Glossary

I have produced a list of Arabic names and terms that a new Muslim is most likely to come across. It is by no means comprehensive - if I attempted a comprehensive list, I'd end up writing an entire dictionary! Most of the definitions here have been taken from the Muslim Directory (UK).

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Adam (AS)	The first man created by Allah
Adhan	The call to prayer, made using the human voice rather than a horn or bell, etc.
AH	After Hijrah. The Hijrah, when Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) emigrated from Mecca to Medinah, signifies the beginning of the Islamic calendar. We are currently in the year 1422 AH
Ahadith (Also Hadith)	A saying of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Fatihah	The Opening Chapter - the first Surat (chapter) of the Qur'an.
Allah	The Supreme Creator of the universe and all that exists, whom all Muslims worship. The word Allah is derived from the Arabic word Ilah (meaning god), but as the word 'god' has a plural form (gods) and a feminine form (goddess), the word Allah should always be used in it's place.
Arafat	A plain and mountain situated to the north of Mecca. Pilgrims gather here between midday and sunset on the ninth day of Hajj to pray for Allah's forgiveness.
AS	Alaika Salaam - peace be upon him Alaiki Salaam - peace be upon her Alaikum Salaam - peace be upon them This should alway be said whenever mentioning any of the Prophets from Adam through to Jesus, or any of the women regarded as being the most notable women created (namely Eve, wife of Adam - Hajar, wife of Abraham - Asiya, one of Pharoah's wives who joined Moses on his exodus - Mary, mother of Jesus - Khadija, Muhammad's first wife - and Fatima, Muhammad's youngest daughter).
Ashura	The tenth day of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar). Muslims fast on this day to commemorate the crossing of the Red Sea by Moses and his followers during their flight from Egypt.
Asr	The mid-afternoon prayer, consisting of four rak'at as Sunnah prayer, followed by four rak'at as Fard.
Assalamu Alaikum	Peace Be Upon You. This is the greeting one should give to your fellow Muslims. The reply to this is "Walaikum Salaam" (And upon you be peace).
Ayah or Ayat	A verse from the Qur'an. Literally meaning 'revelation', it can also describe a sign which leads or directs you to something important.
Ayat Al-Kursi	Verse 2:256 of the Qur'an. This is regarded as the greatest verse in the Qur'an - whoever recites this after each and every prayer is guaranteed a place in Paradise.
Bismillah	In the name of Allah
Da'wah	Inviting others to Islam through words or actions.
Dawud (AS)	David, the prophet to whom the Zabur (Psalms) were revealed.
Dhikr	Remembrance of Allah, either through thought or speech.
Diin	One's religion, faith or way of life.
Du'a	Supplication.
Eid Ul-Adha	The 'Feast of Sacrifice'. This takes place on the tenth day of Hajj, and commemorates Ibrahim offering his son Ismail in sacrifice as an act of obedience to Allah.
Eid Ul-Fitr	The 'Feast of Charity'. This three day festival marks the end of Ramadan.
Fajr	The daybreak prayer, consisting of two rak'at of Sunnah prayer followed by two rak'at as Fard.
Fard	Obligatory, such as the five daily prayers.
Fatwa	A legal verdict given according to Islamic law.
Fitrah	A person's pure state of being before it is corrupted by outside influences. This term is commonly attributed to young children, and those new converts to Islam who have just made their shahada.
Ghusl	1. A full ablution, necessary for praying after sexual intercourse or a period, for example. 2. The act of washing the deceased's body prior to the funeral.
Hajj	The fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca which every Muslim must take once in their lifetime, but only if they are healthy enough and able to afford it.
Halal	Lawful or permissible according to Islamic law, especially with regards to food and drink.
Haram	Forbidden or prohibited according to Islamic law, especially with regards to food and drink.
Hijab	The required Islamic dress code for women, in which the body is covered so that only the face and hands are exposed.
Hijrah	The emigration to Abysinnia and Medina that Muhammad and his followers undertook in order to escape the persecution they were suffering in Mecca.
