Glossary of Islam
The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Islamic and associated cultural traditions, which are expressed as words in Arabic or Persian language. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Islam all in one place.
Separating concepts in Islam from concepts specific to Arab culture, or from the language itself, can be difficult. Many Arabic concepts have an Arabic secular meaning as well as an Islamic meaning. One example is the concept of dawah. Arabic, like all languages, contains words whose meanings differ across various contexts.
Arabic is written in its own alphabet, with letters, symbols, and orthographic conventions that do not have exact equivalents in the Latin alphabet. The following list contains transliterations of Arabic terms and phrases; variations exist, e.g. din instead of deen and aqidah instead of aqeedah. Most items in the list also contain their actual Arabic spelling.
A
;Abd | Amah |; ʾAdab : Traditionally describes good manners, as in etiquette. For example, being courteous is good ʾadab. However, the term can be used very broadly, and the proper translation would be "the proper way to go about something," as in the example, ʾĀdāb al Qitāl, or, "The Proper Ways of Fighting in War," in which the word "etiquette" does not befit the context. A secondary meaning of ʾAdab is "literature".
; ʾAdhān : call to salat, sometimes alternatively spelled and pronounced Azaan, Athaan and Adhan.
; ʿAdl : justice, especially distributive justice: social, economic, political, proprietary.
; AH : Anno Hegirae The Islamic calendar starts counting years starting from the time when Muhammad had to leave Mecca and go to Medina, an event known as the Hijra. The first day of the first Islamic year is 1 Muḥarram 1 and corresponds to 16 July 622.
; ʾAḥad : literally "one." Islamically, ahad means One Alone, unique, none like God. Al-Ahad is one of the names of God.
; ʾAḥkām : These are rulings and orders of the Qu'ran and Sunnah. A single ruling is called a [|Ḥukm]. Five kinds of orders: Wajib or Fard, Mustahab, Halal or Mubah, Makruh, and Haram
; ʾAhl al-Bayt : members of Muhammad's Household. Also known among Shia as the Maʿṣūmūn .
; ʾAhl al-Fatrah : people who live in ignorance of the teachings of a revealed religion, but according to the "Fitra", the "Natural Religion" innate to human nature as created by God.
; ʾAhl al-Kitāb : "People of the Book", or followers of pre-Islamic monotheistic religions with some form of scripture believed to be of divine origin which were mentioned in Quran: Jews, Christians.
; ʾĀkhirah : hereafter or eternal life
; ʾAkhlāq : The practice of virtue. Morals.
; Al-ʾIkhlāṣ : Sincerity and genuineness in religious beliefs.
; Al-Bir : Piety and righteousness and every act of obedience to Allah.
; : Literally "worlds", humankind, jinn, angels and all that exists.
; Al Hijr : A semi-circular wall north-west of Kaaba.
; ʿalayhi -s-salām : "Peace be upon him" This expression normally follows after naming a prophet, or one of the noble Angels, Mika'il
; Alhamdulillah| : "Praise be to God!" Qur'anic exclamation and also same meaning as hallelujah.
; Allāh : The name of God according to Islam. Also used as the Arabic word for God in general.
; Allāhumma :"O Allah, my Lord" - used in a phrase or salutation, invocations or supplications.
; Allāhu ʾAkbar : "Allah is greatest". Greater than anything or anyone, imaginable or unimaginable.
; Ulama| : lit. One who knows. A scholar ; a jurist or scientist or a theologian ; similar to Japanese sensei, "teacher".
; Amān, lit. 'safety, protection, safe conduct'
; ʾAmānah : the trust. Of all creation, only human beings & jinns carry the "trust", which is free will.
; ʾĀmīn : Amen.
; Amir al-Muminin| : "Commander of the Faithful" Historically the title of the Caliph. In some modern countries like Morocco, a ' or Commander of the faithful is the religious chief.
; ʾĀminah : Muhammad's mother. Aminah fell sick and died in Abwa, near Madina when Muhammad was six years old.
; Al-ʾAmr Bi'l Maʿrūf : Islamic doctrine of enjoining right. There exists in Islam the principle of encouraging other people to do the right thing.
; ʾAnfāl : Spoils of war.
; Ansar | : "Helpers." The Muslim converts at Medina who helped the Muslims from Mecca after the Hijrah.
; Aqidah| : Article of faith, tenet, creed, or dogma.
; Aqiqah| : Islamic practice of shaving the head of the newborn male and contributing the weight in silver for charity as well as 2 lambs.
; 'Aql| : Intelligence, intellect, mind, understanding
; ʾArkān singular rukn : The five rukn "pillars" of Islam.
; A.S. : This acronym evokes a blessing and is appended to the names of the prophets who came before Muhammad. It will also be applied to the mothers of those prophets. When following a woman's name, the feminine form is ʿAlayha s-salām.
; aṣaḥḥ: Arabic elative term, “more correct.” Used by Muslim scholars to introduce their own view while not entirely dismissing that of others.
; ʾAṣl : Root, origin, source; principle.
; ʾaslim taslam : "Submit to Islam"
; 99 Names of God| : List of God's 99 names. According to a hadith, the one who enumerates them all will enter Paradise.
; Asr| : The third salat prayer. The time of the day before sunset and after noon. Also means "era".
; Ṣirāṭ| : The bridge by crossing which it is determined whether a person would go to heaven or hell. How a person crosses the Sirat depends on what they have done in their life and what they have believed in.
