Islamic Terms, A to Z: 257 words and their meanings

Etiquette: the right way of doing things, with Allah, with people, and with oneself.

The call to prayer, given aloud at the start of each prayer time.

The plural of dhikr: the set remembrances of morning, evening, sleep and daily life.

The Hereafter: the life after death that never ends.

Character: the inner qualities that show in how a person treats others.

All praise is for Allah.

The one true God, Creator of everything, worshipped by Muslims, and the name Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians use for God too.

Trustworthiness: keeping what is entrusted to you, from a secret to a public office.

The Helpers: the Muslims of Madinah who sheltered the emigrants.

The sacrifice offered for a newborn on the seventh day, when the child is named and its head shaved.

The plain outside Makkah where pilgrims stand on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah; the heart of Hajj.

The circumstances in which verses of the Quran were revealed.

The tenth of Muharram, the day Allah saved Musa from Pharaoh, fasted in gratitude.

The most beautiful names of Allah, ninety-nine of which are gathered in the famous list.

The afternoon prayer, four rak'ah.

I seek Allah's forgiveness.

The parts of the body that must be covered, in prayer and in front of others.

A verse of the Quran; literally a sign.

The Throne Verse, al-Baqarah 2:255, the greatest verse of the Quran.

The evil eye: harm that reaches a person through an envious or admiring look, by Allah's decree.

The first battle of Islam, in Ramadan of the second year, won by 313 against a thousand.

Blessing: divine increase and goodness placed in something, so that a little goes far.

May Allah bless you.

The life of the grave, between death and the resurrection.

Innovation in religion: a new act of worship with no basis in the Quran or Sunnah.

Dutifulness to parents: the deed the Quran places right after worshipping Allah.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Weak: a hadith whose chain has a gap or an unreliable narrator.

The great deceiver who will appear before the end of time, whom Isa will slay on his return.

Inviting people to Allah, with wisdom and beautiful words.

The Islamic method of slaughter: a swift cut to the throat with Allah's name pronounced.

Remembrance of Allah, on the tongue and in the heart.

The midday prayer, four rak'ah, after the sun passes its highest point.

The twelfth month, the month of Hajj, whose first ten days are the best days of the year.

Supplication: calling on Allah directly, in any language, for anything.

The forenoon prayer, two to eight rak'ah, between sunrise and midday.

This world and this life, as opposed to the Hereafter.

A festival: the two days of celebration Allah gave this ummah.

The festival of sacrifice on the tenth of Dhul Hijjah, the greater of the two Eids.

The festival of breaking the fast, on the first of Shawwal after Ramadan.

The dawn prayer, two rak'ah, prayed before sunrise.

Obligatory: an act whose doing is rewarded and whose leaving is a sin.

A scholar's answer to a question about Islamic law.

Compensation paid by those who cannot fast: feeding a poor person for each missed day.

Islamic jurisprudence: the understanding of rulings drawn from the Quran and Sunnah.

The highest level of Paradise, beneath the Throne.

The natural disposition every person is born with, inclined to recognise Allah.

Backbiting: mentioning your brother in a way he would dislike, even if it is true.

The full-body ritual bath.

Sin: any act that disobeys Allah.

A report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did, or approved.

A hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ relates words from Allah that are not part of the Quran.

One who has memorised the entire Quran.

The Black Stone set in the corner of the Ka'bah, where tawaf begins.

The pilgrimage to Makkah in Dhul Hijjah, the fifth pillar, once in a lifetime for those able.

Permitted by Allah.

Food that is permitted: no pork, no carrion, no blood, no intoxicants, and meat slaughtered in Allah's name.

Forbidden by Allah; also, sacred and inviolable, as in al-Masjid al-Haram.

Envy: wishing that another's blessing be taken from them.

Good: a hadith slightly below sahih in the memory of a narrator, still acceptable as evidence.

The lunar year that wealth must be held before zakat is due on it.

