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| Arabic word for "the God" |
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| arabic for "Submission to God" |
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| submission to the revalation of the Qu'ran/the religion of the Qu'ran |
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| arabic for "one who submits to God" through islam |
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| member of the Islamic faith; one who accepts and at least nominally abides by the Qur’anic revelation to Muhammad. At the very minimum, according to Muslim law, it is one who asserts with intention that "There is no God but God and Muhammad is the prophet of God." |
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| the oneness of God in Islam--i.e., that God is one and that nothing compares, or is to be compared with, God |
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| The act of associating anything with God, giving God a rival in one’s values, loyalties, and affections, insubordination toward God; i.e., idolatry. This is regarded as the root of all other sins, and when conscious or deliberate is regarded as unforgiveable. |
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| The act of calling God to mind, usually by mentioning his names. In Islam generally, it is a commended devotional practice to be done at all times. In Sufism, dhikr is a specific technique of disciplined meditation upon God intended to culminate in mystical union with God. |
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| (Literally, "faith" or "belief.") The articles of faith which a Muslim is obligated to believe, according to Shari’a. |
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| Religion in general and religious duties in particular. Specifically encompassing the 5 religious duties of a Muslim: Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj. Ibada means "acts of worship," and specifically includes the last four of these five |
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| The "bearing witness" to, or "confession" of, God’s unity and the prophethood of Muhammad; one of the five religious obligations of Muslims. According to Muslim law, saying the Shahadah once in one’s life, with intention, makes one a Muslim |
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| The ritual or liturgical prayer in Islam, involving a formal sequence of words and gestures facing the Ka’bah in Mecca for which one must be ritually purfied or cleansed; obligatory for all Muslims 5 times a day |
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| A portion (usually figured at one fourtieth) of one’s wealth beyond basic living expenses that Muslims are obligated (as one of their 5 basic religious duties) to share each year with the poor |
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| "Fasting" from dawn until dark (no food, no drink, and no sexual intercourse) during the month of Ramadan; one of the five religious obligations of Muslims. |
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| The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, in which all Muslims are obligated to fast (no food, no drink, and no sexual intercourse) from dawn to dark. It is regarded as a holy month, commemorating when the Qur’an first began to be revealed to Muhammad |
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| The official (or greater) pilgrimage to Mecca and its enviorns to carry out certain specific rituals during the 12th month, the Month of Pilgrimage (Dhu’l-Hijja), which is a religious obligation of all Muslims who have the means, the health, and the freedom from conflicting responsibilities to make the journey |
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| The final prophet, or "seal of the prophets," through whom God chose to reveal the Qur’an |
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| (Literally, "messenger.") A type of prophet (nabi) entrusted with a special divine message for a specific people. Muhammad is identified as a rasul in this sense. |
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| The Emmigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622, which Muslims take to be the founding event or birth of the Ummah and so date their calendar from that event |
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| The location of the Ka’bah, the ancient shrine believed by Muslims to have been first constructed by Abraham and Ishmael for the worship of the one true God, which is the geographical focus or center of Muslim worship (Salat) and pilgrimage (Hajj). The first most important or holy city in Islam, and the birthplace and home of Muhammad until the Hijra. |
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| he City of the Prophet (originally named Yathrib), which received its name after the Hijra, in which Muhammad and his followers moved there and founded the Ummah. Muhammad’s tomb is in Medina. |
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| Date of birth of Muhammad |
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| Date of "the Night of Power" when the Qur'an is said to have first begun to be revealed to Muhammad |
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| Date of the Hijra, the emigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (later called Medina ["City of the Prophet"], the birthday of the Ummah (the Muslim community), and the date from which the Muslim calendar commences. |
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| Date of the death of Muhammad and the closing of the revelation of the Qur'an. |
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| (Literally, "cube.") The ancient shrine believed by Muslims to have been first constructed by Abraham and Ishmael for the worship of the one true God; the geographical focus or center of Muslim worship (Salat) and pilgrimage (Hajj). |
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| The patriarch to whom Jews, Christians, and Muslims all trace their spiritual origins, and to whom all uphold as a model of true faith in God. Regarded among Muslims as one of the most important of prophets, the first to denounce idolatry and emphasize worship of God alone, and the builder of the original Ka'bah. |
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| First son of Abraham, acknowledged both in the Bible and the Qur’an. The Qur’an tells many more stories of Ishmael and Abraham than does the Bible, including their construction of the Ka’bah and Abraham’s willingness to obey the divine summons to sacrifice Ishmael (which he was kept from doing after having demonstrated his willingness). |
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| First wife of Muhammad and first to believe in the prophethood of Muhammad. |
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| The nephew and son-in-law of Muhammad, one of the first to accept the prophethood of Muhammad and a close associate of Muhammad. Believed by Shi’a Muslims to have been chosen by Muhammad to be the successor to Muhammad as both the Caliph (ruler) and Imam (religious leader and interpreter of the will of God) for the Ummah, and therefore unjustly deprived of his rightful leadership by the first three caliphs recognized by Sunni Muslims. Sunnis recognize Ali to be the fourth caliph |
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| he successor to the rule of Muhammad over the Ummah, according to Sunni Islam. A duly authorized governor of the Ummah, but not having religious authority to interpret the Qur’an or to declare the divine word. |
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| The institution of the caliph in Sunni Islam. The succession to the rule of Muhammad over the Ummah, from the first calipf, Abu Bakr, down to 1924, when the Caliphate (long become powerless) was abolished in Turkey. |
