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Glossary

 A

`adah – Custom

`ahd – Covenant

Ahl al-dhimma – People of the covenant, protected status

Ahl al-kitab – People of the book: Jews and Christians

`alim (pl. `ulama`) – Religious scholar

Allahoo akbar – Allah is the greatest

Amir al-mu`minin – Commander of the faithful

Ansar – The followers of the prophet in Medina

`aql – Reason

Arkan al-islam – The five pillars of Islam

`asabiyah – Arab tribal solidarity

`ashura – The “tenth”, the Jewish Yom Kippur.

`ashura – Day of mourning in Shi`i tradition

`asriyun – Modernists

B

Baiy`ah/ mubaya`ah – Oath of allegiance to the ruler

Bid`ah – Apostasy, heresy; innovation practice

D

Dar al-harb – Abode of war, the world outside Islam 

Dar al-Islam – Abode of Islam, Muslim land

Dar al-sulh – Regions considered at temporally peace with Islam (by contract)

Da`wah – Religious propaganda, propagation of the Islamic faith

Dawlah – State

Din – Faith, religion

Duniah – World

F

Fard `ayn – Obligatory duty

Fard kifaya – Voluntary duty

Fatwah (pl. Fatawat) – Authoritative religious ruling

Fiqh – Jurisprudence

G

Ghulat – Exaggerators

H

Hadith (pl. Ahadith) – Narration, traditions of the Prophet.

Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca

Hakmiyah – Sovereignty

Haq (pl. Huquq) – Right

Haram – Unlawful, forbidden, sacred territory, sanctuary

Hijrah – Tthe Prophet’s migration on July 16, 622 CE

Hizbullah – Party of Allah

Hudaibiya Pact – In the year 628 Muhammad had signed a contract with the Qureish tribe of Medina of cease-fire or non-belligerency for then years, in an area called Hudaibiyah. after two years he violated the pact, “in the name of Allah”, and conquered Mecca. Muhammad’s behavior has since become a model for how to treat the enemies of Islam: Agreements are to be breached when expedient.

Hukm – Authority, rule

Hurriyah – Freedom

I

`ibadah – Worship

`id – Festival

`id al-adh`a – The feast of sacrifice

`id al-fitr – The feast of breaking the Ramadan fast

Ijma` – Consensus of Muslim community

Ijtihad – Innovative thinking, interpretation of Islamic law

`ilm – Knowledge, science

`ilmaniyah – Secularism

Imam – Religious and prayer leader

Iman – Faith

`ird – Woman honor

Islah – Reform

J

Jahiliyah – The times of pre-Islamic Arabia, sinful society

Jama`ah – Association or society

Jihad – Holy war 

Jihad al-akbar – Striving for the path of Allah when the whole world is Muslim

Jihad al-saghir – The holy war against the enemies of Islam

Jizyah – An exemption tax

K

Kafir (pl. Kuffar) – Disbeliever, infidel

Khali` – One who deported from his tribe

Khawarij – Islamic radical sect

Khutbah (pl. Khutab) – Sermon, preaching

M

Madhhab (pl. Madhahib) – School of legal thought or jurisprudence

Majlis al-shura – Consultative assembly

Mawla (pl. Mawali) – Non-Arab Muslim convert in early Islamic history

Mu`min (pl. Mu`minun) – Believer or faithful

Mufti – Muslim religious scholar

Murtad – Who rejects Islam, an apostate

Muruwah – Tribal manhood

Mushrik (pl. Mushrikun) – Polytheist, idolater

N

Nahdah – Resistance

Niyah – Intention

Nizam islami – Islamic system

Q

Qadi – Islamic judge

Qawm – Nation, race

Qiblah – Direction of pray

Qur`an – The holy book of Islam

Qureish – The prophet’s tribe

Qias – Reasoning by analogy

R

Rak`ah – Bowing during prayer

Ray – Opinion, personal speculation

S

Sabr – Endurance and steadfastness

Sadaqah – Charitable donation

Sahabah – Companions of the Prophet

Salafiyah – Movement of Islamic revival

Salat – Prayer

Shahada – There is no God but Allah and Muh`ammad is the messenger of Allah

Shahid – (pl. Shuhada`) Martyr

Shari`ah – The path, the Islamic law according to the Qur’an and hadith

Sufism – Islamic mysticism and asceticism

Shi`a – Party, faction, the adherents of `ali

Sunnah – The practices of the prophet

Shura – Consultation

T

Ta`awun – Solidarity, cooperation

Ta`ifiyah – Sectarianism

Tali`ah – Vanguard

Taqiyah – Dissimulation about one’s religious identity

Taqlid – Imitation

Tariqah – Religious order

Tashmis – Deportation, banishment

U

Ummah – The Islamic community

Usuliyah – Roots, fundamentalism

Urf – Local custom

W

Watan – Homeland, fatherland

Z

Zakat – Voluntary charity