Spelling and pronunciation - English spellings are only an approximation to the Arabic sound, which is why we commonly see at least three spellings of Al-Qaeda, for example. Arabic vowels are also pronounced differently from those in English. The "a" is usually pronounced like the "a" in market, sometimes as the "a" in "Arafat." But 'a' may be an approximation for another, shorter, letter. 'H " ('Hirbeh, 'Hebron, 'Hisbollah') designates a sound somewhat similar to the ch in "loch" in Scots pronunciation. The "Gh" combination, and sometimes the "G" designates a deep guttural sound that Westerners may hear approximately as "r." "o" is very short. The "r" sound is always formed with the back of the tongue, and is not like the English "r." It is not possible to find exact equivalents for several letters. The expression 'Al' means 'The' and expressions beginning 'Al-' are listed according to the following word.
A.H. - (Arabic) After the Hijrah, AD 622. It is the reference used in the Islamic calendar, instead of A.D. which is used in the Christian calendar.
Abd - (Arabic) 'Servant of' as in Abdullah (Abd-Allah), name of Muhammed's father.
Adhan - (Arabic) The call for the daily prayers.. The person who calls the Adhan is called a Mu'adhin (or Muezzin). The Adhan is composed of specific words and phrases to be recited loudly in the Arabic language so that the neighbours can recognize the time schedule for the prayers.
Ahzab - (Arabic) "Parties;" the different tribes that fought the Muslims in the Battle of the Ditch in 627.
Aisha or Ayesha - Muhammed's third and favourite wife. It is written in the Hadith and is thus beyond dispute that at the age of 53 Muhammed married Aisha when she was 6 or 7, and consummated the marriage when she was 8 or 9. Muslim scholars contend that girls in hot climates reach maturity earlier and we should not judge Muhammed's time by the standards of our own. Aisha was 18 when Muhammed died. The Hadith portray Aisha as a tyrant and a petulant, spoilt brat.
Alawi - (Arabic) A sect of Shi'ite Muslims in Syria.
Allah - (Arabic) God, although it is bit more complicated than that. Allah derives from Al-Ilah and means literally 'The One' or 'The God' or 'The One God'. Interestingly, the pagan moon god followed by Muhammed's family, before he invented the anti-idolatry 'Islam' was also named 'Allah'. The original Allah's symbol was the crescent moon, the same symbol as that of Islam to this day, and his three demonic daughters, Al-Uzza, Al-Ilat and Manat, became the subject of the Satanic Verses. Muslims claim Allah has no gender, but actually Ilah is masculine, the feminine form being 'Ilat' - goddess.
Amir - means leader or commander.
Al Andalus - The Arabic name for Spain. Spain was the farthest extent of the Arabic Islamic empire, after the first Muslim expansion was stopped by their defeat by Charles Martel at the battle of Tours in 754. Al Andalus, and other former Muslim conquests are considered by radical Islamists to be Islamic lands lost to the infidels.
Ansar - (Arabic) means helpers. These were the people of Medinah who responded to the Prophet's call to Islam and offered Islam a city-state power.
Aqabah - a place just outside of Mecca, in Mina where the first Muslims from Medinah (Yathrib) pledged allegiance to the Prophet in the year 621 C.E.. A similar meeting took place the next year when more Muslims from Yathrib pledged their allegiance to the Prophet.
Arafat - a plain north of Mecca. It is on this plain that Muslims believe humanity will be raised on the Day of Judgement for questioning and judgement. During the hajj on the ninth day of the month of Zhu-l-Hijjah, Muslim pilgrims gather on this plain for one day.
Arkan-al-Islam - (Arabic) The (five) Pillars of Islam. More of a Sunni than a Shi-ite concept. The five pillars are: Shahadah (acknowledgment of Allah), Salah (prayer), Zakah (paying of alms), Sawm or Siyam (fasting) and Hajj (pilgrimage). A sixth pillar, Jihad, is often added.
