Glossary
Adâ: performing namâz within its appointed time.
Adab: there is a special adab in doing everything. The adab of doing something means to follow the conditions necessary for doing it in the best way.
Aqîqa: animal killed (by cutting its throat) to thank Allahu ta’âlâ for a newly born child. Two are killed for a son, while one is killed for a daughter. It is not fard. It is mustahab to kill it. That is, it is not sinful not to kill it. Please see the fourth chapter of the fifth fascicle.
Alastu: Allah’s declaration: Alastu bi-rab-bikum? “Am I not your Allah?” which, when He created Hadrat Adam, He asked to all the souls of Hadrat Adam’s descendants that would come until the end of the world.
Ansâr: those Muslims who lived in Madîna and helped Rasûlullah when he migrated to Madîna. Those companions of the Prophet who migrated to Madîna from Mekka are called Muhâjir.
Arsh: end of the world of matter surrounding the seven heavens.
As’hâb-i kahf: seven great people who survived in a cave in Tarsus. One pious action they did – they migrated to another country when their country was invaded by enemies – made them so beloved by Allahu ta’âlâ.
Awliyâ: a person whom Allahu ta’âlâ loves is called Walî. Awliyâ is the plural form ofWalî, though we sometimes use the word for both singular and plural.
Âyat: a verse in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. There are 6236 âyats in the Qur’ân al-kerîm.
Âyat-al-kursî: one of the âyats in the Qur’ân. It explains the greatness of Allahu ta’âlâ and the fact that His power is infinite.
Azân: at each prayer time, a Muslim goes up the minaret and calls all Muslims to prayer. He has to recite prescribed words. Meanings of these Arabic words are explained in the eleventh chapter.
Bid’at: wrong, false information about the dîn; an action or word that did not exist in the Dîn originally but which was concocted later. All bid’âts are corrupt.
Dhikr: to mention the name of Allahu ta’âlâ through the
heart, to remember.
Faqîr: a poor person who has property more than his subsistence but less than what will make him rich in comparison with the level of richness (nisâb) prescribed by Islam. ‘Nisâb’ is the amount of money or property a person has, excluding what he needs for his subsistence. Nisâb is equivalent to 96 grams of gold or 672 grams of silver (in the Hanafî Madhhab). Faqîr also means a person who does not regard worldly property and who does not hesitate to give his property in the way of Allah. Also, a faqîr is a person who knows that he needs everything and who expects what he needs from Allahu ta’âlâ only. He asks from men, but expects from Allahu ta’âlâ.
Fard: an action, word or thought which Allahu ta’âlâ clearly commands in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. There are two kinds of fard: 1- Fard-i ayn has to be done by everybody, e.g. performing namâz. 2- Fard-i kifâya lapses from other Muslims when one Muslim does it. For example, it is sunnat to greet a Muslim when meeting him by saying the prescribed Arabic word: “Salâmun alaikum.” And it is fard (Allah’s command) to respond to a Muslim who greets you. That is, you say, “Wa ’alaikum salâm.” If no one acknowledges the greeting they all will become sinful. If one of them greets back the duty will lapse from the others.
Fâtiha: first sûra in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. It is recited during every standing position when performing namâz. It is also recited for the souls of dead Muslims.
Fitra: alms that must be given when the month of Ramadân is over. About two kilograms of wheat or equivalent silver is given. Please see third chapter of fifth fascicle.
Hadîth: any blessed word or tradition of the Prophet.
Hadîth-i qudsî: a hadîth inspired by Allahu ta’âlâ but said by the Prophet.
Hâl: continuous variation of the kashfs and manifestations that come to the heart. Also see Kashf.
Halâl: action, word or thought permitted by Allahu ta’âlâ.
Hamd: thanking, praising and lauding. Also Hamd-u thanâ.
Harâm: an action, word or thought prohibited by Allahu ta’âlâ.
Hubb-i fillâh: loving for Allah’s sake. Hating, being hostile for Allah’s sake is called Bughdh-i fillâh.
Ibni Âbidîn: Sayyed Muhammad Amîn bin ’Umar bin Abdul’azîz is one of the savants of fiqh. He was born in Damascus in 1198 and died there in 1252 A.H. He became mature with the tawajjuh of Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî, keeping company with him. When that sun of wilâyat set in Damascus, he conducted his janâza namâz as the îmâm. He wrote many books. His explanation of Durrulmukhtâr consists of five volumes and has been printed several times with the title Raddulmuhtâr. It is the most dependable book of fiqh in the Hanafî Madhhab. The major parts of the information concerning fiqh covering 130 chapters of the Turkish version of Endless Bliss has been translated from its five volumes that were printed in Egypt in 1272 A.H.
Ijtihâd: ability to understand the symbolic, hidden meanings in the Qur’ân. Work of this kind. It is explained in more detail in Religion Reformers in Islam.
