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Please click on the letter of your choice in the following
Adhan is an Islamic way of calling Muslims to the five obligatory Prayers. The Adhan is
announced daily from the Mosques. See Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 583, Vol. 1.
Hijrah means emigration. The Islamic calendar starts from the year Prophet Muhammad
(S.A.W.) emigrated from the city of Makkah to Madinah, in 622 C.E.
Ahl al-Bait literally means 'the people of the house', a polite form of addressing the
members of the family, including husband and wife. The words occur in the Holy Quran when
angels came to give glad tidings to Prophet Abraham (S.A.W.) of a son at an old age. See
Surah Houd (11:73).
Ahl al-Dimmah (or Dhimmis)
are the non-Muslim subjects of an Islamic state who have been guaranteed protection of
their rights- life, property and practice of their religion, etc.
Refers to the group of scholars in Islam who pay relatively greater importance to
'traditions' than to other sources of Islamic doctrine such as qiyas, and tend to
interpret the traditions more literally and rigorously. The term has also come to be used
lately for a group of Muslims in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent who are close to the
Hanbali school in theology, and claim to follow no single school on legal matters.
literally 'People of the Book,' refers to the followers of Divine Revelation before the
advent of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Ahmad is another name of Muhammad (S.A.W.). See Holy Quran, As-Saff (61:6). See
Muhammad for more details.
(After-Life, Hereafter, Next World). the term embraces the following ideas.
That man is answerable to God.
That the present order of existence will some day come to an end.
That when that happens,God will bring another order into being in which He will
resurrect all human beings, gather them together and examine their conduct, and reward
them with justice and mercy.
That those who are reckoned good will be sent to Paradise whereas the evil-doers will be
consigned to Hell.
That the real measure of success or failure of a person is not the extent of his
prosperity in the present life, but his success in the Next.
'Alim (pl. Ulamah)
An Islamic religious scholar.
Allah - the greatest and most inclusive of the names of God. It is an Arabic word of
rich and varied meaning, denoting the one who is adored in worship, who creates all that
exists, who has priority over all creation, who is lofty and hidden, who confounds all
human understanding. It is exactly the same word as, in Hebrew, the Jews use for God
(Eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an
identical name in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Allah is the same God worshipped by
Muslims, Christians and Jews.
"He is God, the One God, Independent and Sought by all; He begets not, nor is He
begotton, and there is none like unto Him." (The Holy Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlas)
Islam teaches that all faiths have, in essence, one common message: the existence of a
Supreme Being, the one and only God, whose sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship
and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through His messengers
and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history.
Allah is the Greatest.
Commander of the faithful. Title of the leader of the Islamic dominion after the death
of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Ansar means the 'Helpers.' (singular: Ansari). In Islamic parlance the word refers to
the Muslims of Madina who helped the Muhajirin (immigrants) of Makka in the process of the
latter's settling down in the new environment.
Literally means belief. In Islamic terms, it means the following six articles of faith:
1. Belief in Allah, the One God.
2. Belief in Allah's angels.
3. Belief in His revealed Books.
4. Belief in His messengers.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement.
6. Belief in Fate and the Divine Decree.
Al-A`rab signifies the bedouin - whether of the desert or the countryside - in the
vicinity of Madina. For a long time they had followed a policy of opportunism with regard
to the conflict between Islam and unbelief. However, as Islam established its sway over
the greater part of Hijaz and Najd and the power of the tribes hostile to Islam began to
weaken, they saw their interests lay in entering the fold of Islam. For details see Surah
Arafat is a pilgrimage site, about 25 kilometers east of Makkah al-Mukaramah. Standing
on 'Arafat on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah and staying there from mid-day to sunset
is the essence of the Hajj (the Pilgrimage).
Ashab al-A`raf (Heights) will be the people who are neithe righteous enough to enter
Paradise nor wicked enough to be cast into Hell. They will, therefore, dwell at a place
situated between the two.
Ashab al-Suffah consisted of about three or four hundred Companions who spent most of
their time in the company of the Prophet (S.A.W.). They acquired knowledge and had
dedicated themselves wholly to serving Islam.
Al-Asma al-Husna, literally meaning the 'most excellent names' used of God, express His
greatness and paramountcy, holiness, purity, and the perfection and absoluteness of all
'Asr is the late afternoon Prayer, the third compulsory Prayer of the day. It can be
prayed between midafternoon and a little before sunset. It is also the name of Surah 103
of the Holy Quran.
Assalamu 'Alaikum means 'Peace be on you.' Greeting of the Muslims. The response to
this greeting is 'Wa 'Alaikum Assalam,' and on you be the Peace.
Sayings of the Sahabah, the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.).
Ayah (pl. ayat)
Ayah means a sign (or 'token') which directs one to something important. In the Quran
the word has been used in four different senses: (1) sign or indication; (2) the
phenomena of the universe (called ayat of God for the reality to which the phenomena point
is hidden behind the veil of appearances); (3) miracles performed by the Prophets; and (4)
individual units (i.e. verses) of the Book of God.