Al Aqsa - (Arabic) "The furthest". Refers to the Mosque in Jerusalem.
Al ar-ra'y - (Arabic) "People of opinion;" learned people consulted on Islamic matters.
Ashaabul-Hadeeth - (Arabic) the People of the Hadeeth, in other words, the true followers of the Hadith scriptures.
Asee - (Arabic) somebody who rebels against Islamic laws. He is a violator or disobedient.
Asr - (Arabic) The obligatory prayer of late afternoon.
Ayah - (Arabic) a sign which leads or directs one to something important. Hence an individual verse in the Quran.
Barakah - (Arabic) means blessing or Divine Grace.
Bin - (or Ibn; Arabic) 'son of’. cf. Hebrew 'Ben.'
Bint - (Arabic) 'daughter of'. English slang for 'young woman'.
Burqa - (also Jilbab) - (Arabic) a Muslim woman's loose outer garment which is designed to obscure the entire female form and cover all the body except the eyes. Worn by extremely religious Muslim women and considered by them to be more observant than the Hijab.
Dar - (Arabic) An abode or a house.
Dar-al-Harb - (Arabic) "The house of war;" any part of the world at war with Islam.
Dar-al-Islam - (Arabic) "The house of Islam;" the part of the world subject to Islamic rule.
Dar-al-Kufr - (Arabic) "The house of Unbelief;" the part of the world not subject to Islamic rule. Dar-al-kufr is ruled by Satan and by definition is characterised by injustice and unrighteousness. It belongs to dar-al-harb. Dar-al-kufr must and shall submit to Islam and become dar-al-Islam.
Da'wa - (Arabic) "call" or "invitation." Has been used to refer to a person being "called" to follow Islam. However, it has developed into the idea of a "mission" or "propaganda," either in a political or religious sense.
Deen (or Din) - (Arabic) Way of life in any religion. Used as a suffix as for example in mu-jahid-deen, one who follows the way of jihad.
Dhimmi - (Arabic) Christian, Jew or Zoroastrian living in a Muslim state. Dhimmi are supposed to wear special dress and pay the jizyah tax. They are exempt (or forbidden) from fighting and from paying the Muslim Zakah tax.
Dhuhr - obligatory prayers after midday.
Diya or Diyah - (Arabic) Blood money. Paid in case of homicide to a victim's family.
Eid - (Arabic) 'Feast'. Any Muslim festival.
Eid ul-Fitr - (Arabic) 'Feast of Fast-breaking'. The festival which marks the end of Ramadan. Difference between the Islamic and Gregorian calendar mean that Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr are always advancing in the year. In 2005 Eid ul-Fitr is in early November, in 2006 it will be in late October, and so on.
Eid ul-Adha - (Arabic) 'Feast of Sacrifice'. A festival commemorating the Muslim belief that Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Ishmael. (The Bible says it was Isaac.) Also advancing. In 2005 and 2006 Eid ul-Adha is in January. In 2007 and 2008 it will be in December.
Fajr - (Arabic) Dawn; the dawn prayer in Islam.
Faqih - (Arabic) One who is an expert in Islamic jurisprudence.
Fard - (Arabic) something which is obligatory on a Muslim. It is sometimes used in reference to the obligatory part of salat.
Fatah - (or Al-Fatah) (Arabic) Literally 'Victory'. Fatwa - (Arabic) Islamic religious edict or proclamation.based on or concerning Islamic Law.
Fiqh - (Arabic) Islamic law.
Al-Firqatun-Naajiyah - (Arabic) the Saved-Sect.
(1) The Saved-Sect, in Islam, does not give precedence to the word of anyone over the Word of Allah and His Messenger, acting upon the saying of Allah alone. They are few in number and are said to adhere to the Minhaj (the clear and manifest way) of Muhammed. Muhammed said: "Beware! The people of the Book before you split up into seventy-two sects and this Ummah will split up into seventy-three; Seventy-two of them will be in the Fire and only one will be saved." The nearest thing to an 'elect' or 'remnant' in Islam. (2) The name of a splinter group from Al-Muhajiroun now led in Britain by Abu Azair. Wrongly called the 'Saviour Sect' in the press.
