Here is a convenient reference for the many terms you may encounter when studying this subject. Although these words and phrases may be common in Islamic practice and jurisprudence, it is important to note that adherents of ISIS often distort or overemphasize many of Islam’s most important tenets or misapply them in extremis; they are extremists.
Allah: The One True God
Allahu Akbar: “God is Greatest,” a phrase also known as the takbir
Al-Wala Wal Bara: The ultra-orthodox Salafist practice of swearing to live one’s life for God and rejecting all things that are ungodly or un-Islamic; ISIS takes this practice to a literal extreme in all aspects, except weapons, vehicles, and electronic technology
Ansar al-Sunnah: Literally, “helpers of the teachings of the Prophet;” in practice, the congregation of Islam
Aqeed: Creed; Strength of faith and Belief in the One God
Ba’ya, Ba’yat (pl): Sworn oath
Dar al-Islam: “The house (lands) of Islam”; all regions under ISIS control
Dar al-Kuffar: “The house (lands) of the unbelievers/Infidels”; all regions outside of ISIS control
Dawa’/Dawah: “Religious invitation”; evangelism or working to bring the word of Allah to all
Fardh Ayn: (Arabic) The individual religious obligation or duty of every Muslim that are Charity, Fasting, Prayer, Pilgrimage to Mecca and Witnessing that “There is No God But God and Mohammed is His Messenger.” Jihadi cultists believe that Jihad and death (Martyrdom) are also obligations which are not specified in Islam.
Fatwa: Religious ruling from an authorized religious body, the Ulema
Fi Sabilillah: “In the path of God”
Fiqh: Islamic passing of judgement
Forsan al-Khalifa: Knights of the Caliphate; euphemism for ISIS terrorists overseas
Hadiths: Interpretive texts of the Qur’an written by Islamic scholars
Haramayin: The cities of Mecca and Medina, home of the two Holy Shrines of the Grand Mosque & Kaaba (Mecca) and the Tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (Medina)
Hijab: Literally meaning “screen,” this can refer to physical coverings used by Muslim women or, more generally, a given standard of modesty
Hijrah: Emigration; the path of the Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina (Yathrib) to found Islam in 622; Used by ISIS/al-Qaeda to signify abandoning past lives and moving to ISIS controlled territory or mentally departing from family/friends/Muslims to carry out terror attacks without their knowledge
Hud, Hudud (pl): Punishments reserved for perceived “crimes against religion,” like adultery, stealing, apostasy, and homosexuality
Iblis: Demons or minions of the Devil
Imama: Islamic Political leadership
Imarah: Islamic Leadership
Jihad: “Struggle”; Islamic term for struggle of knowing one’s self (the Greater Jihad); common parlance for a defensive Holy War (lesser jihad); this is not a religious obligation in Islam but in ISIS’s cultist practice it is a life-long obligation to be carried out until death
Jund al-Khalifa: Soldiers of the Caliphate; euphemism for ISIS Middle East terrorists
Kafir, Kufr: “Infidel,” “unbeliever”; those who have live in ignorance of Islam
Kalifah: The Caliphate of the self-appointed “Islamic State”
Khanzir: “Pig”; terms used by ISIS for enemy Muslim Soldiers or Shia Muslims; people to be slaughtered by beheading
Millah: Path of Righteousness
Muhajirun/Mujhajirat: Men/Women who have chosen to abandon their past lives and “Emigrate” from the Land of the Disbelievers to the Caliphate/ISIS controlled territory; “mental Muhajirun” are those who cannot physically leave but mentally separate themselves from family/friends/infidels and other Muslims to live like those in the caliphate, a common practice among those planning a terror attack
Mujahid/Mujahideen (pl): One who is involved in a holy struggle or jihad
Munafiq, Munafiqun (pl): Person who professes faith in Islam but conceals dissent against the cause; a hypocrite or traitor
Murtadd/Murtaddin (pl): Apostate, rejectionist, one who leaves Islam for another religion; often used for Muslim enemies
Mutaweyun: Collaborators; those who work with America or its allies in espionage or government
Muwahidun: Those who are believers in Monotheism, belief in the One God
Quds: Jerusalem, home of third holiest shrine in Islam, Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa mosque)
Rafida: Apostates; Muslims who have left Islam. Used by ISIS adherents to arbitrarily declare any Muslim as a heretic and worthy of death
Ramadan: A month in the Islamic calendar during which fasting is a way to focus on the worship of God
Ribat: Islamic historical term for a combat outpost or small mud/dirt fort, from the desert skirmishes of the Prophet Mohammed
Sahabah: The immediate friends and companions of the Prophet Mohammed at the founding of Islam in the seventh century; considered the best role models for Muslims
Sahwat: Traitors; any Muslim military personnel that does not defect to ISIS
Salafi/Salafist: Ultra orthodox practice of persons who live their modern lives in the manner of the seventh-century Sahabah, or friends and companions of the Prophet Mohammed; Salafists are extremely orthodox in prayer, dress, diet, and lifestyle
Sama’: “To listen”
Sayarah Mufakha: Booby-trapped car bomb; suicide Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SVBIED)
Selibi/Selibiyeen: “Those who carry the cross”; Crusaders; Westerners, particularly military and government workers
Shaheed: Death as a martyr in a just war; this is not an obligation in Islam but in ISIS’s cultist practice all adherents must strive to martyr themselves in jihad
Sharia: Islamic law
Shaytan: Satan
Shirk: The practice of idolatry or polytheism; belief in a god who is not Allah, or in many gods
Shuhidah (Amiliyah Shuidah): “Suicide Operation” or “Suicide Bombing”
Sunnah: the way of life prescribed to Muslims on the basis of Muhammad’s teachings and interpretation of the Qur’an.
Ta’ah: Obedience
Takbir: A call to recognized the greatness of God; followed by “Allahu Akbar”
Takfir: to declare or accuse another person of being a Kafir, or unbeliever; in ISIS practice, this is a preliminary sanctification of, and justification for murder
Tajwid: The rules for recitation of the Qur’an
Taqwa: The spiritual self-guidance found within adherents that leads one to accept and fear of God. Piety.
Tawaghit: Tyrants; used to describe Muslim regimes not aligned with ISIS
Tawhid: Belief in the oneness of God; monotheism
Ulema (Ulama): The highest body of scholarship in Islamic law and jurisprudence.
Ummah: the collective word for the Muslim people