Modesty and a sense of shame before Allah and people.

Memorising the Quran.

The covering a Muslim woman wears in front of non-mahram men; in the Quran, a screen or barrier.

The Prophet's ﷺ migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622, the start of the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic lunar calendar of twelve months, counted from the Hijrah.

The new crescent moon whose sighting begins each Islamic month.

The reckoning: the accounting of deeds on the Day of Judgement.

Half a juz'; sixty in the whole Quran.

Worship: every word and deed, inward or outward, that Allah loves.

Abraham, the friend of Allah, who built the Ka'bah with his son Isma'il and is the father of the prophets.

The waiting period a woman observes after divorce or widowhood before remarrying.

Breaking the fast at sunset.

The sacred state of a pilgrim, and the two white cloths men wear in it.

Excellence: to worship Allah as if you see Him, knowing that He sees you.

A licence to transmit the Quran or a text, given by a teacher whose chain reaches the Prophet ﷺ.

Consensus of the qualified scholars of an age on a ruling.

A qualified scholar's effort to derive a ruling for a matter the texts do not settle directly.

Sincerity: doing a deed for Allah alone.

The one who leads the prayer; also a leading scholar.

Faith: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree.

To Allah we belong and to Him we return: said at every loss.

If Allah wills: said of anything in the future.

The second, shorter call given right before the congregation stands to pray.

Jesus, son of Mary: a mighty messenger of Allah, born of a virgin, who will return before the end.

The night prayer, four rak'ah, once the red twilight has gone.

Submission to Allah, and the religion built on five pillars.

The chain of narrators through which a hadith reaches us.

The Prophet's ﷺ night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascent through the heavens.

Seeking refuge in Allah: a'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim.

Seeking Allah's forgiveness, most simply with Astaghfirullah.

Two rak'ah and a du'a asking Allah to choose what is best in a decision.

Seclusion in the masjid for worship, especially the last ten nights of Ramadan.

The Fire: the punishment of the Hereafter.

Congregation: praying together behind an imam.

The funeral: washing, shrouding, the funeral prayer and burial.

Paradise: the eternal garden promised to the believers.

May Allah reward you with good: the fullest thank you.

The angel who brought revelation to every prophet, and the Quran to Muhammad ﷺ.

Striving in the way of Allah: against one's own desires, in speaking truth, and, under strict conditions, in defence.

Unseen beings created from smokeless fire, with free will like humans.

The Friday congregational prayer that replaces Dhuhr, with a sermon before it.

One of the thirty equal parts of the Quran.

The cube-shaped House of Allah in Makkah, the direction of every prayer.

Expiation: a set act that makes up for breaking an oath, a fast, or another duty.

A successor: the leader of the Muslims after the Prophet ﷺ; also man's role as steward on earth.

Completing a full reading of the Quran.

The Seal of the Prophets: Muhammad ﷺ, the last prophet, after whom there is none.

A divorce sought by the wife, returning the mahr or part of it.

The sermon, given before the Jumu'ah prayer and after the Eid prayers.

Disbelief: rejecting or covering the truth after it is known.

The Night of Decree in the last ten nights of Ramadan, better than a thousand months.

A school of Islamic law. The four Sunni schools are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali.

The city of the Prophet ﷺ, where he is buried, the second holiest in Islam.

The sunset prayer, three rak'ah, prayed right after the sun sets.

The gift a husband gives his wife at marriage, hers alone.

A relative one can never marry, and in whose presence hijab is not required.

The points of articulation of the Arabic letters.

The holiest city, birthplace of the Prophet ﷺ and home of the Ka'bah.

Disliked: an act that is better left, but not sinful.

The angels: created from light, they never disobey Allah.

The higher aims of Islamic law: preserving religion, life, intellect, lineage and wealth.

Mary, mother of Isa: the only woman named in the Quran, and the best of its women.

