Islamic Dictionary

Taken from irca.org.au

The following is a list of commonly used words and terms in Islam. Please keep in mind, that Arabic is a very deep language, and some translations/interpretations may not capture the full meaning of the word.

:: A ::

Abd' - means 'Servant'. Often the start of Muslim names - eg. Abd'ullah means 'Servant of Allah (swt)'.

Adab - Courtesy, good manners and respect for others.

Adhan - the Muslim call to prayer. Tells Muslims when the time to prayer is at hand.

AH - means 'After Hijrah'

Ahadith - A single saying of the Prophet (saw)

'Ajaf - The other name is 'Ujb or 'Ajb. It is the weakest portion of the sacrum located in the lowest part. Considered to be the embryo from which human beings are going to be recreated in the Day of Judgement.

'Ajb - see 'Ajaf

Akhirah - The Hereafter. Life after death.

Alaihi Salam - means 'Peace be upon him'

Al-Asma Al-Husna - The 99 Beautiful names of Allah (swt).

Allah - the name of God in Arabic

Allah-ho-Akbar - means 'God is Great'

Al-Hamdulillah - All praises be to Allah (swt)

Alim - a learned person in Islam.

Ansar - means 'Helpers'. Muslims of Madinah who helped the Prophet (saw) and the Makkan Muslims when they immigrated to Madinah.

Aqidah - belief or faith based on how things are, rather than on how they may be imagined.

A'raaf - waiting station for those

Arkan'ul-Islam - means 'Pillars of Islam'.

(as) - means 'Alaihi Salam'

Asr - the late afternoon prayer. It is one of the five obligatory prayers.

Assalamu Alaikum - Peace be upon you

Astaghfir'ullah - May Allah (swt) forgive us/me.

Ayah - a verse of the Quran.

Ayat - plural of 'Ayah

:: B ::

Barakah - Blessing or Grace of Allah (swt)

Bismillah - means 'In the name of Allah'

Buraq - A mystical, shining animal with wings. Similar to 'Pegasus'. Cross between a donkey and a mule.

:: C ::

Caliph - Head of the Ummah or the Muslim community.

:: D ::

Dawa - inviting or calling people into Islam to worship Allah (swt) by following his Messenger, Muhammad (saw).

Deen - the life-transaction. Submission and obedience to a particular system of rules and practices. A debt of exchange between two parties; in this usage between the Creator and the created.

Du'a - a prayer. Asking something from Allah (swt).

Dunya - this world/life in contrast to the hereafter

:: E ::

Eid - means 'Recurring happiness' or 'festivity'.

Eid-ul-Fitr - means 'Festival of Breaking (the Fast)'. Celebrated after the Fast of Ramadan.

Eid-ul-Adha - means 'Festival of the Sacrifice'. Takes place during the Hajj. Celebrates the story of Ibrahim (as) and his son Isma'il (as). Ibrahim (as) was asked to sacrifice his son Isma'il (as), by Allah (swt).

:: F ::

Fajr - means 'Dawn'. Also the early morning prayer before sunrise. It is one of the five obligatory prayers.

Fard - means 'obligatory'. Something which is obligatory for a Muslim.

Fee Iman'ullah - means 'In Allah's (swt) faith'. Used when giving in charity.

Fiqh - the science of the application of the shariya.

:: G ::

Ghusl - ritual washing of the whole body with water alone to be pure for the prayer.

:: H ::

Hadith - plural of Ahadith

Hadith Qudsi - these are the sayings of the Prophet (saw) which Allah (swt) said to him, and the Prophet (saw) put them in his own words. This is unlike the Quran, which is the word of Almighty Allah (swt).

Hafiz - A person who has memorised and can recite the whole Qur'an by heart. Means 'Protector' or 'Preserver'.

Hawa - Arabic/Muslim name for Eve, Adam (as)'s wife.

