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Qiblah: The direction of Prayer. All Muslims make their Salat facing Mecca. Allah commanded us to do this in the Qur'an as a show of unity and to remember Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) who built the first shrine there in that place so many thousands of years ago.

Qur'an: This is the name of the Book Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad from the years 610-632. Allah revealed it in stages, one section at a time, as the Muslims were ready to follow it. It has 114 chapters called Surahs. It was revealed in the Arabic language and has never been lost, changed or edited, like the Bible or Buddhist books have.

We have lots of translations of the Qur'an into English, but a translation can never be as good as the original words and their full meaning. All Muslims try to learn Arabic so they can read the Qur'an. Be advised, there are two different types of Arabic. The first is the language of the Qur'an, in other words, whatever vocabulary words are used in the Qur'an. The second type of Arabic is everyday Arabic, in other words, things that would help you talk about a sports game, a vacation or a day at the office. Studying the second type of Arabic bogs down many Muslims. You should work towards the first type if your main goal is to understand the Qur'an.

Ramadan: The ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims are required to fast from before sunrise to sunset every day of this month. There are many details concerning this so consult the section on beliefs and practices.

Rasul: This term means Messenger.

Ruh: Your spirit or soul. Allah gave it to you on loan and thus you had better not sin and dirty it up.

Sadaqah: Charity.

Sahaba: A companion of the Prophet.

Sahabiyat: The female companions of the Prophet.

Sajda: Bowing on the floor.

Salafi: This is the name of a group of Muslims who also called wahabi as well.  They always emphasize the laws and punishments of Islam so much that they make you feel there is no Islamic love and mercy. This is because they are sometimes extreme in their views. But the Prophet emphasized the heart and soul more than outward rules. After all, if you don't have love of Allah deep in your heart, you won't follow any rules, no matter how harsh the punishments. They tend to be oppressive on women's issues and distort Islamic teachings to make women seem as if they were made to be prisoners in their homes. But when you read the Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet you find a more liberal picture.

Salat: (or Salah) This means prayer, the prayer in which you stand, bow and prostrate.  The literal meaning of the word is: to make a connection with.

Shahadah: The Declaration of Faith. By believing in and declaring the following phrase, a person becomes a Muslim: "Ash hadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ash hadu anna Muhammadar rasulullah." "I declare that there is no god but Allah, and I declare that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah." When a person accepts Islam, all his or her past sins are forgiven and his or her record is wiped clean and they start again from that moment as if they were just born.

Shaikh: Literally: Chief or Boss. It is the title that Muslims sometimes give to their scholars. It is not required in Islam but many people like to use this term.

Shari'ah: It is usually translated as Islamic Law. It means the path of Islam.

Shi'a: This is the name of a sect or division in the Muslim community. Shi'aism began originally as a political protest against the second Khalifa Umar and the third one, Uthman, but it eventually grew into a separate sect of Muslims with its own version of Islamic teachings. About 10-15% of the world's Muslims are Shi'as. There are some serious errors in their understanding and practice of Islam. They believe in a religious structure that Islam never introduced complete with different kinds of priests called Ruhollah, HojatulIslam and Ayatullahs, similar to Catholics and their priests, bishops and popes. Once someone goes off the straight path of Islam they wander in blindness and break apart even further. The same is true of Shi'aism. Today there are many different kinds of Shi'as. The biggest group are known as the Twelvers, then there are the Seveners, Isma'ilis, Alawiya and others. The Baha'is came out of the Shi'a splintering. (Baha'ism is a religion created by a misguided Shi'a man in Iran with the backing of the British in the 1800's.)

All Shi'a groups share a belief that the Prophet's cousin, 'Ali, should have been the first Khalifa, not the fourth, and that only blood relatives of the Prophet Muhammad can be Khalifas. And they believe only those hadiths which are reported by ahle bayat (Prophet’s family) the interesting thing is that 'Ali (ra), himself, swore allegiance to the three Khalifas who came before him and supported them in the cause of Islam. One Shi'a group called the Alawiya actually worship 'Ali as God on earth. Clearly 'Ali (ra) never supported, taught or encouraged these ideas. They developed long after he died by very misguided souls.

Some Shi'a groups make Salat slightly to greatly differently depending on the group. The biggest group, the Twelvers (Ithna Ashari), believe in a "hidden" Imam that was brought to heaven as a baby and will return to liberate all the Shi'as from oppression. Such beliefs have no place in the Islam of the Prophet Muhammad, (saw) of course, but some people like to add more to something out of ignorance or whatever. Just think of how many people in Christian countries believe in horoscopes and fortune telling even though their own religion condemns it! Now some churches teach that fortune telling and gambling are OK. Do you see how people can work to try and change a religion to their own opinions!

Shirk: This is the greatest and most terrible sin. It is the one sin that can keep your soul out of Paradise and doom you to Hellfire. It means making partners with Allah. If a person says that there are many gods, or says that Allah is divided up into different people (such as the Trinity teaching of Christianity) then they are committing Shirk.

Allah said it is the one sin He won't forgive if you die while doing it. The Blessed Prophet Muhammad once mentioned also that a person who likes to feel greatness in their heart was also committing a kind of Shirk. This is because all greatness is for Allah and we should always try to be humble. The Prophet also said, "La Yad khulu al Jannah min kana fee qal beehee mith qalu habbatin min kibr." "They won't enter Paradise, the one who has even a little bit of the love of greatness in their heart."

