Essential Islamic Terms and Definitions

Understanding Core Islamic Vocabulary

Adhan

The call to prayer performed from the minarets of mosques by the *muezzin*.

Allah

Arabic for God.

Amir

Commander or prince, frequently used with reference to the person who leads the community.

Aya

A verse of the Quran; also used in a general meaning of “sign” from God.

Ayatollah

In Shia Islam, a high-ranking title given to clerics recognized as experts in Islamic studies.

Basmala

The statement at the beginning of each sura of the Quran (except sura 9), “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate”; also used by Muslims as an invocation.

Buraq

The winged horse which carried Muhammad on his “Night Journey” from Mecca to Jerusalem.

Dhimmi

A member of a protected community, especially referring to Jews and Christians who live under Muslim rule. Their right to practice their own religion was guaranteed by their payment of a special poll tax, the *jizya*.

Fatwa

A legal decision rendered by a *mufti*, who is a jurist qualified to make decisions of a general religious nature.

Fiqh

Jurisprudence, the science of religious law, as described by the jurists known as the *fuqaha* (of which the singular is *faqih*).

Hadd

The restrictive ordinances of God as stated in the Quran, all of which have a specific penalty involved for their violation.

Hadith

A tradition or written report, being the source material for the *sunna* of Muhammad, gathered together in the six books of authoritative traditions in Sunni Islam.

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca, 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 the “charms of women.” A variety of styles exist, but most emphasize covering the hair and hiding the shape of the body.

Hijaz

Region in the west of central Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad.

Hijra

Muhammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 CE, understood as the date for the beginning of the Muslim *hijra* calendar (year 0 for the Muslim calendar).

Ijaz

Doctrine which states that the Quran cannot be imitated; the “inimitability” of the Quran.

Ijma

“Consensus,” one of the four sources of law in Sunni Islam, the others being Quran, *sunna*, and *qiyas*.

Ijtihad

The use of one’s “personal effort” in order to make a decision on a point of law not explicitly covered by the Quran or the *sunna*; the person with the authority to do this is called a *mujtahid*.

Imam

Literally the “model,” here generally referring to the prayer leader in the *salat* who stands in front of the rows of worshippers, 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 Shia who are the source of authority in that community. The word is also commonly used as a title of the founders of the Sunni schools of law and similarly for other significant religious figures.

Islam

The name of the religion preached by Muhammad, so named in the Quran, literally meaning “submission”; those who adhere to Islam are called Muslims.

Isma

A doctrine which states that the prophets, and especially Muhammad, were protected from sin during their lifetimes. It is also applied to the twelve Shia Imams.

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*.

Isra

Muhammad’s “Night Journey” to Jerusalem, connected to the heavenly ascension.

Jahiliyya

The “Age of Ignorance,” historically seen to be before Muhammad but in a general religious sense referring to ignoring, or ignorance of, Islam; especially used with moral overtones.

Jihad

“Striving for the faith” or “holy war,” sometimes seen as a “sixth pillar” of Islam.

Jinn

Genies, another dimension of animate creation on Earth.

Juma

With reference to prayer, *salat*; it is the Friday noon gathering of the community which is enjoined in the Quran and which takes place in the congregational mosque.

Kaaba

The sacred black cube building in the middle of the mosque in Mecca; Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba when they perform the ritual prayer (*salat*) and circumambulate it when they perform the pilgrimage (*hajj*).

Khalifa (Caliph)

The leader of the Sunni community, the “successor” to Muhammad.

Khatib

The person at the Friday noon prayer who delivers the sermon to the community.

Madhhab

A school of law formed around one of the four early figures significant in juristic discussions.

Madrasa

Religious school or college for the study of the Islamic religion, though this may not be the only subject studied.

Maslaha

“General good” and “public interest,” used as a basis for legal decisions.

Matn

The text of a *hadith* report.

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 sermon in the mosque.

Mufti

A jurist who is authorized to give a *fatwa* or legal decision on a religious matter.

Mujaddid

A renewer of the faith, stated in a *hadith* report to appear in the Muslim community every 100 years, in order to revive the true spirit of Islam through the process of *tajdid*, “renewal.”

Mujahideen

The plural form for those engaged in *Jihad*.

Mujtahid

A jurist who is qualified to exercise *ijtihad* or personal effort in making legal decisions on matters where there is no explicit text of the Quran or the *sunna* to be followed.

Mullah

A Muslim man educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. In large parts of the Muslim world, it is the name commonly given to local Islamic clerics or mosque leaders.

Muslim

A person who follows the Islamic religion.

Qadi

A judge who makes decisions on the basis of the religious law.

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 Quran, *sunna*, and *ijma*.

Salaf

The “pious ancestors,” the first three generations of Muslims, who some modern Islamists (also known as Salafis) hold up as embodying the ideal manifestation of Islam.

Salat

The prescribed five prayers a day, 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.

Sayyid

An honorific title denoting people accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Shahada

“Witness to faith”; saying (in Arabic), “There is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger”; one of the “Five Pillars” required of all Muslims, indicating conversion to Islam but also a part of the ritual prayer (*salat*).

Sharia

The religious law derived from the four sources of law in Sunni Islam (Quran, *sunna*, *qiyas*, and *ijma*).

Shaykh (Sheikh)

Literally, “an old man” and used as a term of respect for a religious teacher; used especially of a Sufi master.

Shia

The second most important branch of Islam after Sunni. The religio-political party championing the claims of Ali and his heirs (the twelve Imams) to the rightful leadership of the Islamic community and to their status as Imams; since the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Shia branch has been the official state religion of Iran, and most of its followers live there. They comprise about 12 percent of the world population of Muslims.

Shura

“Consultation,” a concept to which Islamists frequently appeal when speaking of Islamic ways of structuring governments.

Sufi

An adherent to the mystical way of Islam, Sufism.

Sunna

“Custom”; the way Muhammad acted which is then emulated by Muslims. The source material for the *sunna* is found in the *hadith* reports. The *sunna* is one of the four sources of law for Sunni Islam, along with Quran, *qiyas*, and *ijma*.

Sunnis

The largest branch of Islam, those who follow the *sunna*, who do not recognize the authority of the Shia Imams.

Sura

A chapter of the Quran.

Tafsir

Interpretation of the Quran, especially as found in written form.

Taqlid

The reliance upon decisions made in the past in matters of religious law; the word is set in opposition to *ijtihad*, “personal effort,” and frequently has a negative sense in the modern context.

Tawhid

Doctrine holding to the proclamation of the unity of God.

Ulama

The learned class, especially those learned in religious matters.

Umma

The community; the body of Muslims.

Umra

The “visitation” of the holy places in Mecca, the lesser pilgrimage; it can be performed at any time of the year but is also joined with the *hajj*.

Zakat

Alms tax, one of the “Five Pillars” required of all Muslims.