| Abbasids |
dynasty of caliphs ruling from 750 till 1258, although it had lost any meaningful power several centuries earlier. Capital in Baghdad. |
| adhan |
the call to prayer. |
| Allah |
Arabic for God. |
| axis mundi |
a term used by historian of religion Mircea Eliade to refer to the spot on earth upon which the divine makes an appearance; a sacred center. |
| aya |
verse of the Qur'an; literal meaning of "sign" from God. |
| basmala |
the statement at the beginning of each sura of the Qur'an (except sura 9), "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionalte". |
| communitas |
the state associated with the central stage in a pilgrimage journey as defined by anthropologist Victor Turner. |
| dawa |
|
| dhikr |
"mentioning" or "remembrance"; term used for the chant in Sufi meditation ceremonies. |
| dissimulation |
a practice by which a believer in Islam can deny his or her status as a Muslim in order to protect his or her safety or life while maintaining at least the secret status of Muslim; traditionally a practice associated with Shi'ite Muslims, but also practiced by Sunni Muslims, such as Muslim slaves in the Americas, who were forced to convert to Christianity. |
| du'a |
"supplication"; refers to a personal devotional prayer; to be distinguished from salat or ritual prayer, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. |
| fatiha |
"opening", the first sura of the Qur'an, used especially in prayer. |
| fiqh |
jurisprudence, the science of religious law in Islam. |
| "The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs" |
refer to the four successors to Muhammad's rulership before the rise of the Umayyad dynasty: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. |
| hadith |
a tradition or written report, being the source material for the sunna or Muhammad's sayings and actions, gathered together in the six books of authoritative traditions in Sunni Islam. Shi'a Islam places authority in different reports and official collections. |
| hanif |
the attribute, especially ascribed to Abraham in the Qur'an, of being a sincere believer in God; also described or loosely translated as "perfect monotheist" in reference to Abraham. |
| hajj |
pilgrimage to Mecca performed in the month of Dhu'l-hijja, one of the "Five Pillars" of Islam; a requirement for all Muslims, if they are able, once in a lifetime. |
| hijab |
the veil or partition which prevents men from gazing at certain aspects of a woman, namely her physical attributes. A variety of styles exist but most emphasize covering the hair and hiding the shape of the body; in modernity also being worn as a political/religious statement to indicate membership in the community of Muslims. |
| hijra |
Muhammad's emigration from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 CE, understood as the date for the beginning of the Muslim hijri calendar. |
| haram |
|
| ibadat |
|
| ihram |
the state of consecration into which the pilgrim (muhrim) enters through albutions, special clothes, particular phrases and other ritual activities in order to perform the hajj. |
| ihsan |
literally "doing the beautiful", the deepest level, according to some, of being a Muslim. One who practices ihsan lives each moment of his life as if God were in front of him; a state often associated with Sufi Muslims. |
| ijma |
"consensus", one of the four sources of law in Sunni Islam, the others being Qur'an, sunna, and qiyas. |
| imam |
literally the "model" or "in front of", here generally referring to the prayer leader in the salat who stands in front of the rows of worshipers, keeping their actions in unison during the prayer. The word is also used in other contexts. It is a title of the revered early leaders of the Shi'a who are the source of authority in that community; these Imams are Ali and certain of his descendants. |
| iman |
faith; a person who has faith is called a mu'min. |
| isnad |
the chain of authorities through whom a hadith report has passed; the list of these people forms the first part of the hadith report, the text which comes after it being called the matn. |
| jihad |
"striving for the faith", sometimes translated as "holy war", sometimes seen as a "sixth pillar" of Islam. |
| jum'a |
in reference to prayer, salat; it is the Friday noon gathering of the community which is enjoined in the Qur'an and which takes place in the jami' or congregational mosque. |
| Ka'ba |
the sacred black cube building in the middle of the mosque in Mecca; Muslims face in the direction of the Ka'ba when they perform the ritual prayer and circumambulate it when they perform the pilgrimage. |
| Khalifa/Caliph |
"successor" to Muhammad, the leader of the Sunni community. |
| khatib |
the person at the Friday noon prayer who delivers the address or sermon, the khutba. |
| khutba |
the short sermon delivered by an imam or a khatib during Friday prayer services. |
| mahdi |
|
| masjid |
from the Arabic root s-j-d meaning to prostrate oneself; a place of prostration or mosque; also used to refer to a mosque that is not a Friday congregational mosque. |
| matn |
the text of the hadith report, following the isnad. |
| Messiah |
|
| mihrab |
the niche in the wall of a mosque marking the qibla, or direction of prayer towards Mecca. |
| minbar |
the "pulpit" on which the khatib gives the Friday prayer address/sermon. |
| Mircea Eliade |
|
| qibla |
the direction in which one faces in prayer (Mecca), marked by the mihrab in the mosque. |
| qiyas |
"analogy", one of the four sources of law in Sunni Islam, the others being Qur'an, sunna, and ijma'. |
| rak'a |
cycle of postures through which a person moves in performing the salat: standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting. |
| sadaqa |
"charity"; to be distinguished from zakat, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and refers to a specific charitable tax. |
| salaf |
the "pious ancestors," the first three generations of Muslims, who some modern Islamists hold up as embodying the ideal manifestation of Islam. |
| shahada |
"witness to faith"; saying (in Arabic), "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger", "la ilaha ill-allah wa Muhammad rasul allah"; one of the "Five Pillars" required of all Muslims. |
| sawm |
fasting performed in the month of Ramadan, one of the "Five Pillars" required of all Muslims. |
| shari'a |
the religious law derived from the four sources of law in Sunni Islam; also referring more generally to God's divine law/path. |
| sura |
a chapter of the Qur'an. |
| tafsir |
interpretation of the Qur'an, especially as found in written form. Such texts generally follow the order of the Quranic text and pay attention to the meaning of each word or sentence (sometimes individual letters). |
| tariqa |
"the way" of Sufism; a Sufi order or brotherhood. |
| tasawwuf |
Sufism, the mystical path in Islam. |
| ulama |
the learned class, especially those learned in religious matters. |
| Umayyads |
the first dynasty of caliphs, ruling from 661 until the takeover of the Abbasids in 750. Capital in Damascus. |
| umma |
the community; the body of Muslims. |
| Victor Turner |
|
| wudu |
the ablution process required before ritual prayer and other ritual activities in Islam that includes washing the hands, feet, face, nostrils and mouth; also referred to as a minor ablution as opposed to the ghusl, which is the major ablutions process that requires a full bath or immersion in water. |
| zakat |
alms tax, one of the "Five Pillars" required of all Muslims. |