Iftâr: the act of breaking a fast. Fasting is done for thirty days in Ramadân. Iftâr is done when the sun sets. Please see the second chapter in the fifth fascicle.
Ijtibâ: Means to choose, to like.
Ikhlâs: quality and intention of doing everything for Allah’s sake.
Imâm: (pl. a’imma) 1- Profound savant, Imâm-al-Madhhab, leader, founder of a Madhhab; twelve a’imma (imâms), three male members of the Ahl-i bayt and their nine successors; Imâm-i a’zam (the greatest leader), title of Abû Hanîfa, leader of the Hanafî Madhhab. 2- Leader in public salât (namâz in jamâ’at).
Inâbat: to repent for having sinned. It has been used to mean to get attached and to adapt oneself to an Islamic savant.
Irâdat: to wish; to wish to get attached to an Islamic savant.
Ism-i a’zam: a Name of Allahu ta’âlâ which He likes best among His Names which He has communicated. He will positively accept a prayer sent by mentioning this Name. We do not know this Name.
Istighfâr: prayer for repentance; prescribed prayer recited in order to entreat Allahu ta’âlâ for forgiveness.
Jalîs-i ilâhî: jalîs means to stay together. A person who thinks of Allah every moment is called so.
Jamâ’at: a congregation of Muslims. One person performs namâz in the front; the others, behind him, preform it like him by adapting themselves to him. The person who performs it in the front is called the imâm. Those who perform it behind him are called the jamâ’at.
Janâza namâz: a namâz performed when a Muslim dies. His relatives, neighbors and acquaintances make a line in front of his dead body. They beg Allah for his forgiveness. It is necessary to beg by saying the prayers prescribed by the Dîn.
Junub: a person who needs a ghusl ablution. What causes a person to become junub is prescribed by Islam. The causes are explained in the fourth chapter.
Kalâm: its lexical meaning is a word, speech.
Kashf: manifestation, appearing of Allah’s attributes.
Kayfiyyat: peculiarity of something, showing how it is.
Khutba: the speech made in the mosque by the îmâm during Friday prayer or ’Iyd prayer.
Latâfat: fineness.
Latîfa: See first fascicle, Fanâ and Baqâ in 38th chapter.
Lawh: a smooth surface.
Mekrûh: things which our Prophet did not like and said were unpleasant. It is not a guilt to do them, but it dirties the heart.
Mashhûr: known by the majority of people.
Mubâh: action, word of thought permitted by Allahu ta’âlâ.
Muhâjir: See Ansâr.
Mujaddid: restorer. Hadrat Muhammad informed that every hundred years there will be an Islamic savant restoring Islam.
Mujaddidî: a great savant who follows the path of the great Islamic savant Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî and who educates youngsters with his methods.
Mulhid: he who goes out of the Dîn by misunderstanding one or more parts of Islam.
Murâd: chosen person to whom the deeds causing Allah’s love has been shown and facilitated.
Murâqaba: paying attention, thinking always of one thing only.
Murshid-i kâmil: a great savant who has reached perfection and can make others attain it, too.
Mushâhada: a word used by men of tasawwuf. We may say it is to see through the heart’s eye.
Mustahab: action, word or thought that brings a lot of thawâb.
Nafs: (Nafs-i ammâra). Nafs is ammâra by creation, that is, it always wishes evil and harmful deeds to be done. It is reluctant to obey the Sharî’at. The nafs of a man who obeys the Sharî’at and makes progress in the way of tasawwuf becomes mutmainna. It wishes to obey the Sharî’at.
Najâsat: any kind of dirt, filth, that prevents one from performing namâz. It is explained in more detail in the sixth chapter.
Rak’at: In performing namâz, the actions of standing, bowing and putting the head on the ground twice are altogether called a rak’at. Most prayers of namâz consist of two or four rak’ats. One of them contains three rak’ats.
Sahâba: if a Muslim has seen the Prophet, or talked to him, at least once when theProphet was alive, he is called Sahabî. Plural form of Sahabî is Sahâba or As’hâb. The word Sahâba-i kirâm includes all those great people each of whom has seen the Prophetat least once. The lowest of the Sahâba is much higher than the highest of other Muslims. If a person has not seen the Prophet but has seen or talked to one of the Sahâba at least once, he is called Tâbi’. Its plural form is Tâbi’în. In other words, the Tâbi’în are the successors of the Sahâba. If a person has not seen any of the Sahâba but has seen at least one of the Tabi’în, he is called Taba’î Tâbi’în. The Sahâba, the Tâbi’în and the Taba’i tabi’în altogether are called the Salaf-i sâlihin (the early savants).
Sahabî: See Sahâba.