What Allah has willed: said in admiration, so that the eye does no harm.

A mosque: literally, the place of prostration.

The Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem: the first qibla and the third holiest site.

The Sacred Mosque around the Ka'bah in Makkah, the largest mosque on earth.

The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, built by his hands, where he is buried.

The text of a hadith, as distinct from its chain.

The birthday of the Prophet ﷺ, twelfth of Rabi al-Awwal, observed by many and debated by scholars.

The niche in a mosque wall marking the direction of the qibla.

The valley of tents near Makkah where pilgrims stay during Hajj and stone the pillars.

The pulpit from which the khutbah is delivered.

The boundary points around Makkah where pilgrims must enter ihram.

Inheritance: the fixed shares the Quran assigns to heirs.

The scales on which deeds are weighed on the Day of Judgement.

The person who gives the adhan.

Neutral: neither rewarded nor punished, permitted.

A scholar qualified to give fatwas.

The Companions who migrated from Makkah to Madinah.

The first month of the Islamic year, one of the four sacred months.

Taking account of oneself before being taken to account.

A believer: one whose faith has entered the heart.

The two angels who question the dead in the grave.

The physical copy of the Quran.

One who submits to Allah; a follower of Islam.

Recommended: rewarded if done, not sinful if left.

The open plain between Arafah and Mina where pilgrims spend the night after Arafah.

A prophet: one who receives revelation from Allah.

Voluntary worship beyond what is obligatory.

Physical impurity that must be removed before prayer.

Hypocrisy: showing belief while hiding disbelief, or the traits of it in conduct.

The marriage contract: offer and acceptance before witnesses, with a mahr.

The minimum wealth above which zakat becomes due.

Intention: the resolve in the heart that gives an act its value.

Making up a missed obligation: a prayer prayed late or a fast fasted later.

Allah's decree: that He knows, has written, wills, and creates all that happens.

Contentment with what one has.

A reciter of the Quran, especially one trained in tajwid.

The direction of the Ka'bah in Makkah, faced in every prayer.

Standing in prayer; also the night prayers of Ramadan and beyond.

Analogy: extending a known ruling to a new case that shares its cause.

A du'a made standing in prayer, most often in Witr.

The word of Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ over twenty-three years.

The animal sacrifice offered on Eid al-Adha in memory of Ibrahim's obedience.

Lord: the One who creates, owns, sustains and nurtures.

The third month, in which the Prophet ﷺ was born, made the Hijrah, and passed away.

Mercy, the attribute that Allah's two names in the basmalah proclaim.

The seventh month, sacred, two months before Ramadan.

One unit of prayer: standing, bowing, two prostrations and sitting.

The ninth month, the month of fasting, in which the Quran was sent down.

A messenger: a prophet sent with a new law or book.

The twelve sunnah rak'ah prayed around the daily prayers.

Interest: any increase charged on a loan, forbidden in the strongest terms in the Quran.

Contentment with Allah's decree.

Showing off in worship: doing a deed to be seen by people.

Provision: everything Allah gives a person to live, from food to family to faith.

The bowing in prayer, hands on the knees, back level.

Healing by reciting the Quran and the Prophet's du'as over a person.

Patience: steadfastness in obedience, away from sin, and under hardship.

Dhul Qa'dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab, in which fighting was forbidden and sin weighs heavier.

Voluntary charity, in any amount, at any time.

Ongoing charity whose reward continues after death.

The Companions: those who met the Prophet ﷺ, believed in him, and died as Muslims.

Authentic: the highest grade of hadith.

The most authentic book after the Quran, compiled by Imam al-Bukhari in the third century.

The second of the two most authentic hadith collections, compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj.

Walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah.

The prostration of recitation, made when reading one of the fourteen or fifteen verses of prostration.

The pious predecessors: the first three generations of Muslims.

The five daily prayers, the second pillar of Islam.

Peace be upon you: the greeting of Islam and of the people of Paradise.

Sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ: Allahumma salli ala Muhammad.

May Allah bless him and grant him peace: said after the Prophet's name.

Fasting from food, drink and marital relations from dawn to sunset, for Allah.

The eighth month, in which the Prophet ﷺ fasted more than any month besides Ramadan.

The testimony of faith: there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

The path Allah laid down: the whole body of guidance in the Quran and Sunnah.

The tenth month, opening with Eid al-Fitr; six fasts in it complete the year.

The devil: Iblis, who refused to bow to Adam, and the jinn and humans who follow him.

Associating partners with Allah: the one sin Allah does not forgive if a person dies upon it.

Gratitude to Allah, shown by the heart, the tongue and the limbs.

Sunrise: the end of Fajr time, and a time in which prayer is disliked.

Truthfulness, in speech and in intention.

Maintaining ties with relatives.

The biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The bridge over the Fire that every person crosses on the way to Paradise.

The tooth-stick from the arak tree, a sunnah for cleaning the teeth.

Glory be to Allah: He is free of every imperfection.

The pre-dawn meal before a day of fasting.

Prostration, the forehead and nose on the ground, the closest a servant is to Allah.

The way of the Prophet ﷺ: his sayings, actions and approvals. Also, a recommended act.

A chapter of the Quran. There are 114.

The opening chapter of the Quran, seven verses recited in every rak'ah.

The eighteenth surah, recited every Friday.

The sixty-seventh surah, recited before sleep as a protection from the punishment of the grave.

The thirty-sixth surah, often called the heart of the Quran.

The generation after the Companions, who learned from them.

Explanation and commentary of the Quran.

Voluntary prayer in the depth of the night, after sleeping.

Ritual purity, the state required for prayer.

Saying La ilaha illa Allah, there is no god but Allah.

Saying Alhamdulillah, all praise is for Allah.

The rules of reciting the Quran correctly and beautifully.

Saying Allahu Akbar, Allah is the Greatest.

Divorce pronounced by the husband, with a waiting period and the door to return.

The pilgrim's cry: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, here I am, O Allah, here I am.

Consciousness of Allah that keeps a person from what displeases Him.

The night prayers of Ramadan, prayed in congregation after Isha.

Saying SubhanAllah, glory be to Allah; also the beads used to count dhikr.

The sitting in prayer in which the testimony of faith is recited.

The closing of the prayer: As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah to the right and to the left.

Circling the Ka'bah seven times, counter-clockwise, beginning at the Black Stone.

Trust in Allah after taking the means.

Repentance: turning back to Allah from sin.

The oneness of Allah: the core belief of Islam.

Dry purification with clean earth when water cannot be used.

Purification of the soul from its diseases and its growth in virtue.

Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, recited together for protection.

Recitation of the Quran.

The scholars of Islam, the inheritors of the prophets.

The global community of Muslims, one body across every land.

Unlettered: the Quran's description of the Prophet ﷺ, who could not read or write.

The lesser pilgrimage to Makkah, performable at any time of year.

Revelation from Allah to a prophet.

A guardian, especially the bride's guardian in marriage; also a close friend of Allah.

The wedding feast given by the groom after the nikah.

An endowment: property held for Allah whose benefit goes to a charitable purpose forever.

A will: the bequest of up to a third of one's estate, and one's final counsel.

The whispers of Shaytan, and the intrusive doubts they cause in worship.

The odd-numbered prayer that closes the night prayers, most often one or three rak'ah.

The ritual washing before prayer: face, arms, head and feet.

The Day of Resurrection, when all are raised and judged.

The obligatory yearly charity, 2.5 percent of qualifying wealth, the third pillar of Islam.

The small charity due from every Muslim before the Eid al-Fitr prayer.

The well in Makkah that sprang for Hajar and Isma'il, still flowing today.

Detachment from the world: holding the dunya in the hand, not in the heart.