Get to knowIslam

A companion to your reading

Words to know

A first explanation of the terms used throughout this site. Transliteration varies, so you may see the same Arabic word spelled in different ways.

‘Isa
Jesus, as he is named in the Qur’an: ‘Isa ibn Maryam, Jesus son of Mary, honoured as the Messiah and a prophet of God.
‘Umrah
The lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, which can be made at any time of year.
Adhan
The call to prayer, given five times a day.
Akhirah
The life to come; the hereafter.
Al-Masih
The Messiah: the title the Qur’an gives to Jesus alone. Muslims use it without the Christian meaning of a divine saviour.
Alhamdulillah
“Praise be to God.” Said in gratitude, after good news, or simply through the day.
Allah
The Arabic word for God.
Ansar
The “helpers”: the people of Medina who received the Prophet and the migrants in 622.
Ashura
The tenth day of Muharram; a day of optional fasting for Sunni Muslims and of mourning for Husayn among Shia Muslims.
Assalamu alaykum
“Peace be upon you.” The standard Muslim greeting; the reply is “wa alaykum assalam”.
Ayah
A verse of the Qur’an; the word also carries the sense of a sign.
Barakah
Blessing; a sense of divine goodness in something.
Barzakh
The intermediate state between death and the Day of Resurrection.
Bismillah
“In the name of God.” Said before eating, starting work, or beginning any task.
Caliph
Successor to the Prophet as leader of the Muslim community; from the Arabic khalifah.
Dhikr
Remembrance of God, especially through repeated phrases of praise.
Du‘a
Personal supplication to God, which can be made in one’s own language.
Eid
Festival. Eid al-Fitr ends Ramadan; Eid al-Adha falls during the Hajj.
Fatwa
A non-binding scholarly opinion on a question of Islamic law.
Fiqh
Islamic jurisprudence: the human effort to understand and apply the law.
Fitrah
The natural disposition towards God with which every person is born.
Ghusl
A full ritual bath, required after certain states and recommended before Friday prayer.
Hadith
A report of the words, actions, or approvals of Prophet Muhammad.
Hafiz
A person who has memorised the entire Qur’an.
Hajj
The pilgrimage to Mecca, required for those with the necessary ability and means.
Halal
Permissible under Islamic law; applies to food, earnings, and conduct.
Haram
Forbidden under Islamic law. Also the name of the sacred precincts at Mecca and Medina.
Hijab
Modest dress; commonly the headscarf worn by many Muslim women.
Hijrah
Migration; especially the migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE.
Ihram
The state of consecration entered for pilgrimage, and the plain white garments worn in it.
Ihsan
Excellence in worship and conduct: to serve God as though you see Him.
Imam
The person who leads prayer; in Shia Islam, a divinely guided leader from the Prophet’s family.
Iman
Faith or belief.
Injil
The Gospel: the revelation the Qur’an says God gave to Jesus, which Muslims regard as true revelation whose original text is no longer fully preserved.
Insha’Allah
“If God wills.” Said when speaking of future plans.
Islam
Submission to God; the name of the faith followed by Muslims.
Isnad
The chain of transmitters that accompanies a hadith.
Jahannam
Hell.
Jannah
Paradise; literally “garden”.
Jihad
Striving or struggle in the way of God; includes personal moral effort and, under strict conditions, armed defence.
Jinn
Beings created from smokeless fire, with free will, invisible to humans.
Jumu‘ah
Friday, and the Friday congregational prayer.
Ka‘bah
The cube-shaped house in Mecca built by Abraham; the direction of prayer.
Khutbah
The sermon given before the Friday prayer and on the two Eids.
Laylat al-Qadr
The Night of Power, in the last ten nights of Ramadan, when the Qur’an’s revelation began.
Madhhab
A school of Islamic law. Sunni Islam has four major schools; Shia Islam has its own.
Mahr
The gift a husband gives his wife at marriage, which remains her own property.
Maryam
Mary, the mother of Jesus: the only woman named in the Qur’an, and the name of its nineteenth chapter.
Masha’Allah
“What God has willed.” Said in appreciation or to express that good comes from God.
Masjid
A mosque; literally a place of prostration.
Mihrab
The niche in a mosque wall that marks the direction of Mecca.
Minaret
The tower of a mosque from which the call to prayer is given.
Minbar
The pulpit from which the Friday sermon is delivered.
Nikah
The marriage contract.
Nisab
The minimum amount of wealth above which zakat becomes due.
Qadar
Divine decree: God’s knowledge and determination of all things.
Qiblah
The direction of the Ka‘bah in Mecca, faced in formal prayer.
Qur’an
Islam’s central scripture, believed by Muslims to be revelation from God.
Rak‘ah
One unit of the formal prayer, consisting of standing, bowing, and prostration.
Ramadan
The Islamic month of fasting.
Riba
Interest or usury on loans, prohibited in the Qur’an.
Sadaqah
Voluntary charity.
Sahabah
The companions of the Prophet.
Sahih
“Sound”: the highest grade of reliability for a hadith; also the name of the collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Salah
Formal ritual prayer.
Sawm
Fasting, especially the fast of Ramadan.
Shahadah
The testimony of faith.
Sharia
The divine path or law in its ideal sense; distinct from fiqh, the human understanding of it, and from any state’s legislation.
Shaytan
Satan; the adversary who tempts people away from God.
Shia
The tradition holding that leadership after the Prophet belonged to Ali and his descendants; about one in ten Muslims.
Shirk
Associating partners with God; the gravest sin in Islam.
Sirah
The biography of the Prophet.
Subhanallah
“Glory be to God.” An expression of wonder or praise.
Sufism
The tradition within Islam devoted to the inner life, purification of the heart, and remembrance of God.
Sunnah
The example and practice of Prophet Muhammad.
Sunni
The largest Muslim tradition, following the Prophet’s example as understood by the community and its scholars.
Surah
A chapter of the Qur’an.
Tafsir
Explanatory commentary on the Qur’an.
Tajwid
The rules of correct Qur’anic recitation.
Taqwa
God-consciousness: awareness of God that shapes conduct.
Taraweeh
Additional night prayers performed in congregation during Ramadan.
Tawbah
Repentance; turning back to God.
Tawhid
The oneness of God.
Tawrat
The Torah: the revelation Muslims believe God gave to Moses.
Tayammum
Symbolic purification with clean earth when water cannot be used.
Ummah
The worldwide community of Muslims.
Waqf
A charitable endowment dedicated permanently to a public or religious purpose.
Wudu
Ritual washing before prayer.
Zakat
Obligatory giving from qualifying wealth, subject to conditions.
Zamzam
The well in Mecca associated with Hagar and Ishmael, from which pilgrims drink.