The meanings of the words that are mentioned in this Glossary are the ones which closely pertain to the text in the Summary. The words are listed in English alphabetical order (see Transliteration System).

The definite article is added to the Arabic words, wherever proper, to help the reader know the correct way of adding it, in accordance with the rules of the shamsiyy and qamariyy letters: When the definite article "al-" ال precedes a word starting with a shamsiyy letter, its "l" ل is not pronounced or written (in English) and the shamsiyy letter is doubled. For example, the word "dalil" دَليل becomes "ad-dalil" الدَّليل (not al-dalil) because "d" د is a shamsiyy letter. On the other hand, the word "hilal" هِلال becomes "al-hilal" الهِلال because the letter "h" هـ is a qamariyy letter. We add the apostrophe ' after "al-" to indicate that the hamzah (followed by a vowel) letter after it is pronounced distinctly, like in the word "al-'imam" الإمَام On the other hand, the absence of the apostrophe means that the sound of the hamzah is absent, like in the word "al-ijtihad" الاجْتِهَاد; it is pronounced as "alijtihad" and not "al-'ijtihad" الإجْتِهَاد

• A أَ ، ءَ / ^A عَ

• al-'Ad-ha الأَضْحَى The tenth of Dhul-Hijjah; it is a ^Id day. It is the day after the standing in the land of ^Arafah in Hajj. It is forbidden to fast on this day.
• al-'Ahad الأَحَد A name of Allah, which means 'al-Wahid', and 'the One Who is indivisible'.
• al-'ajnabiyy الأجْنَبِىّ The man who is other than a woman's husband or mahrams. A woman's father, uncle, brother, and son are not ajnabiyys to her.
• al-'ajnabiyyah الأجْنَبِيَّة The woman who is other than a man's wife or mahrams. A man's mother, aunt, sister, and daughter are not ajnabiyys to him.
• al-'Al الآل The family; The Al of Prophet Muhammad that includes his wives, Muslim kin, and the pious Muslims of his nation.
• al-^Alim العَالِم A name of Allah, which means 'the One Who knows everything'.
• Allah اللَّه The name of the Creator in Arabic, which means 'the One Who deserves to be worshipped' or 'the One attributed with Godhood, the Power to create'.
• al-^amilun ^alayha العَامِلونَ عَلَيها Persons hired by the Muslim caliph to collect, take care of, and distribute Zakah, but are not given a salary. Instead, they are paid from Zakah.
• Amin ءَامِين A word which is said at the end of the Fatihah or some du^a' and means "O Allah, answer our du^a' ", or "so be it".
• ^Arafah عَرَفَة A plain about 9 miles Southeast of Makkah where Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, gave his 'Farewell Speech'. It is also the place where Muslims performing Hajj spend some time between the Dhuhr of the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah and Fajr of the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah.
• al-^ariyyah العَارِيَّة Allowing someone to benefit from an Islamically permissible article which is not consumable, such as a cooking pot.
• al-^Asr العَصْر The obligatory Salah, the time of which begins when the length of the shadow of an object becomes equal to the length of the object per se plus the length of its shadow at Istiwa'; it continues until Maghrib time, i.e., sunset. This Salah comprises four rak^ahs (cycles).
• al-^Adhab العَذَاب The suffering that the disobedient people receive on the Day of Judgement, including the torture in Hell.
• al-^awrah العَوْرَة For a man and a slave woman, it is the area between the navel and the knees, and for a free woman the whole body except the face and hands. This part of the body must be covered when performing Salah. In addition, this ^awrah must be covered before the ajnabiyy(ah). In the presence of a mahram or a Muslim woman, a woman's ^awrah is the area between her navel and knees.
• al-'Awwal الأَوَّل A name of Allah, which means 'the First', i.e., 'the One Whose Existence has no beginning'.
• al-'ayah الآيَة A sentence (verse) of the Qur'an. Ayat is the plural of ayah. The Qur'an has more than 6000 verses.
• B ب
• al-baligh البَالِغ Pubescent; a male becomes pubescent when he either attains to 15 lunar years (about 14.5 solar years) or sees his maniyy. On the other hand, a female becomes pubescent when she either attains to 15 lunar years, sees her maniyy, or starts menstruating. Islamically, a girl may begin menstruating around nine lunar years of age.
• al-Basir البَصِير A name of Allah which means: 'the One Who sees what is seeable'.
• al-Basmalah البَسْمَلَة Saying "Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim" (in the name of Allah, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim), which is the first ayah of the Fatihah, the first Surah of the Qur'an.
• al-Ba^th البَعْث The Resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgement.
• al-Batil البَاطِل The Invalid; the Untrue; this is that which does not comply with the rules of Islam and is not accepted by Allah.
• al-bay^ البَيْع Selling; exchanging or giving for a substitute, such as money, in a specific way. The seller would say 'I now sell you this item for so much money'. The buyer would say 'I now buy it for that price'.
• D د / D ض
• ad-Dafn الدَّفْن The Burial of the dead; digging a hole in the ground for the dead deep enough to prevent the smell from rising to the surface and to protect the body from animals.
• ad-Da'im الدَّائِم A name of Allah, which means 'the Everlasting', i.e., 'the One Whose Existence does not end'.
• ad-daniq الدَّانِق One-sixth of a dirham, equivalent to about 0.5 grams of silver.
• ad-Daruriyy الضَّرُورِىّ The Obligatory; The Essential.
• ad-Din الدّين The Religion (of Islam).
• ad-dinar الدّينَار A unit of weight measure equivalent to a mithqal (about 4 grams).
• ad-dirham الدّرْهَم A unit of weight measure equivalent to about 3 grams of silver.