Hijri	The Islamic lunar calendar, which began from the Hijrah. Each year lasts for approximately 355 days, and is comprised of 12 months - Muharram, Safar, Rabi Al-Awwal, Rabi Al-Thani, Jumada Al-Ula, Jumada Al-Thani, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul Qa'adah and Dhul Hijjah.
Iblis	The jinn who disobeyed Allah by not prostrating to Adam when ordered to, and so was expelled from His mercy. Also known as Shaytan (Satan).
Ibrahim (AS)	Abraham, one of the greatest of all prophets. He, along with his eldest son Ismail (Ishmael) rebuilt the Ka'bah in Mecca. All the prophets who came after Ibrahim were directly descended from him.
Imam	The leader of any congregational prayer. It is also sometimes used to refer to the head of an Islamic state.
Iman	Faith and trust in Allah
Insha' Allah	If Allah wills.
Isa (AS)	Jesus, one of the greatest of all prophets. It was to Isa that the Injeel (Gospels) were revealed.
Isha	The nightfall prayer, consisting of two rak'at as Sunnah prayer, followed by four rak'at as Fard, and two more as Sunnah.
Islam	Derived from the word Salam (Peace), Islam literally means 'Peace through submission to Allah'.
Jibreel	Gabriel, the angel through whom Allah conveyed his words to his prophets. He is also known as Ar Ruh al-Qudus (The Holy Spirit).
Jihad	Literally means to struggle or strive. In an Islamic sense, Jihad is the struggle to propagate or preserve Islam. This basically takes two forms: Jihad an-Nafs: fighting one's own evil traits in order to become a better person. Jihad al-Akhbar: Physically fighting against the enemies of Islam. There are strict laws governing this form of Jihad (for example, not to be the aggressor, not harming unarmed civilians, their property or livestock, and accepting the enemies call for peace immediately). Unfortunately, these are largely ignored today by those claiming to be fighting for Islam (i.e. Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups), thus giving Islam's opponants more ammunition with which to attack it. The true meaning of Jihad is better explained here.
Jinn	Beings created from fire, just as angels were created from light and mankind was created from dust. Known in the Western world as spirits, demons, ghosts etc. Like mankind, Jinn have been granted free will over their actions, therefore some are inclined to do good and some inclined to evil (unlike the angels, who are compelled by Allah to do his bidding, and therefore only do good). If one is mentioning the jinn purely of themselves, they are called jinn (plural - jinni). If one is mentioning the jinn that live among mankind, they are called aamar (plural - amaar). If one is mentioning the ones that antagonize the young, they are called arwaah. If one is mentioning the evil ones that antagonize humans they are called shaitan (plural - shayateen ). If they cause even more harm and become strong, they are called ifreet. If one is mentioning the companions assigned to each and every person who encourages that person's base desires in order to make them inclined to commit evil, they are called qareen.
Ka'bah	The structure in Mecca to which all Muslims turn to whilst praying. It was originally built by Adam (AS), then subsequently rebuilt by Ibrahim (AS) and Ismail (AS), then finally cleansed by Muhammad (SAW) and his followers after the pagans of Mecca had used it for their idol-worship for hundreds of years.
Kafir	A disbeliever in Allah, or one who disobeys Him or joins others in worship with Him.
Kalifa	The ruler of the Muslim nation. The most honoured Kalifas were the four who ruled immediately after the death of Muhammad (SAW): Abu Bakr (RA), Umar (RA), Uthman (RA), and Ali (RA).
Khutba	A sermon given at Jumu'ah (Friday) and Eid prayers.
Madinah	Medina. The holy city in present-day Saudi Arabia approximately 250 miles north of Mecca where Muhammad (SAW) emigrated and set up the first Islamic state.
Makkah	Mecca. The holy city in present-day Saudi Arabia in which the Ka'bah is situated, and where millions of Muslims make a pilgrimage every year.
Maghrib	The sunset prayer, consisting of two rak'at as Sunnah prayer, three as Fard, then two more as Sunnah.