Fitrah - (Arabic) Creation, hence a doctrine that all, including man, is created perfect and sinless.
Fuqaha - (Arabic) plural form of faqih.
Ghazi - (Arabic) Muslim soldier, warrior.
Ghazwah -(Arabic) military expedition.
Al-Ghurabaa - (Arabic) 'The Strangers' - (1) the true followers of the original Islam who were strangers in the society in which they lived, but the idea is that as Islam expands, they are strangers no more. (2) Radical Islamic group in the UK who oppose participation in political process and whose spokesman is the Jamaican convert Abu Izzadeen.
Hadith - (Arabic) (a) Reported sayings or actions or traditions of Mohammad or his companions, together with the tradition of its chain of transmission that are not part of the Qur'an. (b) The collective body of these traditions. [From Arabic h'ad't, report, news, tradition, from h'addata, to report, from h'adata, to be new.] See Sunna. (see page 6.)
Al-Hajarul Aswad - (Arabic) 'The Black Stone' notably that in the Ka'aba. Some Muslims believe the black stone has the power to remove a person's sins by absorbing them when it is kissed, and that it is for this reason that the stone, thought originally to be white, is now black.
Hajj - (Arabic) means effort. The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that is obligatory on every Muslim. It is the fifth pillar of Islam and takes place during the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, the month of Zhul al-Hijjah. A Muslim must perform the Hajj at least once in his life. The only exception to this is for financial and health reasons. See Ka'aba.
Halal - (Arabic) something that is lawful and permitted according to Islamic din (religion), especially food that may be eaten by believers.
Haq - (Arabic) Truth.
Haram or Haraam - (Arabic) Not lawful therefore prohibited according to Islam. Engaging in an act that is Haram (i.e. eating food like pork, drinking alcohol, having sex outside of marriage) would lead to punishment in the Next Life, and maybe even in this.
Harb - (Arabic) War.
Hijab - (Arabic) Veil or Cover. This is the generic term for modest Islamic dress for Muslim women as prescribed by the Qur'an. Can refer to a Burqa or Jilbab (qv) but the word 'hijab' has come to mean the traditional headscarf part of the complete 'hijab.' The headscarf is wrapped around the head and allows only the face to be seen.
Hijra, Hejirah, Hegira - (Arabic) The migration of Muhammed from Mecca to Yathrib, renamed Medina ("the city') in 622 AD. The starting point of the Islamic calendar.
Hirbeh - (Arabic) A ruin. The prefix of many abandoned Arab towns existing in Palestine before 1948.
Hisbollah - (Arabic) (also Hisbulla, Hisbolla, etc.) "The party of God." Shi'ite extremist group formed in Lebanon with the original aim of ending the Israeli occupation of Lebanon.
Hizb ut-Tahrir - (Arabic) 'Party of Liberation'. Worldwide Islamist Party attempting to establish a Caliphate (Islamic State). Banned in Uzbekistan, but operates freely in Britain. The leading member of the group's U.K. chapter, Jalaluddin Patel, said, 'We've made it clear that we want to replace the system in Uzbekistan with the Islamic system.' Guardian journalist, Dilpazier Aslam, was working for this group as recently as June of last year, when he was writing for the Hizb Ut-Tahrir magazine. The email address given for Mr Aslam is at the 1924.org domain, which belongs to that organisation. A BBC2 Newsnight investigation discovered that the Hizb Ut-Tahrir website promotes racism and anti-Semitic hatred, calls suicide bombers martyrs, and urges Muslims to kill Jewish people. (See page 12.)
Hudna - (Arabic) "cease fire". In practice, hudna is not a truce but is used to gain respite. Mohammad is often quoted as having said that when Muslim armies are weak, they should seek truces and then fight when they're strong again. When they are strong, they should conquer without mercy. See Takiyya.