Sahîh: 1- Valid, lawful; 2- A kind of hadîth. Kinds of hadîth are explained in the sixth chapter of the second fascicle of Endless Bliss.
Sajda-i sahw: two sajdas (prostrations) done as soon as namâz is over in order to have some errors forgiven that may have been done while performing namâz.
Salâtan tunjînâ: the word salât means both prayer and namâz. Muslims send their prayers to Allahu ta’âlâ so that the Prophet’s grade will go up and he will be given more goodness. Such prayers are called salât, too. Allahu ta’âlâ loves those who pray so. He rescues them from troubles. Salâtan tunjînâ means to invoke a blessing on the Prophet in order to get rid of troubles.
Sayr: to go, travel.
Sayyid: title given to the Prophet’s descendants. When they are through Hadrat Husayn, Hadrad Ali’s second son, they are called Sayyid, and when they are through Hadrat Hasan, Hadrat Ali’s elder son, they are called Sherîf.
Shar’an mekrûh: things which our Prophet disliked and said to be loathsome. It is not a guilt to do them, but it dirties the heart.
Sherîf: See Sayyid.
Silsila-i aliyya: a valuable chain. It is the chain of Islamic savants beginning with ourProphet up to today, each of whom saw the one previous to him, and followed his path, footsteps.
Sohbat: to make friends, to stay together for a long time; to talk to one another and to derive use from one another.
Shuhûd: a word used by men of tasawwuf. See Mushâhada.
Sulûk: to make progress by striving in the way shown by men of tasawwuf.
Jadhba: means the murîd’s progress with the fayd that flows into his heart from the Murshid’s heart.
Sufiyya-i aliyya: Great men of tasawwuf.
Sunnat: 1- (when used alone) The Sharî’at; 2- (when used together with the nameBook) The hadîth of the Prophet. 3- (when used together with the word Fard) Any action, word or thought liked and commanded by the Prophet.
Sûra: a chapter of the Qur’ân.
Tab’an mekrûh: any deed which our Prophet did not communicate to be mekrûh but which appears ugly and unpleasant to some people.
Tâbi’în: see Sahâba.
Ta’dîl-i arkân: see first and second fascicles of Endless Bliss.
Tahrîmî mekrûh: of those things that are Shar’an mekrûh, the ones that are loathsome and harmful. Those that are not loathsome and harmful, but should not be done are called tenzîhî mekrûh.
Takbîr: the word Allahu akbar, means: Allahu ta’âlâ is the greatest.
Taqdîth: to declare to be without defects or faults.
Tasbih: may be used for the word taqdîth, though there is a very subtle difference between their meanings.
tawâtur: to be known by Muslims all over the world.
Tawba: (after committing a sin) to repent, to promise Allah
not to do it again, to entreat Him for forgiveness. Everyone does his tawba by himself.
Tawhîd: oneness of Allahu ta’âlâ; a word describing oneness of Allahu ta’âlâ.
Thawâb: Muslims will be rewarded in the Hereafter for all their pious actions which they have done in the world. The rewards which Muslims will be given in the Hereafter are called thawâb. The word is used as an adjective as well as a noun. For example, when we say that an action is very thawâb we mean that Allahu ta’âlâ will give many rewards for the action.
Tumânînat: see first and second fascicles of Endless Bliss.
’Ushr: a kind of zakât.
Wahy: see Belief and Islam.
Wâjib: see Belief and Islam.
Walî: see Awliyâ.
Wilâyat: the grade reached by a Muslim who has managed the very hard job of adapting his every word, every action and every thought to the Sharî’at. Such a person is called a Walî.
Wilâyat-i khâssa: see first and second fascicles of Endless Bliss.
Yâddâsht: To become accustomed to thinking of Allahu ta’âlâ all the time. If one wants to think of anything besides Allahu ta’âlâ one will not be able to do it.
Yaqîn: belief without any doubt.
zâhid: a person who does not set his heart on worldly things.
Zakât: to give every year a certain amount of one’s property to the people prescribed by the Qur’ân.
Zî-rahm: One’s relative through lineage, through one’s parents.
Zî-rahm-i mahram: those zî-rahm relatives of a woman or girl who she is permitted to talk to with a bare head and arms, to stay alone in a room and to go on a trip with, but not permitted to get married to.
Zuhd: not to set one’s heart on worldly things. Person who has this quality is called zâhid.
A’ûdhu
billah-imin-esh-shaytân-ir-rajîm
Bi-s-mi-llâh-ir-Rahmân-ir-Rahîm
Resûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated: “When fasâd (mischief, instigation, disunion, tumult) runs rife among my Ummat (Muslims), a person who abides by my Sunnat will acquire blessings equal to the amount deserved by a hundred martyrs.” Scholars affiliated with any one of the four Madhhabs, (which are, namely, Hanafî, Mâlikî, Shâfi’î and Hanbalî,) are called Scholars of Ahl as-Sunna. The leader of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna is al-Imâm al-a’zam Abû Hanîfa. These scholars recorded what they had heard from the Sahâba-i-kirâm, who, in their turn, had told them what they had heard from the Messenger of Allah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’.
