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GLOSSARY

‘adālah, honesty, honourable record

‘adl, (pl. ‘udūl), an honest man, a person with an honourable record

ā h.ād (khabaru’l-wāh.id), a h.adīth (tradition) reported by one chain of

authority ah.kām, (sing. h.ukm), laws, legal judgements.

‘ālim (pr. ‘ulamā’), a scholar, a learned man, a savant

amīr (pl. umarā’), an emir, a ruler

Andalūsia, al-Andalus, Muslim Spain arjah., preponderant

asbāb al-nuzūl (sing. sabab al-nuzūl, see below)

as.l (pl. us.ūl), basis, principle, theory (of divine law)

‘awām, laymen

bāt.in, an inner or secret meaning

Bāt.inīyah, seekers of the inner or spiritual meaning of the nas.s..

Bay‘ah, the pledge of allegiance bayt al-māl, public treasury

d.a‘īf, weak

dalālah, indication

dalīl, prove, evidence dhikr, a reminder; it also means remembering and mentioning, which is a

technical term for the ritual recitations of the dervishes and their

services fād.il (pl. fud.ūl), eminent

faqīh (pl. fuqahā’), a jurisprudent, a jurist whose professional interest is in

fiqh

far‘ (pl. furū ‘), branch, section, positive or substantive law fard., command, an incumbent duty of religion the performance of which is

obligatory

fatāwá (sing. fat wá, futwá, or futyā ), the formal legal opinions of a canon

lawyer (in matters of ‘ibādāt and ah.kām)

. fat wá (see fatāwá above)

fiqh, jurisprudence in Islam

fitan, (sing. fitnah), dissension, civil strife, discord fitnah, (see fitan above)

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fud.ūl (see. fād.il above)

fuqah ā ’ (see faqīh above) furū‘, (see far‘ above)

fut wá, (see. fatā wá above)

fut y ā , (see. fatā wá above)

h.add, fixed punishment; punishment indicated in the na s. s.

h.adīth, news, a story, and finally a technical term for the tradition of what

he Prophet said, did, or approved

h.ajj, pilgrimage (to Makkah)

h.arām, prohibited, forbidden, unlawful, sinful

h.ujjah, proof, evidence

h.ujjah z.annīyah (probable evidence).

h.ukm, (pl. ah.kām), legal judgement, law

‘ibādāt (sing. ‘ibādah) , acts of devotion, religious observances

ijmā‘, the consensus of the Muslim community ijtihād, independent judgement in a legal question, based upon the

interpretation and application of the Qur‘ān and the Sunnah

‘illah, cause, reason Imām, leader. It is used in a general sense, e.g., the leader in prayer, and in

the particular sense of a community leader. Among the Shī‘ah the

imāms take the place that the caliphs have among the Sunnī Muslims Imāmah, leadership

īmān, faith, belief istih.sān, preference, the application of discretion in a legal judgement

istithnā’, exception i‘tiqādāt, articles of religious faith or practice

Jāhiliyyah, pre-Islamic paganism, (lit. state of ignorance)

jamā‘ah (pl. jamā‘āt), group, community jamā‘āt (see jama‘ah above)

jamā‘ātu‘l-h.aqq, the community of the truth. It is used by Ibn H.azm in a

general sense as the Muslism community, and in the particular sense

of the followers of the Qur’ān and the genuine H...adīth

jinn, demons, genii, intelligent creatures of air and fire jumhūr, mass

jumhūr al-‘ulamā’ , the ‘ulamā’ en masse (in the mass)

kalālah, a deceased person who has neither parents nor children to give his inheritance to

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khabar, news, report

khabar khās.s.ah, a special report

khabar al-wāh.id (āh.ād ), a h.adīth reported by one chain of transmitters

khabar al-tawātur (mutawātir), a h.adīth handed down by many chains of

unimpeachable transmitters

khalaf, the tābi‘ūn and other generations khalīfah, caliph

khamr, intoxicant, wine, liquor

khawās.s., the élite who know the inner meaning of the nas.s. khut.bah, sermon, especially the Friday sermon

kitāb, document, messagekufr, infidelity

kunyah, the name consisting of Abū (Father) or Umm (mother) followed

usually by the name of the eldest son or daughter madhhab, a school of law among Sunnī Muslims

ma‘dhūr, excused

madhmūm, reprehensible mah.mūd, praised

ma’jūr, rewarded

ma‘lūm bi’l-d.arūrah, known by necessity

mamdūh., laudable

mandūb, recommended

mansūkh, abrogated matn, text, the subject-matter of a h.adīth

mawlá, , client

minbar, pulpit

muh.kamah (pl. muh.kamāt), precise, clear verse of the Qur’ān

mujmal, a word which needs explanation taken from another one; what is implied in general terms or expressed by implication

mujtahid (pl. mujtahidīn), a legist who exercises ijtihād

mujtahidīn, (see mujtahid above) munkar, reprehensible action

mutakallimīn (sing. mutakallim), Muslim theologians

mutashābihāt (sing. mutashābih), ambiguous verses of the Qur’ān mutawātir, (see khabar al-tawātur above)

nadb, recommending naqd, critique

nāsikh, abrogative

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nas.s., the divine text qād.ī, judge

qiyās, analogy, especially in jurisprudence

rak‘ah (pl. raka‘āt), unit in prayer, bowing

rasūl, messenger ra’y, personal opinion

sabab al-nuzūl, the occasion on which the verse was revealed

s.ah.ābah, (sing. s.ah.ābī), companions of the Prophet

s.ah.ābī, (see s.ah.ābah above)

salaf, the first generation of the s.ah.ābah

s.alāh, prayer

sanad, chain of narration shādhdh, deviating

sharī‘ah (pl. sharā’i‘), the canonical law of Islam; the body of regulations

which makes up the religious law shaykh, old man, leader of a tribe or a group, master, a title of respect

shubhah, judicial error

shudhūdh, deviation sirriyyah, detachment

Sunnah (pl. sunan), properly a custom or practice, and later narrowed

down to the practice of the Prophet or a h.adīth recording the same.

Sunnah includes the Prophet’s sayings, deeds and tacit approval. In

this respect often synonymous with adīth . Sunnah also means

meritorious.

sūrah, a chapter or a section of the Qur’ān tābi‘ī (pl. tābi‘īn), a person succeeding the generation of the s.ah.ābah

tābi‘ī tābi‘īn, the following of the following generation of the s.ah.ābah

tablīgh, conveyance of the message, religious instruction

tafsīr, commentary of the Qur’ān t.ā’ifah, group, band, party

takhs.īs., specification

taqlīd, decision based on the authority of preceding generations ta’wīl, interpretation, inner meaning

tawqīf, the teaching of the Prophet

ta‘zīr, discretionary punishment thiqah (thiqāt), reliable authority

‘udūl, (see ‘adl above)

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‘ulamā’, (see ‘ālim above)

ūlī ’l-amr, those who are in autority umarā’, (see amīr above)

ummah, nation, people, party, community ummu’l-walad, a slave-girl who has borne her master a child

us.ūl, (see as.l above)

uswah, model

wājib, obligatory wazīr, vizier, minister

wud.ū’, ablution, the lesser cleansing necessary before prayers

yaqīn, certitude

z.āhir, apparent state of a thing

z.akāh, alms tax

z.ann, doubt, conjecture, uncertainty (in religion)