Adhan: The Muslim call to prayer
Alhamdolillah: A Muslim formula meaning, “All praise be to Allah”; it is the Islamic analogue of hallelujah
Aqeedah: Deeply held Islamic beliefs
Asbab-an-nuzul: A body of Islamic literature purporting to detail the circumstances of specific Quranic revelations
Assalaamo alaikum wa rahmutallah wa barakaathu: An extended Muslim greeting meaning, “The peace of Allah and His mercy and blessings be upon you”
Being: The quality or essence that makes something what it is
Bucailleism: The technique of referring to the Quran for miraculously advanced scientific truths in order to defend its divine origin
Christology: An interpretation of Jesus’ nature, identity, or role; for example, the Quran has a lower Christology than John, since He is just human in the former yet divine in the latter.
Criterion of early testimony: A principle of the historical method that posits that early accounts of an event are more likely to be accurate than later accounts, all else being equal
Criterion of multiple attestation: A principle of the historical method that posits that a recorded event is more likely to be historically accurate if it is recorded in multiple independent sources
Dawah: The practice of inviting people to Islam
Doctrine of abrogation: The belief that teachings and verses of the Quran have been repealed, usually by later Quranic revelations
Doctrine of the Trinity: The belief that God is one in being and three in person
Du’aa: Muslim prayers recited at specific occasions, as opposed to the ritual prayer called salaat; these may be memorized or improvised
Eid al-Fitr: One of two major Muslim holidays; it marks the end of Ramadhan
Fatwa: A decision or ruling by a Muslim authority
Fiqh: Islamic jurisprudence
Five Pillars of Islam: The fundamental practices required of all Muslims
Hadith: Muhammad’s words or actions recorded in tradition
Hafiz: A man who has memorized the entire Quran
Hajj: The annual pilgrimage to Mecca
Hazrat: An honorific title meaning “respected”
Historical Jesus: Jesus as He can be known through historical records
Historical method: Criteria and techniques used by historians to systematically investigate the past
Iftar: The meal Muslims eat after fasting, often in large gatherings
Imam: A leader of Muslims, usually referring to one who leads prayer at a mosque
Injil: The book that Muslims believe Allah sent to Jesus, often considered to be the Gospels of the New Testament
Inshallah: A very common Muslim formula meaning “If Allah wills it”
Isa: The Arabic name for Jesus
Isnad: The chain of transmission for a particular hadith
Jamaat: The Arabic word for assembly, usually used to mean “group” or “denomination”
Jinn: Spiritual beings often considered analogous to demons
Jumaa: The name for the Muslim Sabbath day
Kafir: Infidel, non-Muslim
Khalifa: The position of supreme leader over Muslims; usually the title is used to refer to one of Muhammad’s four successors
Khutba: A sermon, usually the Muslim Sabbath sermons on Friday
Manuscript: A physical copy of a text, whether in part or in whole
Masjid: A Muslim place of worship, often called a mosque
Mufti: A Muslim legal expert
Nafl: Optional prayers designed to invoke the help of Allah or draw the worshiper closer to Him
Person: The quality or essence that makes someone who he is
Rakaat: Units of repetition in salaat, composed of standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting postures
Ramadhan: The Muslim holy month
Sadqa: A voluntary offering, often to prevent misfortune
Sahih Bukhari: A classical collection of hadith, often considered by Sunnis as the most trustworthy accounts of Muhammad’s life
Sahih Sittah: The six books of hadith that Sunni Muslims consider most authentic
Salaat: The Muslim ritual prayers
Sehri: The meal Muslims eat before fasting
Shahada: The central proclamation of Islam: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger”
Sharia: Islamic law
Sheikh: A Muslim leader, usually with graduate-level education in Islamic theology
Shia: Followers of Shi’ism, one of the two major branches of Islam
Shirk: The unforgivable sin in Islam; it is roughly equivalent to idolatry, placing something or someone in the position due to Allah
Shroud of Turin: A controversial relic, it is often believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Himself, supernaturally bearing His image
Sirah: Biographies of Muhammad’s life
Six Articles of Faith: The fundamental Muslim beliefs
Soteriology: The doctrine or study of salvation
Substitutionary atonement: The doctrine that Jesus is able to take and pay for the sins of man.
Surah: A chapter of the Quran
Synoptics: A collective term for the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke
Taraweeh: Voluntary prayers offered at night during Ramadhan
Tauheed: The Islamic doctrine of Allah’s absolute unity and self-reliance
Ulema: Muslim religious scholars
Urdu: The language of Pakistan
Wudhu: Ceremonial washing before salaat
Zakat: Obligatory alms