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Glossary

The Arabic and Islamic words you will meet in IsNoor, in plain English.

A

Ahl al-Baytأهل البيتahl al-bayt: "The people of the house": the family of the Prophet ﷺ. Muslims love and honour them and ask Allah to bless them whenever they send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ.
Akhlaqأخلاقakhlāq: Character and manners. Good character sits at the heart of the faith, and much of the Sunnah is about how to treat people.
'Alayhis-salamعليه السلامʿalayhis-salām: "Peace be upon him", said after the name of a prophet or an angel, such as Ibrahim 'alayhis-salam.
AllahاللهAllāh: The One, the Creator and Sustainer of everything, who has no partner. It is the name above all names, and Arabic speakers of every faith use it for the One who made the heavens and the earth.
Ayahآيةāyah: A verse of the Qur'an. The word also means "sign", because every verse is a sign from Allah.

D

Da'ifضعيفḍaʿīf: A weak hadith: its chain or text has a flaw that keeps it from meeting the conditions of an acceptable report. It is not the same as a fabricated one.
Dhikrذكرdhikr: Remembrance of Allah, whether by tongue or heart, such as saying SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu akbar.
Du'aدعاءduʿāʾ: Supplication: speaking to Allah, asking Him and praising Him, in any language and at any time.

F

Fardفرضfarḍ: An obligation. Whoever fulfils it is rewarded, and whoever leaves it without excuse is sinful. The five daily prayers are fard.
Fiqhفقهfiqh: Islamic jurisprudence: the scholarly understanding of how the Qur'an and sunnah apply to worship and daily life.

G

Ghuslغسلghusl: The full ritual wash of the whole body, required for example after sexual relations or at the end of menstruation, before one can pray.

H

Hadithحديثḥadīth: A report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did, approved of, or how he was described. Hadith are preserved with chains of narrators.
Hajjحجḥajj: The pilgrimage to Makkah in the month of Dhul-Hijjah, required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who is able to make it.
Halalحلالḥalāl: Permitted by Allah. Most things in life are halal unless there is evidence that they are forbidden.
Hanafiحنفيḥanafī: The school of fiqh that follows the methodology of Imam Abu Hanifa (d. 150 AH). See madhhab.
Hanbaliحنبليḥanbalī: The school of fiqh that follows the methodology of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH). See madhhab.
Haramحرامḥarām: Forbidden by Allah. Avoiding it is rewarded, and doing it is sinful.
Hasanحسنḥasan: A good hadith: its chain is connected and the narrators are trustworthy, though one or more are slightly less precise than in a sahih hadith. It is accepted as evidence.
Hijrahهجرةhijrah: Migration. Most often it means the Prophet's ﷺ move from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, which marks the start of the Islamic calendar.

I

Ihsanإحسانiḥsān: Excellence. The Prophet ﷺ described it as worshipping Allah as though you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you.
Ijma'إجماعijmāʿ: Consensus: the agreement of the qualified scholars of the Muslim community on a ruling, which counts as a source of law.
Ikhtilafاختلافikhtilāf: Difference of opinion among scholars on matters where the evidence allows more than one understanding. It is a recognised and respected part of fiqh.
Imanإيمانīmān: Faith: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree.
Islamإسلامislām: Submission to Allah alone. As a religion, it is the way taught by all the prophets and completed through Muhammad ﷺ.
Isnadإسنادisnād: The chain of narrators through whom a hadith reached us, from the compiler back to the Prophet ﷺ.

K

Ka'bahالكعبةal-Kaʿbah: The cube-shaped house in Makkah that Ibrahim and Isma'il 'alayhimas-salam built for worship. Muslims face it in prayer.