• ad-diyah الدّيَة Money paid for having, for example, killed a person.
• ad-du^a' الدُّعَاء Supplication; making du^a' is the act of asking Allah for things. It is sunnah to make du^a' after Salah. During sickness, traveling, and before breaking fast are other times when making du^a' is recommended.
• DH ذ / DH ظ
• adh-dhihar الظّـِهَار Saying to one's wife that her back is forbidden to one as much as the back of one's mother is. People before the Prophethood of Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, used to say that to state to their wives their refusal to have sexual intercourse with them. When dhihar is uttered without following it with an immediate divorce statement, a kaffarah of dhihar is inflicted (see al-kaffarah).
• adh-Dhimmiyy الذّمّـِىّ A non-Muslim, such as a Christian or Jew, who pays Jizyah to the Islamic State.
• adh-dhira^ الذّرَاع Cubit; the distance from the tip of the fingers to the elbow (hand plus the forearm); two spans, which are equivalent to about 46 centimeters or 18 inches.
• adh-Dhuhr الظُّهْر The obligatory Salah, the time of which starts with the declination of the sun from its highest apparent position (Istiwa' = zenith) towards the west and continues until the length of the shadow of an object becomes equal to that of the object in addition to the shadow cast by the same object when the sun was at Istiwa'. It comprises four rak^ahs.
• Dhul-Hijjah ذُو الحِجَّة The twelveth month of the Islamic (lunar) year.
• Dhul-Qa^dah ذُو القَعْدَة The eleventh month of the Islamic (lunar) year.
• 
• F ف
• al-Fajr الفَجْر Dawn; The obligatory Salah, the time of which starts with the appearance of the horizontal illumination in the eastern horizon, mixed with a slight redness which increases afterwards and continues until sunrise. It comprises 2 rak^ahs.
• al-Fard الفَرْض The Obligatory; this is what Allah has promised its committer with reward and has threatened its avoider with punishment; rukn, i.e., an item that is a part of an ^ibadah (worship) and without which it would be invalid.
• al-fasiq الفَاسِق A person who has committed a great sin, such as adultery, drinking alcohol, or leaving out the obligatory prayers.
• al-Fatihah الفَاتِحَة The first Surah of the Qur'an, consisting of seven verses. It must be read in every rak^ah of Salah.
• al-fatwa الفَتْوَى The (Islamic) answer to a problem.
• al-Fay' الفَىْء Money taken by the Islamic State from non-Muslims who deserted it without any fight. This money can be used by the caliph in the interest of the Muslims, such as for improving the defenses of the country.
• al-fidyah الفِدْيَة For missing days of fasting during Ramadan that require the paying of fidyah, it is giving the poor Muslim(s), a mudd (two average-size cupped handfuls) of wheat, rice, or the like for every day of fasting missed. Concerning Hajj, fidyah comprises slaughtering an animal, fasting several days, or feeding some poor Muslims.
• al-fi^liyy الفِعْلِىّ Pertaining to action, such as in fi^liyy rukn, which means a integral of action, such as sujud.
• al-Fiqh الفِقْه In Arabic, comprehension; Islamically, knowing the practical Islamic Rules which were inferred from the detailed proofs. Imam Abu Hanifah said that Fiqh is knowing one's religious rights and obligations.
• al-Fitr الفِطْر The first day of the month of Shawwal, after the termination of Ramadan; ^Id-ul-Fitr; Zakat-ul-Fitr.
• al-fuqara' الفُقَرَاء In Arabic it means 'the poor'; (Islamically) Muslims who do not have enough to meet half of their basic appropriate needs of lodging, clothing, and food, such as those who need $10 but earn less than $5. Fuqara' is the plural of faqir.
• 
• GH غ
• al-gharimun الغَارِمُون Muslims who are under debt because, e.g., they borrowed money to spend for their needs, but could not pay it back.
• al-Ghusl الغُسْل Purificatory bath; Total washing of the body having the proper intention. It is required after certain things, such as sexual intercourse and the termination of the menses, have occurred; washing the dead.
• H هـ / H ح
• al-hadath الحَدَث Ritual impurity. The state of not having wudu' or being required to perform ghusl. The former is called the minor hadath and the latter the major hadath.
• al-hadith الحَادِث A creation, i.e., something the existence of which started at some point in time and it may be annihilated any time later. Paradise and Hellfire, two creations of Allah, will never be annihilated because Allah has willed that for them.
• al-Hadith الحَدِيث It refers to what was attributed to the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, of sayings, deeds, attributes, and acknowledgements. The acknowledgements of the Prophet refer to the matters which occurred during his time that he was told about, or in his presence, but he did not prohibit.
• al-hady الهَدْى An animal that is slaughtered on the Day of ^Id-ul-'Ad-ha because, e.g., of committing sexual intercourse while performing Hajj.
• al-Hajj الحَجّ Pilgrimage; one of the greatest articles of Islam. It is the journey to the Ka^bah to perform, at a specific period of the year, certain actions in Makkah and its vicinity. The Hajj الحَاجّ is the person who performs Hajj.
• al-Halal الحَلال The lawful according to Islam; opposite of Haram; the person who is not muhrim.
• al-Halq الحَلْق Shaving; in particular, the shaving of all the hair of the head of the male in Hajj.
• al-Haram الحَرَام The forbidden and sinful (opposite of halal); this is what Allah has threatened its committer with punishment and has promised its avoider with reward.
• al-Haramayn الحَرَمَيْن Makkah and al-Madinah, including some area around each of them; Haraman is the nominative form of Haramayn. Each of them is called Haram.
• al-hasan الحَسَن Good; beautiful; A Hadith the relators of which are known for their trustworthiness. It is accepted by the scholars of Islam, and is used for inferring Islamic rulings.