Masjid	Mosque - any place for worship or prayer. The three holiest masjids are: Al Masjid al-Haaram (The Mosque of Sanctuary, located in Mecca) Al Masjid al-Nabawi (The Prophets Mosque, located in Medina) Al Masjid al-Aqsa (The Furthest Mosque, located in Jerusalem)
Miraj	The 'night journey' undertaken by Muhammad (SAW), during which he traveled to Jerusalem to the site of The Dome On The Rock, ascended to paradise, met other prophets residing there, and received the command from Allah that all Muslims should pray five times a day.
Muhammad (SAW)	The last prophet to be sent by Allah, to whom the Qur'an was revealed.
Musa (AS)	Moses, one of the greatest of all prophets, who lead the Israelites from Egypt and to whom the Torah was revealed.
Muslim	One who fully submits to the commandments of Allah.
Qiblah	The direction facing towards the Ka'bah in Mecca, which all Muslims face during prayer.
Qiyamah	The Day of Judgment, or Day of Resurrection. The day when all mankind will be brought forth to answer for their deeds.
Qur'an	The final divine revelation sent to mankind via Muhammad (SAW). The word Qur'an literally means 'repeatedly recited'.
RA	Radi Allah Anha - May Allah be pleased with him Radi Allah Anhi - May Allah be pleased with her Radi Allah Anhum - May Allah be pleased with them. This is customarily said whenever mentioning the names of any of Muhammad's (SAW) family or followers.
Raka (single) Raka'at (plural)	Units of prayers consisting of a series of standing, bowing, sitting and prostrating positions. See How to Pray for more details.
Ramadan	The ninth month of the Hijri calendar. It was during this month that the revelation of the Qur'an began, and the bloodless conquest of Mecca occurred.
Rasul	A prophet to whom Allah revealed divine texts, i.e. Musa, Dawud, Isa and Muhammad.
Salam	Peace
Salat	The five obligatory prayers that Muslims must perform every day. See When to Pray for more details.
SAW	Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam - Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him. To be said / written whenever Muhammad (SAW) is mentioned.
Sawm	The obligatory fast during Ramadan, one of the pillars of Islam. See Fasting for more details.
Shahadah	A declaration of faith, specifically "Ashadu Allah ilah ha illallah, Wa Ashadu ana Muhammadur Rasulullah" (I testify that there are no gods besides Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah).
Shariah	Islamic law, derived from the Qur'an and Sunnah. The Shariah is final and absolute, and cannot be changed.
Shaytan	1. Satan 2. A devil - any Jinn who is inclined to commit evil.
Shirk	Associating, invoking or worshipping anyone or anything besides Allah. This is the worst sin a Muslim can commit; in fact, anyone who commits this sin cannot be described as a Muslim.
Siwak	A branch or root from the al-Arak tree which is traditionally used as a toothbrush. It contains natural antiseptic, and is used by shaving the bark off the end, chewing the end lightly to soften it, then using it as you would normally use a toothbrush (it has a bit of a funny taste, but you soon get used to it!).
Subhan'Allah	Glory be to Allah.
Sunnah	The recorded account of what Muhammad (SAW) said and did, based on narrations from his family and companions.
Surah or Surat	A chapter of the Qur'an, of which there are 114.
SWT	Subhana Wa Ta'Ala. Often said when mentioning Allah, this is the most common way of glorifying Him. It means 'Glory to Him, the Highest'.
Tahajud	An optional prayer performed during the last half of the night.
Taqwa	The love and fear that a Muslim feels for Allah, which drives him / her to avoid things that displeases Him.
Tawhid	The belief in the absolute uniqueness of Allah, His attributes and His actions. In short, this is the very fundamental concept of Islam.
Ummah	A single Muslim nation.
Umrah	Any pilgrimage to Mecca outside of Hajj.
Wa'alaikum Salam	And upon you be peace - this is the proper reply when someone greets you with 'Asslamu Alaikum'.
Wudu	The ritual washing with water which must be performed before prayer. See Preparing to Pray for more details.
Zakat	An obligatory charity given by all but the poorest Muslims at the end of Ramadan.
Zam Zam	A sacred well in Mecca.
Zuhr	The midday prayer, this consists of four rak'at of Sunnah prayer, followed by four rak'at as Fard, then four more as Sunnah.

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