GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS

Aaq-e-Waledi : 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.

Ahsan : 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 directions 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.]).