• al-Hashr الحَشْر The Assembling of the people in one place on the Judgement Day.
• al-Hawd الحَوْض The place where the obedient Muslims will have a drink, after which no thirst is felt. This is before they are admitted to Paradise.
• al-hawl الحَوْل One lunar year; in the context of Zakah, the passage of one lunar year after having had nisab of some articles that are subject to Zakah.
• al-hayd الحَيْض Menses; the blood that is discharged from the uterus of a female, who has attained to nine lunar years or more, through her vagina. The minimum time of hayd is twenty-four hours and the maximum time is fifteen days. Al-ha'id الحَائِض is the menstruating woman.
• al-Hayy الحَىّ A name of Allah which means 'the Alive', i.e., 'the One Who is attributed with an eternal and everlasting Life'.
• al-Hijaz الحِجَاز A region in the West of Arabian Peninsula which includes Makkah and al-Madinah.
• al-hilal الهِلال The crescent of the new moon; that which is usually looked for to determine the beginning of a new month, such as the month of Ramadan.
• al-Hill الحِلّ The region which is other than that of the Haram in Makkah. It is the regional Miqat of ^Umrah for those people in Makkah.
• al-Hisab الحِساب The displaying of the deeds of the people on the Day of Judgement.
• I إ / ^I عِ
• al-^Ibadah العِبَادَة Worship, such as Salah (Prayer), Siyam (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage).
• Iblis إِبْلِيس Satan; the Devil, the father of jinn, who refused to make sujud to Adam and blasphemed.
• ibn-us-sabil ابْنُ السَّبِيل A person who wants to travel or is traveling but does not have what is enough to help him reach his destination.
• al-^Id العِيد Islamic celebration (Bairam); this is either ^Id-ul-Fitr or ^Id-ul-'Adha.
• al-^iddah العِدَّة The length of time a previously married woman must wait before she can marry again. This varies depending on her situation. For a divorced woman, it is three spans of tuhr, i.e., non-menstruating intervals. However, if she is pregnant, the ^iddah ends when she delivers her baby. For a widow, it is four lunar months and ten days, or if she is pregnant, until she delivers the baby.
• al-'ihdad الإحْدَاد Mourning; Leaving out dressing up, including wearing perfume. The period of ihdad for a widow is four months and ten days, during which the woman must avoid dressing up and wearing perfume.
• al-'Ihram الإحْرام In Salah, it is saying "Allahu akbar" to start Salah, and in Hajj it is the intention to start Hajj.
• al-'ijarah الإِجَارَة Giving someone the benefit of an Islamically permitted article for a compensation. This contract includes hiring a laborer or leasing a property.
• al-'Ijma^ الإِجْمَاع One source of Islamic teachings, defined as the unanimous agreement of the mujtahids (top scholars) from among the followers of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, upon a religious matter at a certain time.
• al-Ijtihad الاجْتِهَاد Exerting effort to find the Islamic answer to a situation relying on the Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma^, and Qiyas. Ijtihad is done only by the qualified mujtahid. In the context of Qiblah, it is exerting effort to know the direction of Qiblah using Polaris, other stars, the sun, the moon, rivers, and winds.
• al-'ikhlas الإخْلاص Sincerity; Doing an obedience for the sake of Allah only.
• al-^ilm العِلْم Knowledge; also science. In the Islamic context and texts, it always means Islamic knowledge.
• al-'imam الإمَام The leader of Salah; the Khalifah (the Muslim Ruler); scholar of Islam.
• al-'Injil الإِنْجِيل The Revelation given to Prophet ^Isa (Jesus), sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. The so-called "the Bible" is not the Injil.
• al-^Iqab العِقَاب Punishment which is incurred upon the disobedient on the Day of Judgement.
• al-^Isha' العِشَاء The obligatory Salah, the time of which starts with the disappearance of the twilight and continues until Fajr. It comprises four rak^ahs.
• al-'Islam الإِسْلام In Arabic it means submission; it is the Religion of all Prophets of Allah starting with Adam and ending with Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhim wa sallam. It is the belief in and utterance of the Shahadatayn, the latter being required of the person who is not already a Muslim.
• al-istibahah الاسْتِبَاحَة Recognition of something as allowed.
• al-Istinja' الاسْتِنْجَاء The removal of najas-filth that exited from the eliminatory outlets. This is done by using water and/or materials such as paper tissues.
• al-Istiwa' الاسْتِوَاء Zenith; The time when the sun is apparently (high) in the middle of its course through the sky.
• al-i^tidal الاعْتِدَال A rukn of Salah which is (resuming) the standing position after having performed ruku^.
• J ج
• Jahannam جَهَنَّم Hell-Fire in which some disobedient Muslims will be tortured for some time, and all non-Muslims will suffer forever.
• al-jam^ الجَمْع Combining Dhuhr and ^Asr or combining Maghrib and ^Isha' while traveling for a qasr distance, for example (compare with qasr).
• al-Jama^ah الجَمَاعَة Performing Salah by two or more persons with one leading the others; the Muslim group following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. The full name is Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jama^ah.
• al-jamarat الجَمَرَات Places where many pebbles are thrown while performing Hajj. Jamarat is the plural of jamrah.
• al-janabah الجَنَابَة The state when one had sexual intercourse or emission of maniyy, whether from a man or a woman, be it from a wet dream, masturbation, sexual intercourse, or fondling.
• al-Janazah الجَنَازَة The Funeral; preparing the Muslim dead by washing, wrapping, praying for, and burying him.
• al-Jannah الجَنَّة Paradise; the abode that Allah has created and to which only Muslims will be admitted dwelling therein forever.
