Explanation of Islamic Terms

Aabid: One who preoccupies himself with ibaadah and shows relatively less interest towards knowledge.

Aalim: One who has attained a considerable amount of Islamic knowledge. He could also be referred to as an Islamic scholar.

Allah: Almighty God. The most well-known of His many names. Allah refers to the one and only being who is worthy of worship.

Auliya: Plural of wali. Literally means friend. But in Islamic terminology it refers to the close friends of Allah.

Baitul Maqdis: Also known as Masjidul Aqsa or the furthest musjid. It is situated in Jerusalem and is the third most sacred place in Islam. It is popularly referred to as Baitul Muqaddas.

Banu Isra'eel: Literally means the children of Isra'eel. It refers to the progeny of Hadrat Ya'qub alayhis salaam.

Barakah: Literally means "blessings". Also used to refer to the experiencing of abundance even in things which are little.

Bid'ah: Literally means an "innovation". In Islam it refers to introducing new things into religion which have no basis in the Quran or Sunnah. In addition to this, to regard these new things as acts of ibaadah. A bid'ah is a major sin in Islam.

Dajjal: Also known as the one-eyed Dajjal. He will be from among the Jews and will appear before Qiyamat. He will cause a lot of corruption in the world and will eventually be killed by Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam.

Deen: Literally means "religion". Here it refers to the religion of Islam.

Dua: Supplication, prayer or devotional phrases.

Durood: Salutations to Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Eid: Literally means "feast, festival". In Islam it refers to that day which is celebrated after the month of Ramadaan and also on the 10th day of Zil Hijjah.

Eid-gah: That place where the Eid salaat is performed.

Fard: Literally means "compulsory". In Islam it refers to those acts and things which are compulsory on a Muslim.Abandoning or abstaining from a fard act is a major sin. To reject a fard act amounts to kufr.

Fatwa: A formal legal opinion or verdict in Islamic law.

Ghayb: Literally means "the unseen". In Islam it refers to all those things that are unseen by man and at the same time believing in them is essential. Examples of the unseen are: hell, heaven, angels, etc. A Muslim has to believe that no one has the knowledge of the unseen except Allah.

mahram: Refers to all those people with whom marriage is permissible.

Ghusl: Literally means "bath, wash". In Islam it refers to the washing of the entire body from head to toe without leaving a single place dry.

Hadith: Hadith literally means "speech". In Islam it refers to the sayings and actions of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Those sayings and actions that have been endorsed or approved by him also fall under the purview of Hadith.

Haid: Monthly periods or menstruation experienced by a woman.

Hajj: Literally means "pilgrimage". In Islam it refers to the annual pilgrimage to Makkah. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam.

Halaal: That which is lawful or permissible in Islam.

Haraam: That which is unlawful or prohibited in Islam.

Haud-e-Kauthar: The fountain of abundance. This is the fountain from which the believers will be given water on the day of judgement.

Hijaab: See Purdah.

Ibaadah: Literally means "worship". In Islam it refers to all those acts with which one renders worship to Allah Ta'ala.

Iblis: This is the name of shaytaan, or the cursed devil.

Ihraam: Two pieces of unstitched cloth which are donned by the person performing Hajj or Umrah.

Ilhaam: Literally means "inspiration". Here it refers to those things or ideas which Allah puts into the minds of His pious servants.

Imaan: Literally means "faith". Here it refers to believing in Allah Ta'ala as the one and only God and believing that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is His messenger.

Imam Mahdi: He will make his appearance when the Muslims will be at their weakest. With
his advent, the greater signs of qiyamat will commence. He will be the leader of the Muslims. After his death, Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will take over the reigns of leadership.

Istihaada: This refers to blood which flows from a woman out of her normal periods. This is irrespective
of whether it flows out of her normal menstruation period or out of her normal nifaas period.

Istinja: Cleansing of one's private parts after having relieved oneself. A person can cleanse himself with
water or clods of earth.

Jaahil: Literally means "an ignorant person". Here it refers to one who is ignorant of the knowledge of
Islam irrespective of whether it is general knowledge of Islam, or knowledge of the rules and regulations
of Islam.

Jahannam: Hell. A dweller of hell is called a jahannami.

Jannah: Heaven or paradise. A dweller of heaven or paradise is called a jannati.

Jinn: Refers to beings that have been created by fire. They take on different shapes and forms.

Ka'bah: The most sacred place in Islam situated in Makkah al-Mukarramah. Commonly referred to as
the "House of Allah".

Kafir: Literally means "a disbeliever". In Islam it refers to one who rejects Allah and who does not
believe in Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as the final messenger of Allah.

Kalimah: Refers to the basic tenet of Islam, i.e. bearing witness that there is none worthy of worship
except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

Karaamaat: Plural of karaamat. Literally means a miracle. But in Islam it refers to miracles performed by
saints and other pious servants of Allah. These miracles are performed only through the will of Allah.
Saints cannot perform any miracles of their own accord.

Kashf: Literally means "manifestation".

Khalifah: Literally means "successor". In Islamic political theory it refers to the Islamic head of state.
Commonly spelt "caliph".

Khilaal: This term is generally used in the act of wudu. It refers to the passing of fingers either through
one's beard or passing of fingers of one hand through the fingers of the other hand, or even passing of
the little finger through the toes.

Kuffar: Plural of kafir.

Kufr: The state of disbelief.

Makruh: That which is disliked or detestable. Makruh is of two types: makruh-e-tahrimi and
makruh-e-tanzihi. Makruh-e-tahrimi is that which has been established by a proof which is not absolute.
The one who rejects it is regarded as a fasiq (open sinner). A person who does something that falls
under this category without any valid reason will be committing a sin and will deserve punishment.
Makruh-e-tanzihi is that which if left out, will be worthy of reward and if carried out, will not entail any
punishment.