Hajj - means 'Effort'. The hajj is obligatory on every Muslim to be performed once in their lifetime, providing they have the means and health to do so. It is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Halal - something which is lawful for a Muslim

Haraam - something which is forbidden for a Muslim

Hereafter, The - life after death.

Hijrah - means 'Migration'. It is that form of migration which means to leave a place to seek sanctuary or to leave behind a bad way of life. The hijrah refers to the Prophet (saw)'s migration from Mecca to Medina and is the first year of the Muslim calendar.

:: I ::

Ibadah - to worship Allah (swt)

Iblis - the name of Satan.

Iftar - the Breaking of Fast.

Ihram - the conditions of clothing and behaviour adopted by someone on hajj or umrah.

Imam - leader of the prayers that Muslims perform five times a day

Iman - means 'Faith'. Trust in Allah (swt).

Injil - revelations that were sent down from Allah (swt) during the time of Prophet Jesus (as). Makes up part of the New Testament.

Insh'Allah - by the will of Allah (swt)

Iqamah - similar to adhan, but signifies that an obligatory (fard) prayer is about to commence.

'Isa - Arabic/Muslim name for the Prophet Jesus (as).

Isha - the late evening prayer. It is one of the five obligatory prayers.

Isra - means 'Night Journey'. The journey the Prophet Muhammad (saw) made with the angel Jibril to the Mosque in Jerusalem, riding on the Buraq.

:: J ::

Jahannam - means 'Hell'

Jahiliyyah - the time of ignorance, before the coming of Islam.

Jama'ah - means 'Congregation'. A group that performs the fard prayer together, as opposed to individually.

Jannah - means 'Heaven' or 'Paradise'

Jazak Allah - means 'May Allah (swt) reward you'. Used to say 'Thank-you'.

Jibril - Arabic/Muslim name for the angel Gabriel.

Jihad - means 'To Strive'. Can be any form of striving in the way of God, spiritual or physical.

Jinn - unseen beings created from smokeless fire who co-habit the earth together with mankind.

Jumm'ah - means 'Friday'. Used to signify the Friday congregational prayers. It is obligatory for men to go to the mosque, but optional for women.

:: K ::

Kaba - the place Muslims turn to in their five daily prayers. It was originally constructed by Adam (as), then reconstructed by Abraham (as) and Ismail (as).

Kafir - someone who rejects Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw).

Kafirun - plural of Kafir.

Khutbah - a speech/sermon. Usually used to refer to the speech given before the Friday or Eid prayers.

Kufr - to cover up the truth, to reject Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw).

:: L ::

La ilaha ill'Allah - means 'There is no god but Allah'.

:: M ::

Maghreb - the prayer performed right after the sun set. It is one of the five obligatory prayers.
Mahr - dowry given to a woman by her husband-to-be.

Mahram - means 'Guardian'. If a woman wants to go on Hajj, she must be accompanied by her husband or a male member of her family who will be her mahram.

Makruh - disapproved of, without being forbidden by the shariya.

Mash'Allah - As Allah (swt) willed.

Masjid - means 'Mosque' or 'Place of worship'.

Medina - the city where the Prophet (saw)'s Mosque and Grave are situated.

Mimbar - The steps in a mosque where the Imam stands when he gives the khutbah.

Miswak - one span length natural traditional tooth brush made out of a small finger-wide stem of a tree

Muadh'dhin - the person who makes the adhan

Muhammad (saw) - the seal of the Prophets. The last of the Prophets sent to this world by Allah (swt) to guide mankind.

Mu'meen - person who is righteous and has a great iman.

Munafiq - a hypocrite.

Mujahid - someone who fights for Islam

Musa - Arabic/Muslim name for the Prophet Moses (as).

Musalla - means 'Prayer mat'.

Mushrik - person who ascribes partners to Allah (swt).

Mutawwif - A guide used during the Hajj. They usually know alot about the history of the Hajj.

:: N ::

Nafs - the illusory experiencing self.

Nufus - plural of 'nafs'.