• Jibril جِبْرِيل The Angel of Revelation (Gabriel); He is the angel who conveyed the orders of Allah to the prophets, sallallahu ^alayhim wa sallam, and is the best of the angels.
• al-jinn الجِنّ These are creations of Allah who can change form. They were created from the pure flame of fire. The devils are the non-Muslim jinn, whose chief is Satan (ash-Shaytan).
• al-Jizyah الجِزْيَة The compulsory payment of a Dhimmiyy to the Islamic State.
• al-Jumu^ah الجُمُعَة Friday; the Salah which is performed on Friday within Dhuhr time, known as Salat-ul-Jumu^ah.
• al-junub الجُنُب A person in the state of janabah.
• K ك
  • al-Ka^bah الكَعْبَة The cubical structure in the Holy Mosque of Makkah (al-Masjid-ul-Haram) to which Muslims must direct themselves in Salah. It was first built by Prophet Adam, then rebuilt by Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma^il (Ishmael), sallallahu ^alayhim wa sallam.
  • al-Kafan الكَفَن The (three) cloths with which the dead is wrapped, the least of which is one cloth covering the whole body of the dead.
  • al-kaffarah الكَفَّارَة An action that must be done for having committed a certain disobedience. There are different kaffarhs which are expounded upon in various books of Fiqh.
  • al-kafil الكَافِل Guarantor.
  • al-kafir الكَافِر Blasphemer; any non-Muslim.
  • al-Kalam الكَلام In Arabic it means 'speech'; when it is meant for the attribute of Allah then it means 'that attribute by which Allah orders, forbids, promises, and threatens', and is not a letter, word, sound, or language.
  • al-kibr الكِبْر Rejecting the truth said by someone and looking down on people.
  • al-kifayah الكِفَايَة In Arabic it means 'sufficient'; Fard kifayah (communal obligation) refers to the obligatory actions which if done by some Muslims, the rest of the Muslims are not obligated to do. However, if not done by anyone then every member of the community who is mukallaf and was able to do them is sinful for having neglected them.
  • al-kufr الكُفْر Blasphemy; state of being a non-Muslim; any conviction, saying, or action which is blasphemous.
• KH خ
  • al-Khalifah الخَلِيفَة Caliph; Imam; the Muslim Ruler, who rules according to the Rules of Islam. It is obligatory upon Muslims to obey him. There are many requirements which must be satisfied in a man before he is chosen as the Khalifah and are mentioned in other books of al-Fiqh.
  • al-Khaliq الخَالِق A name of Allah, which means 'the Creator', i.e., 'the One Who brings things from non-existence into existence'.
  • al-Khawarij الخَوَارِج A deviant group of people that rebelled against and fought Imam ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib.
  • al-khuff الخُفّ A shoe, not necessarily with a hard sole, that covers the foot and the ankle. A pair of khuffs are called khuffan. Khuffan is the nominative form of khuffayn.
  • al-khushu^ الخُشُوع Feeling the glorifying fear of Allah in one's heart.
  • al-Khutbatayn الخُطْبَتَيْن The Two Speeches delivered on occasions such as Jumu^ah (Friday) and ^Id. Khutbatan is the nominative form of Khutbatayn.
• L ل
  • al-liwat اللّـِوَاط Inserting the (glans) penis in the anus of a male or a female. It is a major sin.
  • al-luqatah اللُّقَطَة The thing that was lost by its owner and was found by somebody else, but its owner is unknown. Lost-and-found item.
• M م
• al-ma^alim المَعَالِم 'The rites (of Islam)', such as Salah and Hajj; 'the landmarks' that guide one on the way.
• al-Madinah المَدِينَة The City of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, to which he immigrated and where he died and was buried. Its former name was Yathrib.
• al-Maghrib المَغْرِب Sunset; the obligatory Salah, the time of which starts with the total disappearance of the disc of the sun in the western horizon and continues until the disappearance of the twilight. It comprises three rak^ahs.
• al-mahr المَهْر A benefit that the man gives to the woman for marrying her, including money and teaching her the Qur'an.
• al-mahram المَحْرَم A person of the opposite sex whom one is forbidden to marry, because of blood relation (brother, mother, uncle, aunt), marriage (father-in law, step-son), or nursing (nursing father or mother, nursing brother or sister).
• Makkah مَكَّة The city, in Hijaz, in which the Ka^bah is located and is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.
• al-Makruh المَكْرُوه The Disliked; this is that which if done is not punishable, but if one avoids one is rewarded.
• al-maks المَكْس The toll which is taken unjustly by some governors on goods, farms, and the like.
• al-ma'mum المَأْمُوم Follower of imam in Salah.
• al-Mandub المَنْدُوب This is that which if done one is rewarded, but one is not punished for neglecting it; also known as Nafl and Sunnah.
• al-maniyy المَنِىّ For a man it is the seminal fluid and for a woman it is the vaginal fluid which is discharged during her orgasm.
• al-ma^ruf المَعْرُوف Obedience; it includes all that agrees with the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
• al-Marwah المَرْوَة A hill annexed to al-Masjid-ul-Haram where the pilgrim (Hajj) performs Sa^y starting from as-Safa and ending at al-Marwah.
• al-masakin المَسَاكِين Muslims who have enough money to cover more than half of their basic appropriate needs but not all of them, such as those who need $10 but earn more than $5 but less than $10. Masakin is the plural of miskin.
• al-Madhhab المَذْهَب A framework inferred by a mujtahid from the Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma^, and Qiyas, by which he deduces the judgements on the practical matters of Islam such as Taharah, Salah, Zakah, Siyam, and Hajj. The principal Sunniyy madhhabs which are in use today are four: the Hanafiyy Madhhab, Malikiyy Madhhab, Shafi^iyy Madhhab, and Hambaliyy Madhhab. The respective founders of those madhhabs are: Imam Abu Hanifah (80-150 A.H.), Imam Malik (93-179 A.H.), Imam ash-Shafi^iyy (150-204 A.H.), and Imam Ibn Hambal (164-241 A.H.).
