Glossary

Adhan The Muslim call to prayers recited five times a day throughout the Islamic world.

Ahl al-bayt The “household of the Prophet”, held in great reverence by all orthodox Muslims, especially the Shi’ites.

Arkan Literally “pillars”, it refers to the four cardinal directions as well as the four corners of the Ka’bah.

Azal Pre-eternity, referring to that “moment” before all time in which man made his primordial covenant (al-mithaq) with God.

Barakah The grace which issues from God and runs through the arteries of the universe.

Bayt al-atiq The “Ancient House”, another name used by Muslims for the Ka’bah.

Dhu al-hijjah The twelfth month of the lunar Islamic calendar during which the Hajj takes place.

Din al-fitrah The primordial religion or the religion that is inherent to man’s primordial nature.

Du’a Individual prayer which a Muslim can and should perform often. In contrast to the canonical prayers whose language must always be Arabic, the individual prayers may be said in whatever language is convenient for the believer.

Ghayb The invisible and, by extension, the spiritual world.

Ghazz Literally “battle” but used most often in reference to the early battles of the nascent Islamic community against the Meccans and their allies before the latter accepted Islam.

Ghusl Total ritual ablution of the body.

Hadith A saying of the Prophet of Islam. These sayings were compiled by later scholars into canonical collections.

Hajar al-aswad The Black Stone at a corner of the Ka’bah symbolizing man’s original covenant with God.

Hajj The annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Hajj al-umrah The shorter pilgrimage which can be performed at any time during the year, its conditions being simpler than the annual Hajj and limited to the Ka’bah and its adjacent area.

Hajji The title given to a male who has performed the annual Hajj.

Hajjiyah The title given to a female who has performed the annual Hajj.

Hanif (hunafa) A follower of primordial monotheism.

Haram Holy or sacred precinct and, more specifically, the holy precinct of Mecca.

Hubal The most prominent idol kept at the Ka’bah by pre-Islamic Arabs during the “Age of Ignorance” (jahiliyyah).

Id al-adha The Feast of Sacrifice which comes at the end of the rites of the Hajj.

Id al-qurban Persian for the Feast of Sacrifice, a term that is used also in many other Islamic languages.

Iftar The meal with which the fast during the month of Ramadan is broken at the time of sunset.

Ihram Two pieces of unsewn white cloth worn by men who are to make the Hajj.

Isha The name of the night prayers performed after the maghrib which must be performed before midnight.

Jahiliyyah Literally the “Age of Ignorance”, the term used by Muslims to refer to the historical period in Arabia before the advent of the Islamic revelation.

Jamarah of Aqabah The largest pillar in Mina symbolizing Satan, against which stones (pebbles) are cast.

Jiddah Maternal ancestor, the title of Eve in whose honor the city of Jeddah is named.

Jihad Literally exertion in the path of God, it has been often mistranslated in English as holy war.

Jihad al-akbar The great jihad, referring to the inner battle against the lower and passionate tendencies of the soul.

Jihad al-asghar The lesser jihad or the outer battle to preserve Islam and defend its borders.

Ka’bah The “House of God”, the cubic structure in Mecca built by Abraham and, according to Islamic belief, going back to Adam who built the first temple at the present site as the earthly reflection of the Divine Temple in Heaven.

Khandaq The “Ditch”, used in reference to one of the famous early battles in which the Muslims of Medina dug a ditch around the city to protect themselves from the attacks of the Meccans.

Kiswah The black cloth with golden verses of the Qur’an which covers the Ka’bah.

Khutbah The sermon delivered on Fridays during the congregational prayers.

Laylat al-Qadr The “Night of Power”, usually celebrated on the night of the 27th of Ramadan when the Qur’an first descended through the Archangel Gabriel upon the soul of the Prophet.

Madinat al-munawwarah Medina the Radiant, the traditional Islamic name for the city of Medina.

Madinat al-nabi Literally the “City of the Prophet”, which came to replace the older name of Yathrib that henceforth came to be known simply as Medina.

Maghrib Meaning both the west and the setting of the sun, it also designates the time of the evening prayers performed after sunset.

Mahshar Place of the Resurrection which, according to Islamic eschatology, will take place bodily at the Day of Judgement.

Makkat al-mukarramah Mecca the Blessed, the traditional Islamic name for the city of Mecca.

Masjid al-nabi The Mosque of the Prophet in Medina which is the prototype of all later mosques.

Mihrab The niche in the wall of the mosque indicating the direction of the qiblah before which the leader of the prayers (imam) and the worshippers stand during the canonical daily prayers.

Miraj The nocturnal ascent of the Prophet of Islam from Jerusalem to the Divine Presence.

Mithaq The covenant made between God and Adam and all his progeny before the creation of the world.

Muhajirun Those who migrated with the Prophet from Mecca to Medina in AD 622.

Mujahid One who carries out jihad either intellectually and spiritually or externally and physically, or both.

Qiblah The direction of the daily prayers toward Mecca (the Ka’bah).

Qiblah al-ula The first qiblah, that is, Jerusalem, toward which Muslims prayed before they were ordered by God to pray toward Mecca or, more exactly, the Ka’bah.

Ramadan The ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar, the holiest month of the year, during which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and when the Qur’anic revelation began.

Sakinah The Divine Peace which descends upon the believers by God’s command.

Salah/Salat The canonical prayers performed five times a day.

Sa’y Rapid movement between walking and running which pilgrims perform seven times between Safa and Marwah in emulation of Hajar/ Hagar’s running to and fro to find water for her son Ismail/Ishmael.

Shahadah Both the testimony of Islamic faith and the visible world.

Shari’ah The Divine Law of Islam based upon the two basic sources, the Qur’an and the sunnah.

Shaytan Satan or the Devil.

Shaytan al-rajim The accursed Satan or, literally, Satan against whom stone is cast.

Sunnah The wonts or actions of the Blessed Prophet which are the object of emulation by Muslims.

Talbiyah The prayer in praise of God (at Thy service, O Lord, at Thy service) repeated throughout the rites of the Hajj, especially during circumambulation around the Ka’bah.

Tawaf Circumambulation around the Ka’bah.

Tawaf al-wida The final circumambulation around the Ka’bah at the end of the Hajj.

Tawhid The principle of unity and integration, which is the central doctrine of Islam.

Ummah The religious community following a prophet, such as Jews and Christians, but used most often in reference to the Islamic community in its totality.

Wuquf Prayers offered in Arafat from the noon to the evening on the ninth day of the Hajj, marking one of the central events of the rites of pilgrimage.

Yawm al-tarwiyah Literally the “day of watering”, it refers to the eighth day of the Hajj when water is provided for the rest of the period of the pilgrimage.

Zamzam The sacred spring in Mecca near the Ka’bah discovered with the help of an angel by Hajar/Hagar when she was looking for water for her son Ismail/Ishmael.