M

Madhhabمذهبmadhhab: A school of fiqh. The four well-known Sunni schools are the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali, each preserving a careful method of drawing rulings from the sources.
Madinahالمدينةal-Madīnah: The city to which the Prophet ﷺ migrated, where he built the first Muslim community and where he is buried. Earlier it was called Yathrib.
MakkahمكةMakkah: The city where the Prophet ﷺ was born and received the first revelation, and where the Ka'bah stands.
Makruhمكروهmakrūh: Disliked. It is better to avoid it, but doing it is not a sin.
Malikiمالكيmālikī: The school of fiqh that follows the methodology of Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH) of Madinah. See madhhab.
Matnمتنmatn: The text of a hadith: the words reported, as opposed to the chain of narrators (isnad).
Mawdu'موضوعmawḍūʿ: A fabricated hadith: a statement falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It must not be narrated as his saying except to warn against it.

N

Niyyahنيةniyyah: Intention, the sincere purpose in the heart behind an act. The Prophet ﷺ taught that deeds are judged by their intentions.

Q

Qiblahقبلةqiblah: The direction of the Ka'bah in Makkah, which Muslims face in prayer.
Qur'anالقرآنal-Qurʾān: The word of Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through Jibril over about twenty-three years, preserved in Arabic.

R

Radiyallahu 'anhu / 'anhaرضي الله عنه / عنهاraḍiyallāhu ʿanhu / ʿanhā: "May Allah be pleased with him / her", said after the name of a companion of the Prophet ﷺ.
Rahmahرحمةraḥmah: Mercy and compassion. Allah describes Himself as ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim, and the Prophet ﷺ was sent as a mercy to the worlds.
Rak'ahركعةrakʿah: One unit of the prayer: standing, bowing, and two prostrations.

S

Sabrصبرṣabr: Patience and steadfastness: holding firm in obedience, away from sin, and through hardship.
Sahabi / Sahabahصحابي / صحابةṣaḥābī / ṣaḥābah: A companion of the Prophet ﷺ: one who met him as a believer and died as a Muslim. Sahabah is the plural.
Sahihصحيحṣaḥīḥ: An authentic hadith: its chain is connected, its narrators are upright and precise, and it has no hidden flaw.
Sahihaynالصحيحانaṣ-Ṣaḥīḥayn: "The two Sahihs": Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the two most trusted hadith collections.
Salahصلاةṣalāh: The ritual prayer, performed five times a day. It is the second pillar of Islam.
Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam (ﷺ)صلى الله عليه وسلم ﷺṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam: "May Allah send blessings and peace upon him", said after the name of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and written as ﷺ.
Sawmصومṣawm: Fasting, especially the fast of Ramadan from dawn to sunset. It is one of the five pillars.
Seerahسيرةsīrah: The life story of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, drawn from the Qur'an, hadith and early biographies.
Shafi'iشافعيshāfiʿī: The school of fiqh that follows the methodology of Imam al-Shafi'i (d. 204 AH). See madhhab.
Shahadahشهادةshahādah: The testimony of faith: that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger. It is the first pillar of Islam.
Shukrشكرshukr: Gratitude to Allah, shown by the heart, the tongue and the way we use His blessings.
Sunnahسنةsunnah: The way of the Prophet ﷺ: his words, actions and approvals. It is the second source of Islam after the Qur'an.
Sunnah (as a ruling)سنة / مستحبsunnah / mustaḥabb: A recommended act. Doing it is rewarded, and leaving it is not a sin. The Prophet ﷺ's regular voluntary prayers are an example.
Surahسورةsūrah: A chapter of the Qur'an. There are 114 surahs, of varying length.

T

Taqwaتقوىtaqwā: Mindfulness of Allah: guarding yourself against what displeases Him out of love and awe.
Tawhidتوحيدtawḥīd: The oneness of Allah: that He alone is the Lord, the One worthy of worship, and that His names and attributes are unique to Him.

U

Ummahat al-Mu'mininأمهات المؤمنينummahāt al-muʾminīn: "Mothers of the believers": the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, given this title by the Qur'an.

W

Wajibواجبwājib: A necessary act. For most scholars it is the same as fard. The Hanafi school uses it for an obligation established by evidence that is not absolutely certain.
Wuduوضوءwuḍūʾ: The ablution done before prayer: washing the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, wiping the head, and washing the feet.

Z

Zakahزكاةzakāh: The obligatory yearly charity given from wealth above a minimum threshold to those in need. It is the third pillar of Islam.