Hukm - (Arabic) rule or order.
Ibn - see Bin (Arabic) 'son of.'
Ijtihad - (Arabic) Innovation in the Islamic religion. (Ijtihad is regarded with suspicion and is generally To Be Avoided.)
Imam - (Arabic) leader of the congregational prayer, salat, which the Muslims offer five times a day. It is sometimes used to refer to the head of an Islamic State.
Iman - (Arabic) faith and trust in Allah.
Isha'a - obligatory prayers one hour after sunset.
Islam - (Arabic) Literally ' submission'. Not 'peace.' See Salam.
Ismaili - A Shi'ite Muslim sect centred in Lebanon.
Izhaar ul-deen- (Arabic) The whole world.
Izza - (Arabic) honour. Especially family honour, which is highly important in Islam. A girl becoming pregnant would bring dishonour on her family, and the traditional penalty would be death.
Jahiliya - (Arabic) - 'Ignorance.' Muslim term for the time before the rise of Islam in Arabia, but also used of any who reject Islam. Qutb's argument, along with that of others in the Muslim Brotherhood, that Jihad is permissible against all societies in 'Jahiliya,' influenced Osama Bin Laden. (See page 14.)
Jallabiya - (Arabic) - Long garment (dress) worn by Muslim men.
Jannah - (Arabic) means Paradise. (See page 11.)
Jibreel - Arabic name for Gabriel, believed to have given Mohammed the Qu’ran from Allah.
Jihad - (n. Arabic, from Jaahada - to strive) Striving or a struggle. It can be any kind of striving in the way of God which involves either spiritual or personal effort, material resources, or arms. Jihad is said by some Muslims to be the 'Sixth Pillar of Islam', but in any case, all scholars agree it is obligatory for Muslims. It may refer to the inner battle for purity but is today usually applied to an Islamic war. The Ottoman Turks waged "Jihad" against Constantinople and other parts of Europe. According to Muslim sources Hussein Khalid al-Hussein and Ahmad Hussein Sakr, "Jihad is not a war to force the faith on others, as many people think of it. It should never be interpreted as a way of compulsion of the belief on others, since there is an explicit verse in the Qur'an that says: "There is no compulsion in religion" Al-Qur'an: Al-Baqarah (2:256). Jihad is not a defensive war only, but a war against any unjust regime. If such a regime exists, a war is to be waged against the leaders, but not against the people of that country. People should be freed from the unjust regimes and influences so that they can freely choose to believe in Allah." That's what they say. In practice, besieged cities usually had a choice: accept Islam or be put to the sword. (See page 9.)
Jilbab- (Arabic) see Burqa.
Jinn or Djinn - (Arabic) spirits or angels, either good or bad. Formed of fire. Muslims believe two Jinns record their deeds, good and bad, to be assessed by Allah. (See page 4.)
Jizyah - (Arabic) a tax paid by non-Muslims living in a Muslim State. Since the non-Muslims are exempt from military service and taxes imposed on Muslims, they must pay this tax to compensate. It guarantees them security and protection. If the State cannot protect those who paid jizyah, then in theory the amount they paid is returned to them.
K - words beginning with K, see also Q.
Ka'aba - 'Square' or 'Cube'. The not-quite-cubic temple in Mecca housing the black stone that is the centre of Muslim worship. Muslims believe the Arab legend that Abraham and Ishmael travelled to Mecca and indeed that they re-built the Ka'aba after the flood had destroyed Adam's original building. There is no Biblical or archaeological evidence that either Adam or Abraham were ever in the vicinity of Mecca.
Kafir - (Arabic) a person who refuses to submit himself to Allah (God), a disbeliever in God.
Kafiyeh - (Arabic) - Head-dress worn by Arabic men.
Khalifah or Khalifar - (Arabic) 'a successor'. The nearest English word is 'Caliph', which meant the ruler of a Muslim state.
