Glossary of Islamic Terms: A

Adhan is an Islamic way of calling Muslims to the five obligatory Prayers. The Adhan is announced daily from the Mosques. See Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 583, Vol. 1.

A.H.(After Hijrah)

Hijrah means emigration. The Islamic calendar starts from the year Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) emigrated from the city of Makkah to Madinah, in 622 C.E.

Ahl al-Bait

Ahl al-Bait literally means 'the people of the house', a polite form of addressing the members of the family, including husband and wife. The words occur in the Holy Quran when angels came to give glad tidings to Prophet Abraham (S.A.W.) of a son at an old age. See Surah Houd (11:73).

Ahl al-Dimmah (or Dhimmis)

are the non-Muslim subjects of an Islamic state who have been guaranteed protection of their rights- life, property and practice of their religion, etc.

Ahl al-Hadith

Refers to the group of scholars in Islam who pay relatively greater importance to 'traditions' than to other sources of Islamic doctrine such as qiyas, and tend to interpret the traditions more literally and rigorously. The term has also come to be used lately for a group of Muslims in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent who are close to the Hanbali school in theology, and claim to follow no single school on legal matters.

Ahl al-Kitab

literally 'People of the Book,' refers to the followers of Divine Revelation before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).

Ahmad

Ahmad is another name of Muhammad (S.A.W.). See Holy Quran, As-Saff (61:6). See Muhammad for more details.

Al-Akhirah

(After-Life, Hereafter, Next World). the term embraces the following ideas.

	That man is answerable to God.
	That the present order of existence will some day come to an end.
	That when that happens,God will bring another order into being in which He will resurrect all human beings, gather them together and examine their conduct, and reward them with justice and mercy.
	That those who are reckoned good will be sent to Paradise whereas the evil-doers will be consigned to Hell.
	That the real measure of success or failure of a person is not the extent of his prosperity in the present life, but his success in the Next.

'Alim (pl. Ulamah)

An Islamic religious scholar.

Allah

Allah - the greatest and most inclusive of the names of God. It is an Arabic word of rich and varied meaning, denoting the one who is adored in worship, who creates all that exists, who has priority over all creation, who is lofty and hidden, who confounds all human understanding. It is exactly the same word as, in Hebrew, the Jews use for God (Eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Allah is the same God worshipped by Muslims, Christians and Jews.

"He is God, the One God, Independent and Sought by all; He begets not, nor is He begotton, and there is none like unto Him." (The Holy Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlas)

Islam teaches that all faiths have, in essence, one common message: the existence of a Supreme Being, the one and only God, whose sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history.

Allahu Akbar

Allah is the Greatest.

Amirul Mumineen

Commander of the faithful. Title of the leader of the Islamic dominion after the death of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).

Ansar

Ansar means the 'Helpers.' (singular: Ansari). In Islamic parlance the word refers to the Muslims of Madina who helped the Muhajirin (immigrants) of Makka in the process of the latter's settling down in the new environment.

'Aqeeda

Literally means belief. In Islamic terms, it means the following six articles of faith:

1. Belief in Allah, the One God.

2. Belief in Allah's angels.

3. Belief in His revealed Books.

4. Belief in His messengers.

5. Belief in the Day of Judgement.

6. Belief in Fate and the Divine Decree.

Al-A`rab

Al-A`rab signifies the bedouin - whether of the desert or the countryside - in the vicinity of Madina. For a long time they had followed a policy of opportunism with regard to the conflict between Islam and unbelief. However, as Islam established its sway over the greater part of Hijaz and Najd and the power of the tribes hostile to Islam began to weaken, they saw their interests lay in entering the fold of Islam. For details see Surah 9.

Arafat

Arafat is a pilgrimage site, about 25 kilometers east of Makkah al-Mukaramah. Standing on 'Arafat on the 9^th of Dhul-Hijjah and staying there from mid-day to sunset is the essence of the Hajj (the Pilgrimage).

Ashab al-A`raf

Ashab al-A`raf (Heights) will be the people who are neithe righteous enough to enter Paradise nor wicked enough to be cast into Hell. They will, therefore, dwell at a place situated between the two.

Ashab al-Suffah

Ashab al-Suffah consisted of about three or four hundred Companions who spent most of their time in the company of the Prophet (S.A.W.). They acquired knowledge and had dedicated themselves wholly to serving Islam.

Al-Asma al-Husna

Al-Asma al-Husna, literally meaning the 'most excellent names' used of God, express His greatness and paramountcy, holiness, purity, and the perfection and absoluteness of all His attributes.

'Asr

'Asr is the late afternoon Prayer, the third compulsory Prayer of the day. It can be prayed between midafternoon and a little before sunset. It is also the name of Surah 103 of the Holy Quran.

Assalamu 'Alaikum

Assalamu 'Alaikum means 'Peace be on you.' Greeting of the Muslims. The response to this greeting is 'Wa 'Alaikum Assalam,' and on you be the Peace.

Athar

Sayings of the Sahabah, the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.).

Ayah (pl. ayat)

Ayah means a sign (or 'token') which directs one to something important. In the Quran the word has been used in four different senses: (1) sign or indication; (2) the phenomena of the universe (called ayat of God for the reality to which the phenomena point is hidden behind the veil of appearances); (3) miracles performed by the Prophets; and (4) individual units (i.e. verses) of the Book of God.