• al-madhiyy المَذِىّ A clear thin liquid that emerges from the penis of a man or the vagina of a woman upon arousal of sexual desire.
• al-mawat المَوَات A land which was never owned. It is not owned except by whoever prepares it for some benefit like plantation or residence.
• Mina مِنَى A village, four miles east of Makkah, where pilgrims stay for most of the nights of Tashriq Days.
• al-Miqat المِيقَات The time and place of starting Hajj or ^Umrah.
• al-mithqal المِثْقَال A unit of measure which is equivalent to the weight of seventy-two average-sized barley grains after their ends are cut without being peeled off (about 4 grams).
• al-Mizan المِيزَان The balance in which the deeds of the people are weighed on the Day of Judgement, good deeds (of Muslims only) being in one pan, while the bad ones (of the disobedient, whether Muslims or non-Muslims) being in the other.
• al-Mu^adah المُعَادَة The obligatory Salah which one reperforms after having prayed it either alone or in a congregation for the purpose of gaining more reward.
• al-mu'allafatu qulubuhum المُؤَلَّفَةُ قُلُوبُهُم Persons like those who embraced Islam but their faith is still weak and if paid their faith will be strengthened, those who are dignified among their people and if paid others like them may be encouraged to become Muslims, and those Muslims who fight non-Muslims who are next to them or fight the ones who refuse to pay Zakah.
• al-Mubah المُبَاح The Permitted; this is that which, if either done or neglected, neither reward nor punishment is incurred upon one.
• al-mudd المُدّ A unit of measure for grains, e.g., which comprises two hands of average size cupped together.
• al-muhaddith المُحَدّث A scholar of Hadith.
• al-muhrim المُحْرِم Person in the state of Ihram, i.e., involved in the actions of Hajj or ^Umrah.
• al-muhsan المُحْصَن A person who has had sexual intercourse within a valid marriage. Widows, widowers, divorced men and women, and married people who are free are each considered muhsan. The muhsan is pelted until death for committing adultery.
• al-mujtahid المُجْتَهِد A top scholar of Islam; A Muslim who is qualified to perform Ijtihad, such as the founders of the four Sunniyy Schools.
• al-mukallaf المُكَلَّف Accountable; A person who is pubescent, sane, and, in a language that one understands, has heard of the call of Islam, i.e., the Shahadatayn.
• al-Mukhtasar المُخْتَصَر Summary.
• al-Munkar المُنْكَر Disobedience; this includes all of what disagrees with the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
• al-muqim المُقِيم Resident; a person who intends to stay in a place, such as a town, for four days or more, excluding the two days of entry to and exit from that place.
• al-murtadd المُرْتَدّ The apostate; the one who has committed apostasy having previously been a Muslim.
• al-musafir المُسَافِر Traveler; a person who is traveling for a qasr (shortening) distance, which according to some scholars, is approximately 27 miles (44 kilometers).
• al-musaqah المُسَاقَاة The agreement between the owner of palm trees or grape vines and a person such that for a specific portion of the product, the latter takes care of them over a specific period of time.
• al-Mus-haf المُصْحَف The Holy Book of the Muslims, which is also referred to as the Qur'an.
• Muslim مُسْلِم A believer and follower of Islam.
• al-mustawtin المُسْتَوْطِن A person who lives in a town, leaves it either in the Summer or in the Winter only for some incidental need, and intend to die therein.
• al-mu^taddah المُعْتَدَّة A (recently) divorced or widowed woman who must observe ^iddah (waiting period).
• al-mut^ah المُتْعَة Compensatory payment given to a woman if the husband divorced her without any reason from her side.
• al-mutahhir المُطَهّـِر Purifying; Tahur; water or soil which effects Taharah. A mutahhir water is that which falls from the sky (rain water) and springs out of the ground (spring water, rivers), and sea water; it is also called tahur water. Tahur soil is that which has not been used for Tayammum, and has no najasah mixed with it.
• al-muwalah المُوَالاة Doing some actions in succession. In Salah, it is reading the verses of the Fatihah without stopping between them for longer than what one needs to take a breath.
• Muzdalifah مُزْدَلِفَة A place, six miles east of Makkah, where those who are performing Hajj stay for at least one moment between the middle of the night and Fajr of Ad-ha Day.
• N ن
• an-nabiyy النَّبِىّ Prophet; a man who has received Wahy (Revelation) from Allah and conveys it to the people (compare with rasul).
• an-nadb النَّدْب Mentioning the good qualities of a dead person by raising one's voice.
• an-Nafl النَّفْل See al-Mandub.
• an-Nahr النَّحْر Slaughter; Nahr Day is the Day of ^Id-ul-'Ad-ha when some Muslims slaughter some animals.
• an-najasah النَّجَاسَة In Arabic, a material which is deemed filthy like feces, urine, vomit, blood, dogs and pigs; Islamically, those filthy things which, if unexempted, prevent the validity of a worship, such as Salah.
• an-najis النَّجِس also an-najas النَّجَس Najas-filth; Najasah; something blemished with a najasah.
• an-namimah النَّمِيمَة Tale-bearing; Conveying the words of one person to another to cause dissension.
• an-Nar النَّار Hellfire; Jahannam.
• an-nadhr النَّذْر A vow to Allah by which one commits oneself to do any good deed, such as fasting a certain number of days or paying charity. It is obligatory to fulfill one's nadhr.