Mani: Semen or sperm.

Masah: The act of passing of wet hands over a particular part of the body.

Mas'ala: Literally means "an issue, problem or question". In Islamic jurisprudence, it refers to a rule, or
regulation. The plural of mas'ala is masa'il.

Mazi: Pre-coital fluid. A thin fluid generally released by the private parts of both men and women at the
time of passion.

Ma'zur: Literally means "one who is excused". In Islamic jurisprudence it refers to that person who has
certain sickness due to which he is excused or exempted from certain acts. For further details refer to
the chapter concerning the ma'zur.

Mehr: Dowry which is given to the wife at the time of marriage.

Mi'raj: Literally means "ascension". In Islam it refers to the ascension of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam to the seven heavens wherein he communicated with Allah.

Miswaak: A thin stick or twig which is used to clean the teeth.

Mu'aamalaat: Literally means "transactions". Generally refers to all those transactions and dealings
wherein some money or other type of wealth is involved.

Mu'aasharat: Literally means "society". In Islamic terminology it refers to one's social
relationships and social dealings.

Muharram: The first month of the Islamic calendar.

Mu'jizah: Literally means a "miracle". In Islam it refers to miracles performed by prophets. Prophets do
not perform miracles out of their own accord but through the direction and will of Allah.

Musalli: One who is offering salaat.

Mushrikeen: Plural of mushrik. A polytheist or one who ascribes partners to Allah.

Mustahab: Literally means "preferable or desirable".Refers to that act which was done by Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam or the Sahabah very occasionally. Carrying out these actions entails reward
and leaving them out does not entail any punishment.

Nafl: Literally means "optional". According to the jurists it has a similar ruling to that of mustahab.

Najaasat: Refers to impurity. Najaasat is of two types: najaasat-e-ghaleezah (heavy impurity) and
najaasat-e-khafeefah (light impurity). The rules concerning najaasat have already been mentioned in the
relevant chapters.

Najis: That which is impure.

Nifaas: Refers to the flowing of blood after child-birth.

Purdah: An Urdu word meaning "seclusion". It is an equivalent of the Arabic word "hijaab". Refers to
the seclusion of women from strangers. There are different stages of purdah, the highest of which is that
the woman should not come out of her home except for some valid Islamic reason.

Qada: Literally means "carrying out or fulfilling". In Islamic jurisprudence it refers to fulfilling or
completing those duties that one may have missed due to some reason or other.

Qiblah: The direction in which one faces when offering salaat.

Qiyaamat: The day of resurrection.

Sahabah: The companions of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. They are those who saw him while
they were Muslims and also died in a state of Islam.

Sahabi: Singular of sahabah.

Sajdah: The act of prostrating.

Salaat: Literally means "prayer". In Islam it refers to a specific act in which one prays to Allah. It is one
of the five pillars of Islam.

Shariah: The Islamic Law.

Shayateen: Plural of shaytaan.

Shaytaan: The accursed devil, Iblis. He was from among the jinn.

Shirk: Polytheism or ascribing partners to Allah.

Sunnat: Sunnat is that action which Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did or sanctioned. Sunnat is of
two types: sunnat-e-mu'akkadah and sunnat-e-ghayr-mu'akkadah. Sunnat-e-mu'akkadah is that which
Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam continuously carried out. To leave out such a type of sunnat is a sin
and one is punished for this. However, there is no harm if one leaves it out because of some valid
excuse.

Sunnat-e-ghayr-mu'akkadah is that which Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam carried out, but also left
out at times without any reason. To follow such a type of sunnat entails reward and to leave it out does
not necessitate any punishment.

Tafsir: Literally means "commentary or explanation". In Islamic terminology it refers to the commentary
or exegesis of the Quran.

Taqdir: Predestination. That is, whatever befalls a person, whether good or bad, has been predestined by
Allah.

Tawaaf: Literally means "circumambulation". In Islam it refers to the act of walking around the Ka'bah.
It is not permissible to make tawaaf of any other place irrespective of how sacred it may be.

Ta'wiz: An amulet which is generally suspended around the neck.

Tayammum: The act of purifying oneself with pure sand in the absence of water.

Ta'zias: Structures portraying the tomb of Hadrat Husayn (R.A) which are generally carried in
processions during Muharram. This is an innovation and should be totally rejected.

Ulama: Plural of Aalim.

Ummat: Literally means "community or nation". Here it refers to the Muslim community or nation.

Umrah: Commonly referred to as the "lesser pilgrimage". It is similar to Hajj with the exception that
many rites of Hajj are left out and that it could be performed throughout the year.

Wahi: Literally means "revelation". In Islam it refers to the revelations that were sent down to the
different prophets from time to time.

Wajib: Literally means "obligatory". In Islamic jurisprudence it refers to that act which has not been
established by an absolute proof. Leaving out a wajib without any valid reason makes one a fasiq and
entails punishment.

Wali: Singular of auliya.

Waqf: Endowment. In Islamic law it refers to endowing a place or thing in the name of Allah.

Wudu: Literally means "purity or cleanliness". In Islamic terminology it refers to the act of washing
oneself before offering salaat.

Zakaat: Literally means "purity". In Islam it refers to alms-giving or charity of a stipulated amount. It is
one of the five pillars of Islam.

Zam zam: Name of a well in Makkah. The water that comes out from this well is called zam zam water.
Drinking of zam zam water is included in the rites of Hajj.