Glossary
Note: There are a lot more words than those that I am including in this Glossary. However, the ones that are present are the ones that have some relevance to the Chapters following.
The Glossary is split into SIX sections:
1) Arabic Words, 2) English Words, 3) Prophets, Angels and Holy Books, 4) Places, 5) Dates and Events, 6) Sects
Arabic Words:
Akhirah: Muslim Beliefs about Life After Death
Alayhis-Salam (a.s): Literally: Peace be upon him
Al-Aziz: Literal Meaning: The All Powerful. It is one of the Ninety-Nine names of Allah …Al-Jannah: Heaven/Paradise. Literally: The Garden
Al-Qadr: Allah’s control of future events
Aqiqa: The birth ceremony for Muslim children
Ar-Raheem: Literal Meaning: The Compassionate. It is one of the Ninety-Nine names of Allah …Ar-Rahman: Literal Meaning: The Merciful. It is one of the Ninety-Nine names of Allah …Ayah: A verse of the Quran
Bismillah Hirrahma Nirra Heem (a.k.a. Bismillah): Literal Meaning: In the name of Allah, the Most Kind, the Most Merciful. These are words, which are present at the start of every Chapter in the Quran, except for Surah Touba
Hadeeth (also spelt Hadith): The sayings and the actions of Muhammad (s.a.w.) as recorded by his family and friends
Hajj: The annual Pilgrimage of Muslims to Makkah. It is the Fifth Pillar of Islam
Halal: That which is permitted or Lawful
Haram: That which is forbidden or Unlawful
Haya: Shame or modesty
Hijab: Hijab is used to describe the headscarf worn by Muslim women
Hijrah: The immigration of the Prophet Muhammad (s) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 C.E.
Imam: A person who leads Salaah prayers
Jahannam: Hell
Janazah: A special Salaah (prayer) used at funerals
Jihad: Struggle against Evil in the way of Allah
Jum’a: Jum’a is the Friday, midday prayer for which Muslim males must attend mosque
Khalifah: Custodian or steward of the world for Allah
Khutbah: A sermon or a Talk by an imam in a mosque
Kuhl: A divorce, which both partners agree to
Mahr: A sum of money placed in Trust for a bride by her husband at the wedding
Niyyah: A prayer of Intention, which begins Salaah
Qiblah: The direction of the Ka’bah in Makkah, which must be faced in Salaah
Ra’kah: A unit of Salaah. (Each time of Salaah has a number of units)
Riba: Any form of borrowing or lending money at Interest
Risalah: Muslim beliefs about the Prophets (s.a.w.)
Saee: Walking quickly between Sa’fa and Marw’ah as part of Hajj
Salaah: The five-times-a-day Ritual Prayer performed by Muslims. It is the Second Pillar of Islam
Sallalahoo-alayhee-wassalam (s.a.w.): May peace and blessings be upon Him
Satr: The areas, which should be covered on both males and females
Sawm: Fasting, particularly in the month of Ramadhan and going without food and drink during daylight hours. It is the Fourth Pillar of Islam
Shahadah: Declaration of the Muslim Faith. It is also the First Pillar of Islam. The words declared in Arabic (as pronounced) are: “la-ilaaha-illallahoo-muhammadurra-soolallah.” These mean: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad (s.a.w.) is the messenger of Allah”
Shariah: Islamic Law based on Quran and Sunnah
Shirk: The sin of regarding anything as equal or partner to Allah (s)
Subhana’Allah’wa’ta’ala (s): Glory be to Allah
Sunnah: The physical practice, example and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).
Surah: A chapter of the Quran
Talaq: A divorce which only one party wants
Tawaf: Going around the Ka’bah seven times in worship of Allah
Tawhid: Oneness of Allah
Ummah: The worldwide Muslim Community
Wudhu: Ablution. The washing that must take place before Salaah
Zakaah: The tax that Muslims pay for the Poor. It is the third Pillar of Islam
English Words:
Abortion: The removal of a foetus from the womb before it can survive
Adultery: An act of sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner
Agnosticism: Not being sure whether God exists
Assisted Suicide: Providing a seriously ill person with a means to commit suicide
Atheism: Believing that God does not exist
Co-Habitation: Living together without being married
Contraception: Preventing conception from occurring
Contract: A legal document, which specifies the Mahr
Discrimination: The belief that some races are superior to others
Equality: The state of everyone having equal rights regardless of gender, race, class
Euthanasia: Easy and Gentle Death
Extended Family: Children, parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles living together as a Unit or in close proximity
Homosexuality: Sexual attraction to the same sex
Marriage: The condition of a man and a woman legally united for the Purpose of living together and usually having children
Moral Evil: Actions done by humans, which cause Suffering
Multi-Ethnic Society: Many different race and cultures living together as one society
Multi-Faith Society: Many different religions living together in one society
Natural Evil: Things, which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans
Non-Voluntary Euthanasia: Ending someone’s life painlessly, when they are unable to ask, but you have a good reason for thinking they would want you to do so. Example: Switching off life-support machine
Nuclear Family: Mother, Father and Children living together as a Unit
Paranormal: Unexplained things which are thought to have spiritual causes. For example: Ghosts, Mediums
Prejudice: Believing some people are inferior or superior without even knowing them
Pre-Marital Sex: Sex before marriage
Promiscuity: Having sex with a number of partners without commitment
Prophet hood: The position of being a messenger of Allah
Racial Harmony: Different races or colours living together happily
Racism: Putting prejudice in practice and treating people less favourably because of their race/gender/colour and class
Re-constituted Family: Where two sets of children, stepbrothers and sisters become one family when the divorced parents marry each other
Religious Freedom: Accepting all religions as having an equal right to co-exist
Religious Pluralism: The right to practice your religion and change your religion
Sanctity of Life: The belief that life is holy and belongs to God
Sexism: Discriminating against people because of their gender
Voluntary Euthanasia: The situation where someone dying in pain asks a Doctor to end his/her life painlessly
Prophets, Angels and Holy Books:
Adam (a.s.): The first man and first Prophet of Islam
Ibrahim (a.s.): The Prophet who is connected with much of the Hajj
Injil: The Holy Book of Allah given to Isa/Jesus (a.s.). This is also known as the Bible
Isa (a.s.): The Prophet Jesus
Quran (also spelt Koran): The Holy Book of Allah given to Muhammad (s.a.w.)
Taurat: The Holy Book of Allah given to Musa/Moses (a.s.). This is also known as The Old Testament
Zabur: The Holy Book of Allah given to Dawud/David (a.s.). This is also known as The Psalms
Places:
Arafat: A plain near Makkah where Pilgrims confess their sins
Madinah: The city of the Prophet
Makkah: The city where the Ka’bah is and where the Prophet Muhammad (s) was born
Mina: A place near Makkah where pilgrims make the sacrifice
Dates and Events:
10th Muharram: The day when Shi’a Muslims remember the slaughter of imam Hussain (r.a.)
Eid-ul-Adha: The festival of the sacrifice when all Muslims share in the events of Hajj
Eid-ul-Fitr: The festival of breaking the fast, which occurs soon after the end of the month of Ramadhan
Night of Power: The night when Muhammad (s) was given his First Revelation from Allah
Sects:
Shi’a: Muslims that believe that only Khalifah (Caliph) Ali (r.a.) was Rightly Guided
Sunni: Muslims that believe that all the first four Khalifa’s (Caliphs) after Muhammad (s) were Rightly Guided
