu ′alayhe wassallam: Appears in Arabic as صلى الله عليه وسلم and reads as ‘may Allāh send blessings and peace upon him’. This is an honourific used exclusively for the Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
Sīrah or Sīrat-un-Nabi: The biography of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
Shari’ah: Islāmic laws and codes
Shaytān: Satan. Also known as Iblīs
Shahādah: One of the five Pillars of Islām. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allāh and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh ( صلى الله عليه وسلم)
Shirk: To associate partners with Allāh
Sidq: Truthfulness
Sirāt al mustaqīm: The straight path
SubhānAllāh: Glory be to Allāh or He is free from imperfection
Subhān wa ta’āla: The Glorious and Most High, reads in Arabic as سبحانه وتعالىٰ
Suhuf: The Scriptures (revealed to Ibrāhīm and Mūsa, peace be upon them)
Suhūr: The morning breakfast before fasting
Sunnah: The practices of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
Sunnah as salāh: an action within the salāh that was performed by our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and therefore highly recommended.
Sūrah: A chapter of the Qur’an. The Qur’an has 114 sūrahs
Sujūd or sajda: Prostration
Sujjãda: Prayer mat
Sūrah: Chapter (as in chapter of the Qur’an)
Taghūt: False objects of worship e.g. idols, heavenly bodies, human beings, spirits.
Takbīr: The phrase Allāhu Akbar (Allāh is the Greatest)
Takbīra-tal-Ihrām: The opening takbī of prayer.
Talbiya: pilgrims are required to keep speaking aloud certain words during Hajj and umrah
Tanjīm: The gradual revelation of the Qur’ān.
Tarāwih: Evening prayers in Ramadhān
Tāhir: Clean and pure
Taslīm: The phrase and greeting Assalāmu alaikum (Peace be unto you)
Taqsīr: cutting of the hair only during Hajj or Umrah
Ta’tīl: To deny any or all of the valid Names and Attributes of Allāh
Tawāf: moving in a circle seven times around the structure, anti-clockwise as an act of worship
Tawhīd: Belief in absolute unity of Allāh. Belief in the Oneness of Allāh
Tawhīd ar rubūbiyah: Belief in Unity in the Lordship of Allãh i.e. He is the sole Creator of all that is in the heavens and the earth. He is the sole Cherisher and Sustainer of all creation.
Tawhīd al ulūhiyah: Belief in Unity in the worship of Allãh i.e. there is no god but Him, the One, the Unique, without partners or associates, alone worthy of all true worship.
Tawhīd al asma wa as-sifāt: Unity in the Names and Attributes of Allãh i.e. He is understood and described by His Names and Attributes, as mentioned by Himself in the Qur’ãn and by the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Taykīf: Trying to explain, investigate, speculate or imagine the reality, or the how, of a particular name or attribute of Allāh. Such delving should not be done. We must stay with the obvious meaning.
Tirmidhi: One of the authentic collections of hadīth
Tawrāh: The Torah or Old Testament
Ulema: Scholars. The plural of Ãlim. All derived from root word, ilm which means knowledge
Ulū al-’Adham: Messengers of Strong Will, namely Nūh, Ibrāhīm, Mūsa, ‘Ēsa, peace be upon them, and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
Ummah: The international community of Muslims
Umrah: Minor pilgrimage to Makkah
Wahī: Inspiration received from Allāh by His Messengers and selected others.
Wahi Bātin: Internal inspiration The general words of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم were based upon wahī bātin (internal inspiration). He would express those concepts to his sahābah (companions) رضي الله عنهم. They today form the, so-called, ahadīth, sayings and traditions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Wahi Dhāhir: Manifest inspiration. The Qur’ān was revealed by this way. Here the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would receive not ‘general concepts,’ but rather ‘precise words’, words that would go to form the Qur’ān.
Wājib: An obligatory act. According to the majority of the scholars of the jurisprudence, wājib is entirely synonymous with fard.
Wida: Final farewell
Wudhu: Ablutions before prayer
Yahya: The Prophet John, peace be upon him
Al Yaqīn: Certainty
Yawm al Ākhir: The Last Day
Yawm al Qiyāmah: The Day of Judgement
Yūsuf: The prophet Jospeh, peace be upon him
Zabūr: The Psalms
Zakāh: Obligatory charity
Zakahu-al-Fitr: An obligatory charity given at the end of Ramadhān, distinct from annual Zakāh
Zakarīya: The prophet Zechariah, peace be upon him
Zina: Illegal sexual relations