• an-nifas النّـِفَاس Postpartum bleeding; Blood coming out of the vagina of a woman after childbirth. Its minimum time is a moment, its maximum is 60 days, and is most often 40 days.
• an-nisab النّـِصَاب The (minimum) amount of money or number of animals that is subject to Zakah.
• an-niyahah النّـِيَاحَة Screaming out of impatience upon the death of a person.
• an-nufasa' النُّفَسَاء The woman who is in the state of nifas (postpartum bleeding).
• Q ق
• al-qada' القَضَاء Make-up; refers to missed Salah, Siyam, or any obligation that must be made up.
• al-Qadar القَدَر Qadar has two meanings: (1) Taqdir, i.e., Destining, a perfect attribute of Allah: Making things happen according to the Will and Knowledge of Allah. ; (2) maqdur, destined, i.e., the creation, some of which is good and some of which is evil.
• al-Qadi القَاضِى Judge; a title given to an Islamic scholar when acting as a judge.
• al-Qadim القَدِيم A name of Allah, which means 'al-'Awwal', i.e., 'the One Whose Existence has no beginning'.
• al-Qadir القَادِر A name of Allah, which means 'the Almighty'; 'the One Who has Power with which He affects the creation'.
• al-qasr القَصْر Shortening; praying exclusively Dhuhr, ^Asr and ^Isha' as two cycles instead of four for traveling a qasr distance, which is approximately 27 miles (approximately 44 kilometers) or more. One can also combine the praying of Dhuhr and ^Asr, or the praying of Maghrib and ^Isha' in the time of either one of these prayers to be combined. This is called jam^. As soon as the musafir (traveler) leaves the boundaries of his town place, he can perform Salah in the qasr and jam^ modes, provided his traveling is not sinful. However, if the traveler intends to stay in the destination place for four days or more, other than the two days of entry and exit, then he cannot perform jam^ or qasr while residing in his destination place.
• al-qadhf القَذْف Unjustful, verbal accusation of a person of fornication or adultery.
• al-Qayyum القَيُّوم A name of Allah, which means 'the Everlasting' and 'the One Who does not need anything'.
• al-Qiblah القِبْلَة The direction to which Muslims direct themselves in Salah. This is towards the Ka^bah, the cubical structure in the Holy Mosque of Makkah.
• al-qirad القِرَاض Authorizing a person to invest one's own money for a known percentage of profit.
• al-qiyam القِيَام The standing position before ruku^ in Salah.
• al-Qiyamah القِيَامَة The day that starts with the rising of the dead from their graves (Resurrection) on the Judgement Day, until those who earned Paradise are admitted to it and those who earned Hell are admitted therein.
• al-qullatan القُلَّتَان A volume measure which is about 190 liters. This comprises the fill of a round hole that measures one dhira^ (cubit) in diameter and one dhira^ and a half in depth. Alernatively, it is the fill of a cubical hole, the side of which measures one dhira^ and a quarter. Qullatan is the nominative form of qullatayn, the dual form of qullah.
• al-Qudum القُدُوم Coming; Tawaf-ul-Qudum is the optional Tawaf performed by the pilgrim upon entering Makkah.
• al-Qur'an القُرْءَان The Holy Book of Islam, revealed to Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, throughout the 23 years of his Prophethood. The Qur'an comprises 30 juz's (Parts), 114 Surahs (Chapters), and more than 6000 ayahs (verses).
• R ر
• ar-Rahim الرَّحِيم A name of Allah, which means 'the One Who is very merciful with the Muslims only, on the Day of Judgement'.
• ar-Rahman الرَّحْمَن A name of Allah, which means 'the One Who is very merciful with the Muslims and non-Muslims in this world (life)'.
• ar-rahn الرَّهْن Pledge; giving or holding a certain article as a security to guarantee the payment of a debt from it when the debt cannot be paid.
• ar-rak^ah الرَّكْعَة A cycle involving sayings, such as reciting the Fatihah and actions, such as ruku^, i^tidal, and sujud.
• Ramadan رَمَضَان The ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which is obligatory to fast.
• ar-rasul الرَّسُول Messenger of Allah; a prophet who comes with canceling some of the laws brought by the previous messenger, or with a new set of laws. The prophet follows the laws of the messenger who came before him. Every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger.
• ar-Raziq الرَّازِق A name of Allah, which means 'the Provider', i.e., 'the One Who gives the means of sustenance to His creations'.
• ar-riba الرّبَا A contract that contains a specific substitute, the equivalent of which is unknown at the time of conducting the contract, or with deferring either of or both substitutes.
• ar-riddah الرّدَّة Apostasy; becoming non-Muslim after having been Muslim by committing any blasphemous action or saying, or holding a blasphemous conviction.
• ar-rikaz الرّكَاز A treasure which had been buried before the Prophethood of Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and was found after that. Only the gold and silver rikaz are subject to Zakah.
• ar-riqab الرّقَاب (In Zakah) Slaves who are owned legally, according to the Islamic rules, and whose masters have agreed to give them their freedom after paying a certain amount of money.
• ar-riya' الرّيَاء Insincerity; doing obedience for the sake of people or for this along with the intention to obey Allah.
• ar-rukn الرُّكْن Requisite; Integral; fard; an obligatory action, utterance, or intention which is a part of a worship, such as Tawaf in Hajj, and without which it would be invalid.
• ar-ruku^ الرُّكُوع Bending one's back forward down enough so that the palms could reach the knees, without inexcusably bending the knees. Placing the hands on the knees is sunnah, i.e., optional and rewardable.
• S س / S ص
• as-sa^ الصَّاع A measure which comprises four mudds. Asu^ is the plural of sa^.