; al-ʿAsharatu Mubashsharun bil-Jannah or just ʿAsharatu Mubashsharah : The ten companions of Muhammad who were promised paradise
; Day of Ashurah| : Tenth day of the month of Muharram. It is the day God saved Moses and the children of Israel from the Pharaoh. The grandson of Muhammad, Imam Hussayn sacrificed his life along with 72 of his companions on the sand dunes of Karbala. Sunni Scholars recommended to fast during this day. To the Shias, it is also a day on which they mourn the death of the third Shia Imam, Husayn ibn Ali, along with his family and companions, who were killed in the famous battle in Karbala. They cry and weep and organize lamentating programmes where they not only learn how to live a proper Islamic life and improve their Spiritual Self but also cry at the end of the ritual to show their true love and faith towards imam Hussayn.
; As-Salamu Alaykum| : The Islamic greeting; literally "Peace be upon you"; In addition, ' means "and the Mercy of God and His blessing". The response to this greeting is --"And on you be the Peace and Mercy of God and His Blessing".
; ʾAstaghfir allāh : "I seek forgiveness from God." Islamic expression.
; Aʿudhu billah : "I seek refuge in God". This is a paraphrase on the beginnings of the two last suras in the Qur'an.
; Awliya'| : Friends, protectors, helpers, caretaker, maintainer.
; Awrah| : The parts of the body, male or female, must be covered in public but not between spouses, such as, body parts must be concealed of a woman before non-related men..
; ʾĀyah, plural ʾāyāt : A sign. More specifically, a verse in the Qur'an.
; Āyatullāh : Sign of God Title given to highly ranked religious scholars in Sh'ia sect.
; Azāzīl: a name of Iblīs in his role as a fallen angel..
B
; Baiʿa : See; Baatil : see Bāṭil
; Baitullāh : A mosque, literally "house of God". Specifically means the Ka'aba at Makkah.
; Bakka'in: a group known as the Weepers, who wept because they could not accompany Muhammad to Tabuk.
; Barakah : a form of blessing, thought derive from God and passed on others via prophets, angels and saints.
; Bārak Allāhu Fīkum : may Allah bless you; response to expression of thanks.
; Barzakh : Barrier. Used in the Qur'an to describe the barrier between sweet and salty water. In theology, the one-way barrier between the mortal realm and the spirit world which the deceased soul crosses and waits for qiyamah judgment.
; Bashar : humankind, mankind, man, human, etc.
; : Insight, discernment, perceptivity, deep knowledge. Sometimes used by Sufis to denote the ability to directly perceive a transcendental Truth.
; Bāṭil : void
; Bāṯin : The interior or hidden meaning. A person who devotes himself to studying such hidden meanings is a batini.
; B.B.H.N. : Blessed be His Name – acronym for S.A.W.S. See P.B.U.H.
; bid‘ah| : Innovation in religion, i.e. inventing new methods of worship. Bad Bidʿahs in Islam are considered a deviation and a serious sin by many Muslims.
; Bidʿah sayyiʾah : Inquiry prohibited in Islam.
; Bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi : "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".
; Burda : In general terms, it means a "cloak" or "outer garment". Specific reference is to the "burda" of Muḥammad.
; Bay'ah| : an oath of allegiance to a leader, traditionally the Caliph, a Sheikh or an Imam.
C
; Caliph khalīfah : literally successor; refers to the successor of Muhammad, the ruler of an Islamic theocracy.D
; Dahri : atheist – from the root ad dahr meaning time. In Islam, atheists are seen as those who think that only time can destroy, hence the term ad dahriyyah or simply dahriya for the concept of atheism.; Dajjāl : The Islamic equivalent of the Antichrist; means "liar" or "deceiver".
; Ḍallāl : going astray.
; Dār al-ʿAhd : the Ottoman Empire's relationship with its Christian tributary states.
; Dār al-ʾAmn : means house of safety.
; Dār ad-daʿwa : a region where Islam has recently been introduced.
; Dār al-ḥarb :means house of war; refers to areas outside Muslim rule which a Muslim state can go to war with
; Dār al-Islām : the abode, or land, of Islam.
; Dār al-Kufr : means domain of disbelief; the term originally refers to the Quraish-dominated society of Mecca between Mohammed's flight to Medina and the city's conquest.
;Dār aṣ-Ṣulḥ : domain of agreement
; Dār ash-shahāda : See Dar al-Amn
; Darūd : blessing
; Daʿwah : the call to Islam, proselytizing.
; Darwīš : an initiate of the Sufi Path, one who practices Sufism
; Dhikr : A devotional practice whereby the name of God is repeated in a rhythmical manner. Remembrance of God; spiritual exercise; Muslims believe that the primary function of prophets is to remind people of God. It is also pronounced zikr.
; Dhimmi : "protected person"; Jews and Christians, living in an Islamic state who must pay a separate tax instead of the zakah paid by Muslims and this exempts non-Muslims from military service under Islamic law.
; Dhuhr : the second obligatory daily prayer.
; Dīn : the way of life based on Islamic revelation; the sum total of a Muslim's faith and practice. Dīn is often used to mean the faith and religion of Islam.
; Diyyah : "blood money", recompense for loss of a life.
; Div : "demon", hideous creatures in Muslim beliefs.
; Duʿāʾ : personal prayer, supplication
; Dunya : The physical Universe, as opposed to the Hereafter; sometimes spelled Dunia.