Khilafah or Khilafar - (Arabic) 'leadership'. The English word is 'Caliphate.' In practice, Khilafar means the successful establishment of a world-wide Islamic state and the unity of the Ummah (qv). (See page 14.)
Kuffar - (Arabic) plural form of kafir.
Kufr - (Arabic) to show ungratefulness to Allah and not to believe in Him and His religion.
Madrassah - Islamic school for teaching Islamic religion and law. From darasa "to study."
Maghrib obligatory prayers just after sunset.
Medina or Madina - (Arabic) The City. The first city to come under Islamic rule. Muhammed's place of worship and grave are located in Medina. Original name was Yathrib.
Mu - (Arabic) 'One who is' or 'One who does' used as a prefix.
Mufti (Arabic) A Muslim scholar who interprets the Sha'ria. One who gives legal opinions.
Al-Muhajiroun (Arabic: The Emigrants: deriving from Hijra) An extremist Islamist group operating in the United Kingdom. Splintered from Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1996. It was led by Anjem Choudary and was notorious for its conference "The Magnificent 19", praising the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks. It allegedly disbanded in 2003.
Muhammed or Mohammed or Mahomet - (Arabic) 'He who is to be praised.' The inventor of Islam, its one and only prophet and example for living.
Mujahid - (Arabic) someone who is active in jihad and fights for Islam. Any Muslim fighter.
Mujahideen also mujahedeen or mujahidin - (Arabic or Persian - Mu-jahid-deen) Literally, one who follows the way of jihad, hence Muslim guerrilla warriors.
Mullah - (Arabic) A Muslim scholar and teacher.
Mushtabahat - (Arabic) This is described as the 'grey area' that is found between Halal and Haram. It has also been defined as 'questionable' (Mashbooh).
Nakba - (Arabic) Disaster; the Palestinian name for the exodus of refugees from Palestine in 1948 and loss of the war against Israel.
Naskh - (Arabic) abrogation - the rule (hukm) that one revelation to Muhammed is completely cancelled by another later revelation. Came about as a result of the Satanic Verses, the first version of which encouraged prayers to demonic goddesses and which was subsequently changed. (See page 7.)
Al-Qaeda (or Al-Qaiada or Al-Qaeada) - (Arabic) Literally 'The base.' Radical Islamist terror network organized by Osama Bin Laden.
Qaideen - (Arabic) Following inactivity. Hence any who do not actively fight. Despised by mujahideen.
Qibla - (Arabic) direction; hence the correct direction from a certain point to pray towards the Ka'aba in Mecca.
Qital - (Arabic) to slay or fight or be slain; physical fighting. Characteristic of Jihad.
Qul - (Arabic) literally 'say' or 'speak'. A ceremony for the dead in which verses from the Quran are recited to speed the journey of the deceased to paradise.
Al-Quds - (Arabic) "The holy;" Jerusalem.
Quran, Qu'ran (Arabic) ("Koran" in English). - (the) reading, recitation, from qara'a, to read, recite. Name given to the collection of Islamic scriptures, consisting of 114 suras (sections), believed to have been revealed verbatim orally to Mohammad over a period of time through the angel Gabriel.
Quraysh - (Arabic) (or Khureish) the most powerful and prominent tribe in all of Arabia at the time of Muhammed. The Quraysh were the keepers of the Ka'bah and therefore one of the wealthiest and most powerful tribes. Muhammed was from the Quraysh Hashemite clan. (see page 2.)
Qutb - (Arabic) Sayd Qutb. Influential Egyptian member of the Muslim Brotherhood whose book 'Milestone' made him the spiritual father of jihad in its modern, terrorist form. Influenced Bin Laden. Executed in Egypt in 1966. (See page 14.)
Ramadan - the holy lunar month of prescribed fasting - Sawm or Siyam - for Muslims. It was during this month that the Quranic revelations are said to have begun. Ramadan begins and ends at the time of the crescent moon in Mecca.