Shaitan: (or Shaytan) It means Satan. (The literal meaning is to separate from.) Islam teaches that a Jinn named Iblis didn't want to bow when Allah commanded a bunch of angels to bow down to Adam in respect of his knowledge. Iblis thought he was better than both humans and angels. Allah banished him to earth and let him have extended life until the Day of Judgment. That is because Iblis challenged Allah and said if he had time he would corrupt all human beings. Iblis's name literally means "Frustrated." He is also known as the Shaytan, or Satan.

Siyam (or Saum) Fasting.

Subhanullah: "Glory to Allah." This phrase is said whenever we're happy or when we see something wonderful.

Tassawwuf: is the science of the self. It is based upon the teaching of the holy prophet (saw). Tasawwuf is the acquisition of the noble character traits through purification of the heart. It is moral courtesy (adab). One who has made the journey of return, from his lower self to his higher self, is a Sufi. Tasawwuf is the science, which takes the traveller (salik) through the unending degrees of “knowing” Allah. Sayyiduna Muhammad (saw) is the means (wasila) by which his followers, lovers and slaves, may attain to Allah Almighty.

Sufi: This is the name for a group of Muslims who want to be super-spiritually oriented. Sufis tend to try and be as close to the Sunnah as possible and they like to do group dhikr and chanting. They are the real source of spiritually. Islamically, there are a few groups that go way out and are close to being outside of Islam. Such far off groups sing, dance, twirl around, drink wine, deny Salat, etc... Such people are nothing to do with Islam and Sufism. The word Sufi comes from the term for wool cloth, which was a material early Sufis liked to wear to emphasize how they didn't want to be captured by the love of fineries in this world. Sufis organize themselves into "orders" or groups, called Tariqas. A leader called a Shaykh who is considered the most spiritual man with the most Taqwa among them heads these groups. Some famous Sufi Tariqas that operate all over the world are the Naqshabandis and Qadiriyya. The most famous Sufi Muslim scholars that ever lived are Jalaluddin Rumi, Muhammad al Ghazali,  Abdul Qadir Jilani, Hazrat mujjaddid Alf sani, data al hujwari, khwaja junid, khawaja bastami, khawaja abu al hassan kharqani (ra).

Suhoof: "Scrolls." This is the name of the revelation given to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) about 4,000 years ago. It was lost.

Sunnah: The example or "way" of the Prophet (saw). How he peace be upon him lived his life and what his peace be upon him practices were.

Sunni: This is the name of the largest sect or group of Muslims. This group amounts to about 85-90% of all Muslims worldwide. Sunni's believe in the mission of the Prophet as he taught it and try very hard to adhere to the Prophet's example with no changes.

Ahlal Sunnah wal Jam'a: which means, "People of the Example of the Prophet and the Main Group of Early Muslims."

Surah: It is a chapter of the Qur'an. The word literally means "a step up in progression" or a "fence."

Tafseer: Commentary or explanation of the Qur'an. Many Qur'an translations will have footnotes on the bottom of the page to help you understand the meaning of an ayah. That would be called Tafseer.

Taqwa: This term means many things at once. The first meaning is that you are always aware that Allah is watching you. This brings you to the second meaning and that is that you will try to be good always. Do you see how the two things wrapped together can be so beautiful? When a Muslim has Taqwa, we say they are "Aware of Allah" Conscious of Allah" and striving to be righteous.

Tauhid: Sometimes it's spelled Tawhid. It means the Oneness of Allah. Allah has no partners, He is not divided up into parts and He is not in need of anyone to help Him in anything whatsoever.

Torah: The revelation given to Prophet Musa (Moses). The first five books of the Old Testament in the Bible are said to be the "Torah" of Moses, but no serious Bible scholar, whether Jewish or Christian believes that anymore. Musa's message was lost long ago. Just take a look, everything about Prophet Moses in the Bible is written in third person: "And Moses said this," and "Moses went there," Someone else wrote those things, certainly not Moses!

Ukhtee: My sister.

Wahy: This word means revelation or inspiration. When Allah was revealing His messages to the Prophet, we would say the Prophet was receiving "Wahy." The Blessed Prophet once said that after him, all Wahy from Allah was finished except for one thing: dreams that can come true.

Wudu: Washing for prayer. (abulution)

Yowm ul Qiyamah: The Day of Judgment. (Literally: Day of Standing.)

Zabur: The revelation given to Prophet Dawud (David). The Psalms in the Bible are not the pure Zabur. Christian scholars admit that at least temple priests, government workers, etc, in ancient Israel, wrote half of the verses in Psalms. And no one knows which half are from Prophet Dawud and how many have been lost or altered.

Zakah: This is often translated as "Charity" or "Poor-due" but the literal meaning of the word is actually, "Purifying." Zakah is the third pillar of Islam. It involves giving 2.5% of your yearly wealth, after expenses, for the benefit of the poor and the needy. The "purifying" part comes in by learning not to be greedy. If you give some of your money for the sake of Allah to the poor, you make your heart less prone to greed.

If you need more information please e-mail IAA. Finally, I do pray to God that Allah may make you good practising Muslim/Muslima and allow you to follow the path of Sahabas and Salf-Salheen. Please remember me in your du’a as well. 

Wassalam.

Muhammad Wahid (Slave Of Allah)

 

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