• as-Safa الصَّفَا One of the two hills now annexed to al-Masjid-ul-Haram where Hajj (the pilgrim) performs Sa^y. It is the place where one begins Sa^y proceeding to al-Marwah. One goes from one hill to the other, seven times.
• as-Sahih الصَّحِيح The True; the Valid; this is that which agrees with the rules of Islam and hence is accepted by Allah.
• as-sajdah السَّجْدَة Sujud; prostration; a requisite of Salah done by putting part of one's forehead, knees, toes, and hands on the ground.
• as-Salah الصَّلاة The Prayer: a series of sayings and actions usually commenced with saying Allahu akbar (Allah is the Greatest) and terminated with saying as-salamu ^alaykum (peace be upon you), with certain conditions to be satisfied.
• as-salam السَّلام Peace; saying "as-salamu ^alaykum", i.e., peace be upon you, said as a salutation. It is also the last requisite performed in Salah.
• as-Sami^ السَّمِيع A name of Allah, which means: 'the One Who hears what is hearable'.
• as-Sawm الصَّوْم As-Siyam; one of the greatest articles of Islam. It is (in general) fasting the month of Ramadan. Siyam or Sawm (Fasting) is abstaining from inserting any object with a volume from an open inlet, such as the mouth and the eliminatory outlets, into the head, intestines, etc. during the daytime having had at night the intention, in the heart, to fast the following day.
• as-Sa^y السَّعْى Plying the distance between as-Safa and al-Marwah, seven times, starting at as-Safa and ending at al-Marwah during Hajj or ^Umrah.
• as-siddiq الصّـِدّيق A very righteous Muslim, who believed in Allah and His messengers, such as the best companions of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.
• as-Siqt السّـِقْط A child born early before the completion of the months of pregnancy. If the siqt were born alive, such as it screamed at birth and died afterwards, then washing, shrouding, Salat-ul-Janazah, and burial would be obligatory to perform for it. However, if it were born dead and had the features of a human being, then only the washing, shrouding, and burial would be obligatory. It is haram to perform Salat-ul-Janazah for it. However, if the born siqt had no human features, then, although it is not obligatory to shroud or bury it, it is recommended to do so.
• as-Sirat الصّـِراط Path; the Bridge extending over Hell which all people, on the Day of Judgement, will cross at different speeds. All non-Muslims and some Muslim sinners will slip off it into Hell.
• as-siwak السّـِوَاك A stick or the like, used as a tooth cleaner. It is a very rewardable sunnah to use siwak. The best siwak is that which is obtained from the Arak tree.
• as-Siyam الصّـِيَام See as-Sawm.
• as-Subh الصُّبْح Al-Fajr; the obligatory Salah the time of which starts after ^Isha' time and continues until sunrise; the morning.
• subhan سُبْحَان Praising Allah, such as in the statement 'subhanallah'; see subhanahu.
• Subhanah(u) سُبْحَانَهُ This means that 'He (Allah) is clear of any imperfection', or it means 'praise to Him'. It is usually mentioned after the name of Allah and followed sometimes by the word 'ta^ala' which means that 'He (Allah) is above any imperfection'.
• as-sujud السُّجُود Performing a sajdah; sajdah.
• as-sukun السُّكُون Literally 'no motion'. It is the opposite of harakah; it indicates the absence of a vowel such as the sound of the letter 's' in the word street or 'f' in the word fruit.
• as-Sunnah السُّنَّة In general, the word Sunnah refers to what was attributed to the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, of sayings, deeds, attributes, and acknowledgements. The acknowledgements of the Prophet refer to the matters which occurred during his time that he was told about, or in his presence, but he did not prohibit; al-Mandub; an-Nafl.
• Surah سُورَة A chapter of the Qur'an. The Qur'an has 114 Surahs. Suwar is the plural of Surah.
• as-sutrah السُّتْرَة An object placed in front of the person performing Salah, which is two-thirds of a cubit high and within three cubits from the person who is performing Salah.
• SH ش
• Sha^ban شَعْبَان The eighth month of the Islamic (lunar) year.
• ash-Shafa^ah الشَّفَاعَة The Intercession of the prophets, angels, martyrs, some devout scholars, and others on the Day of Judgement for some Muslims who committed great sins and died without repenting of them.
• ash-Shahadah الشَّهَادَة Martyrdom; dying while and as a result of fighting non-Muslims; the Shahadatayn, or one of them.
• ash-Shahadatan الشَّهَادَتَان The Two Professions or Testimonies; the greatest article of Islam; the creedal statement which means 'I profess that no one is God but Allah, and (I profess) that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'. Shahadatan is the nominative form of Shahadatayn and the dual form of Shahadah.
• ash-shahid الشَّهِيد Martyr; the Muslim who died while or as a result of fighting non-Muslims.
• ash-Shar^ الشَّرْع The Religion of Islam; this term is used whenever rules are mentioned.
• ash-Shari^ah الشَّرِيعَة The Law of Islam, interchangeable with Shar^.
• ash-Sharif الشَّرِيف A Muslim descendent of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.
• ash-sharikah الشَّرِكَة Partnership; a contract which ascertains the right of two or more persons to dispose of their merged monies.
• Shawwal شَوَّال The tenth month of the Islamic (lunar) year.
• ash-Shaykh الشَّيْخ The title of an Islamic teacher.
• ash-Shuruq الشُّرُوق Sunrise; the appearance of the upper part of the disc of the sun in the eastern horizon.
• ash-shurut الشُّرُوط Prerequisites; items that are not part of an act of worship, such as Taharah in Salah, but upon which, the validity of the worship is dependent. Shurut is the plural of shart.
• 
• T ت / T ط
• ta^ala تَعَالَى It means that 'Allah is above any imperfection' (see subhanahu).
