4chan /Islam/: Terms

Common Islamic and Arabic phrases and concepts.

>Basic
Islam - ‘Submission to the will of God’, Islam is monotheistic faith based upon belief in one God that Prophet Muhammad was His messenger.

Muslim - ‘One who submits to God’, a Muslim is a practitioner of Islam.

Pillars of Islam - Five basic rituals of Islam, they are, Shahada (statement of faith), Salat (prayer), Zakat (charity), Hajj (pilgrimage). See the ‘Basics of Islam’ paste for more detail.

Allah - Arabic term for God, uses by non-Muslim Arabs as well.

>Phrases
Alhamdu-lillah - ‘All praise is due to God’/’Praise God’, commonly used by Muslims to recognize God for His hand in their good fortunes.

Assalamu Alaikum - ‘Peace be upon you’, an Arabic greeting, often shortened to ‘Salam’, meaning ‘Peace’.

Allahu Akbar - ‘God is the greatest’/’God is great’, Like ‘Alhamdu-lillah’, but more specific. Upon scoring a three-pointer, as Muslim basketball player, such as Shaq, might say ‘Allahu Akbar’.

Bismillah - ‘In the name of God’. Used to give authority to words. As in, “In the name of God, step aside!”

In Shaa Allah - ‘God Willing’, a phrase indicating the hope for God’s sanction of something in the future.

Subhana Allah - ‘God alone is worthy of praise’, indicates appreciation of a perceived blessing.

Masha Allah - ‘Due to God’ - A more definitive version of In Shaa Allah. Praising future inevitabilities.

Jazaku Allahu Khayran - ‘May God reward you’, Arabic phrase that means ‘thank you’.

>Basis if Islam
Quran - Book of revelations revealed to Prophet Muhammad, it forms the basis of the Islamic faith.

Hadith - The sayings, teachings, and practices of Prophet Muhammad as recorded by his contemporaries.

Sunnah - The way of life prescribed to Muslims on the basis of the Quran and Hadith.

Shariah - Islamic law/legal system.

Ummah - The worldwide community of believers.

Wajib - Required

Mustahab - Recommended

Halal - Permissible

Ahwat - Precaution against

Makruh - Recommended against

Haram - Impermissible

>Worship
Mosque/Masjid - House of worship, Muslim version of a Church/Temple.

Adhan - Call to prayer, delivered audibly from a minaret usually.

Ghusl - Spiritual Bath

Imam - Prayer leader, usually the most religiously learned member of a congregation.

Mecca - Holiest city of Islam, site of the Kaaba, the holiest site of Islam.

Medina - Second holiest city of Islam, site of Prophet Muhammad’s tomb and where Islam truly began to establish itself in Arabia.

>Islamic Calendar
Muḥarram
Ṣafar
Rabī‘ al-awwal
Rabī‘ ath-thānī
Jumādá al-ūlá
Jumādá al-ākhirah
Rajab
Sha‘bān
Ramaḍān
Shawwāl
Dhū al-Qa‘dah
Dhū al-Ḥijjah

9. Ramadan is a month of fasting from dawn to dusk, and a time of piety and reflection

12. Hajj - Is the time of pilgrimage to Mecca.

Eid - Holiday.

The other ten hold less spiritual significance, but each has a unique quality.

>Clothing
Kufi - Circular hat with a flat top worn by some Muslim men

Kafiyah - Male headscarf commonly worn by Arabs. Yasser Arafat’s is a classic example.

Hijab - A concept relating to modesty, in common usage it refers to pretty much any Muslim female scarf which does not obscure the face.

Abaya - Loose body covering/dress for Muslim women.

Niqab - Facial covering which leaves only the eyes unobscured; ‘half-niqabs’ which not obscure the eyes or the area in between and directly below them, are more common.

Burqa - Facial covering which obscures the entire face, with a screen in front of the face. Very rare outside of Afghanistan.

>Concepts
Jihad - Struggle, similar to the German word ‘kampf’. It can refer to a physical altercation, and internal struggle, or, less frequently, a war, depending on the context.

Adl - Justice.

Akhirah - The afterlife.

Deen - Piety

Iman - Religious conviction.

Mumin - Someone who has Iman

Taharat - State of purity/cleanliness