Al-Sa'iqa - (Arabic) "The Storm." Palestinian armed group created by Syrian Ba'athist party in 1966.
Salah (Salat) - (Arabic) Prayer. 2nd pillar of Islam. The five obligatory prayers that a Muslim must perform every day. Fajr is just before sunrise, Dhuhr after midday, Asr between midday and sunset, Maghrib just after sunset and Isha'a one hour after sunset. Ritual washing (wudu) is carried out before prayer. Salah is always performed in Arabic, and the prayers are recited by heart, including passages from the Quran, the Shahadah, a plea for forgiveness and various blessings. In conclusion, the man looks right and left and says, "Peace be unto you and on you be peace."
Salah -Ed- Din (Saladin) - Muslim general and leader who initially made peace with the Crusaders and later drove them from Jerusalem.
Salam - (Arabic) Peace. Salam and Salama'at (much peace) are Arabic greetings of hello and goodbye. In longer form: Salam Aleikum (Peace be on to you) , Salam Aleikum Warahmatulla (Peace be on to you and the mercy of Allah). The English "So long" is a corruption of "Salam."
Sawm or Siyam - (Arabic) Fasting. 4th pillar of Islam.
Sha'ariyeh - (Arabic also Sha'ria, Sha'aria &c) Muslim religious jurisprudence and law. (See page 15.)
Shahadah - (Arabic) "Witnessing." Islamic declaration of belief, the formal content of which is: "I testify there is no deity but Allah, and Mohammad is the messenger of Allah." The kalima serves as a kind of minimal creed for Muslims and is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Arabic form is "La ila ha illa Allah, Mohammad rasul Allah." A person must recite the shahadah to convert to Islam.
Shahid - (Arabic) A holy martyr. Used to refer to suicide bombers as well as saints.
Shi'ite - (or Shi'a) - A sect or branch of the Muslim religion centred in Iran, with large followings in southern Iraq and sub-sects (Alawi, Ismaili) in Syria and Lebanon. Shi'ites believe Ali was the only true Kalifah or Caliph.
Shirk - (Arabic) Literally 'Association'. Worshipping or associating with any divinity other than Allah.
Suffism - Mystical and ascetic branch of Sunni Islam. Devotees are nearly all men.
Sujud - the position in salat in which the person prostrates on the ground with his hands, knees, feet, and face touching the ground.
Sunna also Sunnah (Arabic) Literally: customary practice, tradition, from sanna, to sharpen, shape, enact. 1: The way of life prescribed as normative in Islam, based on the teachings and practices of Muhammad and on exegesis of the Koran. Hence 2: Muhammad's way of life viewed as a model for Muslims. (See page 6/7.)
Sunni - The mainstream Muslim religious sect. Sunnis accept the first four Kalifah as true caliphs. 90% of Muslims worldwide are Sunni and 10% Shi-ite.
Takeyya - (Arabic) Literally "to prevent," or guard against. The Islamic principle of lying for the sake of Allah. The practice of Al-Takeyya is commonly employed to declare a Hudna, qv. (See page 8.)
Tashriah - (Arabic) legislation, law making. What Allah has permitted and what is forbidden.
Tawhid - or Tawheed (Arabic) Belief in the uniqueness and oneness of Allah.
Ulema - (Arabic) Clerics.
Umma or Ummah - (Arabic) Followers. It is used to refer to the community of Muslim believers worldwide. See Khilafah.
Wahabbi - (also Wahhabi, Wahabi, Salafi) Muslim Sunni reform movement founded mid-eighteenth century by Abdul-Wahhab. Wahabi is the English name and the name used for them by other sects. They call themselves Muwahidun (unitarians) and believe in strict asceticism. Muwahidun are the dominant religion of Saudi Arabia.
Wudu - Ritual ablution performed before Salah.
Yathrib - (Arabic) Ancient name of Medina.
Zakah - (Arabic) Literally 'purification' hence an Islamic charity tax. Third pillar of Islam.