• at-Tafsir التَّفْسِير The Science of explaining the Qur'an.
• at-Tahajjud التَّهَجُّد The optional Salah done after waking up at night. Its obligation upon Muslims was abolished in the Qur'an.
• at-Taharah الطَّهَارَة Doing what renders Salah permissible. This includes the action of removing najasah by, for instance, performing Istinja', or clearing of hadath by performing Wudu', or Ghusl.
• at-taharrum التَّحَرُّم Starting Salah usually by saying 'Allahu akbar'; see al-'Ihram.
• at-tahir الطَّاهِر Anything which is in the state of Taharah; clear of hadath and najasah.
• at-tahur الطَّهُور See mutahhir.
• at-takbirah التَّكْبِيرَة Saying 'Allahu akbar'.
• at-ta'min التَّأِمِين Saying 'Amin' after finishing the Fatihah or saying a du^a'.
• at-tamyiz التَّمْيِيز The age at which a child is able to answer when asked and understand when addressed. Some scholars explained it as the ability of the child, if taught, to eat, drink, and perform Istinja' independently.
• at-Taqsir التَّقْصِير Trimming the hair as a rukn of Hajj or ^Umrah.
• at-taqwa التَّقْوَى Fearing Allah; obeying Allah by performing the obligatory and refraining from the forbidden.
• at-tashahhud التَّشَهُّد A statement which must be said while in the last sitting of Salah and includes the Shahadatayn, the creedal statement of Islam.
• at-tashdidat التَّشْدِيدَات Stresses, each of which, in Arabic, comprises two similar letters assimilated together. The first letter is unvoweled (has a sukun) and the second is voweled (has a harakah).
• at-Tashriq التَّشْرِيق It refers to the three days after Ad-ha (the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth of Dhul-Hijjah).
• at-Tawaf الطَّوَاف Going, counterclockwise, around the Ka^bah in the Holy Mosque of Makkah during Hajj, ^Umrah, or other occasions as well.
• at-Tawrah التَّوْراة The Revelation given to Prophet Musa (Moses), sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. The so-called 'the Old Testament' and 'the Torah' are not the Tawrah.
• at-Tayammum التَّيَمُّم A substitute, under certain conditions, of Wudu' or Ghusl in which soil is used on the face, hands and forearms, including the elbows.
• at-ta^zir التَّعْزِير Disciplining; Punishment which is less than those for zina, killing, and the like. Examples are imprisonment and beating.
• at-tuhr الطُّهْر The time interval between two menstruating intervals. The minimum time of tuhr is fifteen days and there is no maximum time because, though rare, a woman may menstruate once in her lifetime.
• at-tuma'ninah الطُّمَأْنِينَة Having all the organs settled at once in ruku^, i^tidal, sujud, and the sitting between the two sujuds for as long as saying 'subhanallah' takes.
• TH ث
• ath-Thawab الثَّوَاب The reward that Muslims will enjoy on the Day of Judgement.
• U أُ / ^U عُ
• al-'Ummah الأُمَّة Nation; it refers to the Muslim Nation; the Ummah of Prophet Muhmmad includes those who believed in him (Muslims) and those whom he was sent to, but did not believe in him and remained kafir, i.e., non-Muslim. The first group is called Ummat-ul-'Ijabah (the Ummah of acceptance) and the second Ummat-ud-Da^wah (the Ummah of Call).
• al-^Umrah العُمْرَة An act of worship which is done in Makkah at any time of the year. It is obligatory upon one once in a lifetime and is similar to Hajj in many ways.
• al-^uquq العُقُوق It includes any deed that harms one or both parents immensely.
• W و
• al-Wada^ الوَدَاع Farewell; Tawaf-ul-Wada^ is the last Tawaf to be performed before leaving Makkah.
• al-wadi^ah الوَدِيعَة Consignment; entrusting another with something to protect it.
• al-Wahid الوَاحِد A name of Allah, which means 'the One Who has no partners in His Godhood'.
• al-Wahy الوَحْى Revelation; information from Allah passed, through or without an angel, to whomever He chose from among His slaves for Prophethood.
• al-wajib الوَاجِب Fard (Obligatory); in the context of Hajj, it is an action the leaving out of which is haram but does not invalidate Hajj. However, a fidyah is due.
• al-wakalah الوَكالَة Proxy; authorizing a person to act for oneself with whatever is valid to deputize others.
• al-waliyy الوَلىّ Righteous Muslim; Muslim who performs the obligations, avoids the prohibitions, and performs a lot of nafl; guardian.
• al-waqf الوَقْف Property dedicated to be used in a specific manner, such as dedicating a building to be a mosque or dedicating some water for drinking only.
• al-wasq الوَسْق A dry volume measure, equivalent to sixty sa^s.
• al-wird الوِرْد Sayings or acts of worship, such as fasting Mondays and/or Thursdays, which are rewardable to do.
• al-Wudu' الوُضُوء Washing parts of the body as a prerequisite to several things one of which is Salah.
• al-Wuquf الوُقُوف Standing or being present in the land of ^Arafah, during Hajj, for at least a moment between Dhuhr time of the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah and Fajr of the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah.
• Y ى
  • al-yamin اليَمِين The right (side); oath.
• Z ز
  • az-Zakah الزَّكَاة In Arabic it means purification and edification; one of the greatest articles of Islam. Paying a certain portion of one's money or animals to specific types of people with certain conditions.
  • az-Zawal الزَّوال The beginning of Dhuhr time; the time when the sun has declined westward from its Istiwa' (zenith) position.
  • az-zina الزّنَى The sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex other than one's spouse or female slave. It includes both adultery and fornication.

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