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| First caliph (successor or deputy) from 632 to 634 CE, succeeding Muhammad, of the Muslim Ummah according to Sunni Muslim understanding |
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| he first four caliphs of Islam after Muhammad according to Sunni understanding (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali), who are believed to have been particularly exemplary in keeping with the sunna of Muhammad, placing God and the good of the Ummah before their own interests. |
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| "Custom," "usual procedure," or "way of acting," especially of Muhammad. When referring to Muhammad, it is regarded as the first source of Shari’a after the Qur’an. The Prophet’s sunna is remembered and transmitted by means of the Hadith. |
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| Popular name for the Muslim majority, who identify themselves as followers of the Prophet’s sunna |
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| The adherents or followers of ‘Ali, believing that Muhammad had chosen him and through him a line of descendents as Imam, the rightful successor and ruler of the Ummah and as divinely guided interpreter of the Qur’an and the Shari’a for the faithful. There are various subbranches or sects of Shi’a, which differentiate themselves according to the person whom they take to be the last Imam |
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| (Literally, "leader.") In Sunni Islam, one who leads the salat, especially one who leads the salat in a mosque. It may be anyone who knows the prayer. |
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| In Shi’a Islam, the rightful successor and ruler of the Ummah and divinely guided interpreter of the Qur’an and the Shari’a for the faithful, specifically chosen by Muhammad to be his nephew and son-in-law Ali and his direct lineal descendant. |
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| Traditional date among Shi'a Muslims for commemorating the tragic death of Husayn (third Imam, according to their understanding) by means of the ritual drama called the Ta'ziya |
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| econd son of Ali, regarded as the third Imam among Shi’a Muslims, martyred with his immediate followers at Karbala, Iraq, on the 10th of Muharram in 680 CE, by the Sunni caliph, Mu’awiya and his army. |
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| (Literally, "consolation") The Shi’a passion drama that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbala; performed in Shi’a communities the first 10 days of Muharram, but especially on the 10th. |
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| (Literally, "recitation.") The holy scripture of Islam, believed by Muslims to have been supernaturally revealed, word for word, to Muhammad as the last and final revelation before the end of history as we know it. |
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| (Literally, "tradition" or "report.") A literary form that communicates a saying, an action, or a custom of the Prophet Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be the primary and authoritative source for how to interpret and implement the Qur’an for life. |
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| A chapter of the Qur’an. The Qur’an contains 114 suras. |
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| The "Opening" sura of the Qur’an, recited in the Muslim’s 5 times daily Salat. The Muslim equivalent of the Christian "Lord’s Prayer." |
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| (Literally, "the way to the water hole.") The sacred law of God as revealed in the Qur’an and interpreted in the sunna of the Prophet and the orthodox traditions of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). |
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| (Literally, "understanding" of the law.) The study of law or jurisprudence in Islam, focused exclusively on Shari’a and its implications. |
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| The learned class of legal and religious scholars in Islam; the custodians of Islamic teaching and of Shari’a in particular. |
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| The community of Islam, theoretically embracing all Muslims but referring more particularly to the Muslim social order, established by Muhammad when he first emmigrated to Medina, in which the whole of life is brought under the rule of Shari’a as revealed in the Qur’an |
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| (a) (the broad meaning:) a devout Muslim who seeks to bring his or her life into submission to God in all ways for its own sake, and not for reward or to avoid punishment; and (b) (the narrow meaning:) a Muslim mystic who pursues a particular tariqa in pursuit of a direct knowledge of, and union with, God. |
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| The Islamic Way of Mystical Quest, encompassing several different traditional tariqas or pathways for seeking and finding union with God |
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| A Sufi path involving ascetic and meditative disciplines under the guidance of a spiritual master of the path (a shaykh or pir) aimed at immediate and direct knowledge of God and believed to culminate ultimately in a unitive state of "passing away" (fana) or absorbtion in God |
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| (Literally, "friend of God") A term used in many parts of Islam to refer to Muslim saints and other persons, whether living or dead, deemed to be holy or specially gifted with Allah’s blessing (baraka) and who, as a result, are believed able to exercise supernatural power and control spiritual forces on behalf of persons in need. In effect, a wali is (or is at least treated as) a Muslim shaman |
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| Blessing or spiritual power, popularly believed (in certain Muslim circles, but by no means all) to have been given to certain persons (wali, literally "friends of God"), whereby they are believed able to exercise shamanic powers on behalf of persons in need who solicit their help |
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| (Literally, "place of prostration.") A Muslim house of worship, set up specifically for communal performance of the Salat, including a place for ritual cleansing (wudu). It is often used for community social and political events as well. |
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| The niche in the wall of the mosque indicating the direction (qibla) of Mecca (and therefore of the Ka’bah), for the purpose of proper prayer orientation. |
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| (Literally, "striving" or "exertion.") Militant striving in the cause of God to bring about true submission to God, first of all in oneself, next in one’s home and immediate environment, then in one’s local community, and finally in communities beyond one’s own. In respect to the last, it has come also to mean "holy war." |
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| A group and school of Muslim theologians, strongest in the ninth century CE, who, swayed by rationalist philosophical reflection, pressed speculation concerning the nature of God, the origin of the Qur’an, and human free will beyond the position which later (and largely in reaction against them) came to be the position of orthodox Islam. Specifically, they criticized the literal interpretation of anthropomorphic passages in the Qur’an, held that the Qur’an was created by God in time, and taught that God wills only things that are just and good, never evil, and consequently that humans in their exercise of free choice are responsible for the evil in the world |
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