GLOSSARY

OF ISLAMIC TERMS

Aaq-e-Waledain: A child who disobeys or angers the parents

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

Ihsan: Goodness

Amanat: Trust

Amr-bil-Maroof: Enjoining to do good

Ayat: Verse of the Holy Quran

Barakat: Divine increase of bounties

Barzakh: The intermediary stage between death and the Day of the Judgement

Bismillah: In the Name of Allah

Dirham: Unit of currency

Diyah: Blood money

Dua: Invocation

Ehtekaf: 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 Ramazan.

Fajr: Morning

Faqih: Jurisprudent

Firon: Pharaoh (In this context Ramases II)

Furoo-e-Deen: Branches of Religion or the practical laws of Islam

Hadd: Punishment

Hadith: A statement of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) or of the Holy Imams (a.s.)

Hajj: Annual pilgrimage to Makkah during the month of Zilqad

Halal: Permissible, legal

Haraam: Prohibited, illegal

Hasna: Unit of heavenly rewards

Hijab: Statutory Islamic dress for women, veil, curtain

Iblees: Satan

Iddah: A prescribed period a woman has to pass after divorce or her husband's demise before she can remarry.

Imaan: Faith

Imla: Respite given by Allah to the sinners in which they become more heedless of their sins

Insha-Allah: If Allah wills

Isha: Late evening

Jamat: Congregation

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

Jehad: Religious war

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

Kaffara: Fine, penalty

Kafir: One who denies God

Kalimas: I witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) is the Messenger of Allah

Kuffar: Plural of Kafir

Kunniyat: Patronym

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

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

Marefat: Recognition

Masjidul-Haram: The Holy Mosque in Makkah

Masoomeen: (Singular- Masum): Infallible

Mehram: Relatives between whom marriage is prohibited

Mahshar: The field where people will be collected on the Day of the Judgement for their final Accounting

Meraj: Ascension (to heaven)

Misqal: A measure of weight of about 4.6 gms.

Mohib: Admirer

Momin: Believer

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

Mujtahids: Doctors of Islamic law

Munafiq: Hypocrite

Mushrik: Polytheist

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

Mutawati: A frequently related tradition

Nahy-Anil-Munkar: Forbidding evil

Najis: Unclean

Nam-e-Amaal: Scroll of deeds

Namaz: Salat or prayers

Namehram: Persons between whom marriage is possible

Nawafil: Recommended prayers

Nikah: Marriage ceremony

Oqooq: (Singular=Aaq): those who disobey or anger the parents

Qasr: Shortening of the ritual prayers during a journey

Qate-Rehmi: Breaking off relations with relatives

Qaza: An unfulfilled obligatory act

Qazi: Judge, jurist

Qunut: Despondence

Rakat: A unit of ritual prayer

Rawayat: A narration

Riyah: An act of showing off

Rizq: Sustenance

Roza: Fast

Sadaat: Descendants of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) through Imam Husain (a.s.)

Sadaqah: Voluntary charity, alm

Salaam: Salute, Islamic greeting

Salaat: Ritual prayers

Sawaab: Divine rewards

Shab-e-Qadr: The Night of Power

Shabaan: A month of the Muslim calender

Shahadatain: See Kalimas

Shariat: Islamic law

Shiraz: A city of Iran

Sileh-Reham: An act of goodness towards ones relatives

Siraat: Path

Taqwa: Piety

Taslim: Acceptance

Tawakkal: Reliance

Tawfeeq: Divine inspiration

Tawheed: Belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah

Tuman: Currency of Iran

Ulil-Amr: One who holds an authoritative position

Ummat: Followers (of Prophets)

Wajib: Obligatory

Wajib-e-Aini: An obligation that is to be carried out by every person

Wajib-e-Kifai: An obligatory act which if performed by one ceases to be obligatory on the others

Wilayat: Love and obedience

Yaas: Despair

Zakat: Obligatory Islamic wealth tax

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

Zimmi: A non-muslim who lives under the protection of an Islamic government

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

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