Nuh - Arabic/Muslim name for the Prophet Noah (as).

:: O ::

:: P ::

:: Q ::

Qari - once who recited the Qur'an constantly and correctly.

Qiblah - the direction in which Muslims pray. It is the direction of the Kaba.

Qiyamah - the day of judgement

Quraish - The most powerful tribe in Makkah at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the tribe to which he belonged.

Qur'an - a way of life for all mankind. It is the book that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw) by Allah (swt) through the Angel Gabriel.

:: R ::

Rak'a - a unit of prayer. A complete series of standing, bowing, prostrations and sittings.

Rak'at - the plural of rak'a.

Ramadan - the month in which the Quran was first revealed. During this month, Muslims fast while the sun is out.

Riwayah - also 'riwayat'. Means 'narration'.

:: S ::

Sadaqah - means 'Charity'. Giving in the way of Allah (swt). A gift to another or others without any motive other thanthe giving.

Sahaba - companions of the Prophet (saw)

Salaat - the five obligatory prayers that a Muslim must perform each day.

Sawm - fasting, particularly the fast of Ramadan.

(saw) - short for "Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wassalam".

Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wassalam - A benediction said after mention of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). It means 'Peace and blessings of Allah (swt) be upon him."

Shahadah - declaration of faith. A person must recite this in order to become a Muslim. The declaration of faith is, "I testify that there is no God but Allah (swt) and I testify that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah (swt)."

Shariya - a road, the legal and social modality of a people based on the revelation of their prophet. The last shariya in history is that of Islam. It abrogates all previous shariyas. It is, being the last, the easiest to follow, for it is applicable to the whole human race wherever they are.

Shaytan - Arabic/Muslim name for Satan (Iblis). The devil. An evil jinn. He is not a powerful evil force as in popular Christian imaginings but a whisperer who insinuates thoughts into people's breasts to lead them astray. He has only the power that the slave allows him.

Shirk - The unforgivable wrong action of worshipping something or someone other than Allah (swt) or associatingsomething or someone as a partner with Him. Allah (swt) can not be conceived or perceived.

Subhan'Allah - Praise be to Allah (swt)

(swt) - short for "Subhanawa Ta'ala".

Subhanawa Ta'ala - means, "Praise be to Him, The Most High"

Suhur - the breakfast that Muslims eat before they start fasting.

Sunnah - traditional practices of the Prophet (saw).

Surah - closest description is a 'chapter' in the Quran

:: T ::

Tafsir - commentary and explanation of the Qur'an.

Tahajjud - prayer that is to be performed in the middle of the night between isha and fajr. It is necessary for one to sleep a little before performing Tahajjud. This is an optional prayer.

Taqwa - being careful, knowing your place in the cosmos. Its proof is the experience of awe of Allah (swt), which inspires a person to be on guard against wrong action and eager for actions which are pleasing to Him.

Tasbih - Muslim beads. They usually consist of 99 beads completed by an extra piece, called an alif, to make 100.

Tawhid - confirmation of the oneness of Allah (swt). The foundation of Islam.

Torah - revelations that Allah (swt) sent down to Moses (as). It is the Jewish Holy Book.

:: U ::

'Ujb - see 'Ajaf

Ullema - plural of 'Alim'.

Ummah - the body of the Muslims as one distinct and integrated community or nation.

Umrah - optional pilgrimage that can be performed at any time.

:: V ::

:: W ::

Wassallaamu 'alaika wa rahmatullah - Peace and Mercy of Allah (swt) be upon you

Wudu - purification (ablution) which must be completed before one can perform salaat or read the Quran.

:: X ::

:: Y ::

Ya Allah - O Allah

Ya'qub - Arabic/Muslim name for the Prophet Jacob (as) who is also known as Isra'il.

Yerhamuk'Allah - means 'May Allah (swt) show Mercy to you'.

Yusuf - Arabic/Muslim name for the Prophet Joseph (as).


:: Z ::