An Islamic Glossary

Dr. Mahmoud Abdel-Baset
Islamic Center of Southern California
Los Angeles

Allah The Arabic proper name of the One God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and all the prophets.

Allahu Akbar God is greater than all else. Recited by Muslims in the adhan (call for prayer), in their prayers, and as supplication and praise of God at any time.

Asmā’u l-husn The Most Beautiful Names. The 99 descriptive attributes of Allah which are mentioned in Quran.

Assalamu Alaykum Islamic greeting (literally, peace be upon you)

A’ than Call for prayers.

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem ; In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. This the most commonly recited phrase in the Quran.

Dāwūd (David) Prophet (David) who was the father of Prophet Sulayman (Solomon) (peace be upon both). Prophet Dawud made Jerusalem the capital of the land he ruled. The revelation he received is Zabur (Psalms).

Eid Feast or Festival. Muslims have two eids, the first clebrating the completion of the fast of Ramadan, the second commemorating Prophet Abraham’s obedience to God. Muslims celebrate these eids with special congregational prayers, acts of charity and gatherings with family and friends.

Fatwa Religious opinion issued by a reliable scholar of Islam.

Hadith The recorded oral tradition of the prophet Muhammad, memorized and written down by his companions and later compiled in various collections. Of these Bukhari and Muslim are the two most authentic. Sometimes referred to as “tradition,” hadith is the second major source of Islamic law after the Quran. The science of hadith is scrupulous in ascertaining the authenticity of any hadith of the Prophet and the reliability of those reporting it.

Hajj The pilgrimage to Makkah and the Kaaba, which is the first House built for worship of God by Abraham and his son, Ishmael. Hajj concludes with the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid ul Adha) and is mandatory for all Muslims who can afford the journey to Makkah physically and financially, at least once in life.

Ijtihad Lit. “Striving”, in Islamic law it means putting forth maximum effort through juristic reasoning in regard to a problem or issue, to ascertain the injunction of Islam and its real intent, especially when no specific guidance in original sources (the Quran and Sunnah) is available.

Imam The leader of a congregational prayer or the selected ruler of a community.

Injil The New Testament, revealed by God to Prophet Jesus for the guidance of the Children of Israel. Parts of the Injil are included in the Bible.

Islam Lit. “Peaceful Submission” or “freely surrender,” Islam means obedience and submission to God. Islam also means “peace,” underlining the fact that it is only through obedience to God that man can achieve real peace with himself with other forms of God’s creation around him. Those who believe and practice Islam are Muslims. The Quran teaches that all of God’s prophets, since the creation of man, were in this sense Muslims, and that their core message to mankind was Islam or the message of peace and obedience to God.

Jihad Lit. Struggle. Denotes the struggle in the cause of God, whether it is directed at betterment of one’s morals, reformation of one’s character, or struggle in a wider social circle to curb evil and help promote good, peacefully and through beautiful exhortation, the use of force is the last resort when tyranny and injustice prevail, depriving man of human dignity, freedom of thought, belief, and expression.

Kaaba Lit. A cube shaped building; the Kaaba was the first House of worship built by Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael in Makkah, for the worship of God.

Mūsā (Moses) Prophet Musa who liberated the Israelites from the tyranny of Pharaoh and received the Torah, as guidance and mercy to mankind.

Nūh (Noah) A Prophet of Allah who witnessed the Great flood.

Quran The last book revealed by God as a guidance and mercy to all mankind. The Quran confirms the previous authentic revelations of God, guides mankind to the worship of God, instructs humanity about His true nature and His will for humankind, and explains the reality and purpose of our life on earth. It was revealed to the prophet Muhammad through Angel Gabriel over a period of twenty-three years.

Ramadan The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which healthy adult Muslims must fast from food, drink, and conjugal relations from dawn to dusk. Ramadan falls eleven days earlier each year, a blessing which ensures that Muslims in either Northern or Southern hemispheres will be permanently required to fast for longer or shorter hours.

Salah. The formal five mandatory prayers in Islam, during which Muslims recite portions of the Quran, bow and prostrate in worship. Salah puts Muslims in continual communication with their Creator, while providing a constant reminder of their higher moral spiritual mission in life.

Sawm Fasting. Sawm is obligatory for Muslims during the month of Ramadan and a recommended optional practice during the rest of the year. Fasting trains Muslims in obedience to God, patience in times of hardship and compassion for the poor. As a form of worship, sawm is an intensely spiritual experience that enables conscientious Muslims to deepen their relationship with God.

Shahadah The declaration of faith or the statement that there is no god but the One True God and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. The only prerequisite to becoming Muslim is to recite the shahadah with sincere conviction.

Shari‘ah The Islamic law, derived from the Quran, the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad, and juristic reasoning (ijtihad) in matters not specifically delineated in the other two sources.

Shi‘a (Shiit) Lit. Partisan. Denotes the minority of Muslims who believe that Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, was his legitimate successor rather than Abu Bakr (the first caliph) or others. While agreeing with other Muslims in the basic principles of Islam, the shi‘a have nonetheless retained their identity as a distinct religious group.

Shura Mutual consultation. Muslims are ordered by the Quran to make decisions through the process of shura, which involves the selection of leaders through public mandate and leaders’ consulting with those they represent when making decisions that will affect them. Muslims governments are obliged to follow the methodology of shura. There is no place for dictatorship in Islam.

Sulayman (Solomon) A Prophet who was the son of Prophet Dawud ( David).

Sunnah Lit. “The practice” or “example,” Sunnah comprises the actions and statements of the prophet Muhammad, and is a major source of Islamic law.

Taqwa Piety, Allah-consciousness.

Tawbah Repentance

Tawhid The most basic doctrine of Islam is the absolute Oneness and uniqueness of God.

Wudu Ablutions. For Muslims every salah is an audience with their Lord, and they prepare for that audience by renewing their physical and mental state of purity with wudu, washing their hands, arms, face, and feet with clean water, and wiping heads and necks with wet fingers, while intending worship and adoration of God.

Ya’qub (Jacob) A Prophet of Allah, also called Israel who was the father of Prophet Yusuf and the Israelites. He is the son of Isaac and the grandson of Prophet Abraham (pbut).

Zakah Lit. Purification and growth. Zakah is also mandatory for all Muslims possessing wealth beyond their legitimate essential needs. They must give away 2.5% of any remaining money over and above their own legitimate needs to the poor and the needy.

Zakariyya (Zachariah) A Prophet of God and the father of John the Baptist (Yehya) and Mary’s (Maryam) uncle,