The earth is populated by three groups of people today:
1– Disbelievers. These people say that they are not Muslims. Jews and Christians are in this group.
2– The Sunnî Muslims. These people exist with an ever-increasing population in every country.
3– (Hypocrites called) Munâfiqs. They say that they are Muslims. With respect to îmân and some acts of worship, they are not comparable to the Ahl as-Sunnat. They are not true Muslims.
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated, “A person whom Allâhu ta’âlâ loves very much is one who learns his religion and teaches it to others. Learn your religion from the mouths of Islamic scholars!”
A person who cannot find a true scholar must learn by reading books written by the scholars of Ahl as-sunna, and try hard to spread these books. A Muslim who has ’ilm (knowledge), ’amal (practising what one knows; obeying Islam’s commandments and prohibitions), and ikhlâs (doing everything only to please Allâhu ta’âlâ) is called an Islamic scholar. A person who represents himself as an Islamic scholar though he lacks any one of these qualifications is called an ‘evil religious scholar’, or an ‘impostor’. An Islamic scholar is a guard who protects Islam. An impostor is Satan’s accomplice.[191]
[1] See chapter 20 for prayers in jamâ’at.
[2] The meaning of darûrat is explained in the fourth chapter.
[3] Our Prophet 'sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam' stated: "My Ummat (Muslims) will part into seventy-three groups (in matters of creed). Only one of these groups will be in the correct path." This single correct group of Muslims is termed 'Ahl as-sunnat wa'l jamâ'at', and a Muslim who is in this group is called 'Sunnî Muslim'.
[4] A malignant power in the human nature which urges the human being against the commandments and prohibitions of Allahu ta’âlâ. Husayn Hilmi bin Sa'îd Ishiq (Işık), 'quddîsa sirruh', a great Islamic scholar and a Walî, stated: "The Nafs is the most idiotic creature', for everything it wishes is something against it and harmful to it, (and everything it detests is something for its own good.)
[5] The fourth edition of his English version, Ethics of Islam, was accomplished in 1424 A.H. (2003).
[6] By 'a good excuse' we mean 'an excuse which Islam recognizes as an excuse that will absolve a Muslim from the responsibility of not performing an Islamic commandment. An excuse of this sort is termed 'udhr. The third chapter of the present book gives examples of such 'udhrs (excuses) pertaining to (the prayer termed) namâz.
[7] Later in the text, all these new terms will be explained in detail.
[8] The takbîr, i.e. the expression, “Allâhu akbar”, which we say to begin performing namâz.
[9] These special excuses, called ’udhr, are prescribed by Islam.
[10] That which is repugnant to the human nature.
[11] It shuld go without saying that this suggestion must be saved for such cases as you need to imitate a Madhhab other than your own.
[12] Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ismâ'îl Tahtâwî 'rahmatulâhi 'alaih' (d. 1231 [A.D. 1815] was the Muftî of Cairo representing the Hanafî Madhhab.
[13] In other words, the condition to be observed before putting on the mests is to make sure that you have washed your feet; once you have washed your feet and put on your mests, you may then complete your ablution and from then on utilize the benefit of making masah on your mests till the end of the prescribed period of time, (unless something to break an ablution happened between the time you put on your mests and the time you completed your ablution.). This convenience cannot be utilized by Muslims in the Shâfi'î Madhhab or those who imitate the Shâfi'î Madhhab, since it is fard in the Shâfi'îMadhhab to wash the limbs in the prescribed order.
[14] Parts on a person’s body which he must not show to others are called awrat parts. This subject, which is rather detailed, will be explained later in the book.
[15] For definition see the following pages.
[16] See the 34th chapter of Endless Bliss I.
[17] [In the Mâlikî Madhhab, red, yellowish or turbid blood that isues from the front of a girl that has reached the age of nine is called blood of haid (menorrhoea). It is haid as soon as the bleeding starts. As the bleeding continues, it is menstrual until immediately before the fifteenth day, and its continuation thereafter, (as it may be the case,) is judged to be istihâda (menorrhagia). If her âdat changes the next month, her new âdat is the longest period of âdat she has so far had plus three days. Bleeding that continues thereafter, as well as bleeding that continues after the fifteenth day in any case, becomes istihâda. When the kursuf (pad, tampon, sanitary towel) is found to be dry, or colourless although it may be wet, this case must be taken as the end of the menstrual period. Bleeding that a woman past the age of seventy undergoes is not haid; it is istihâda. In case a woman's bleeding continues intermittently, the days spent without bleeding are to be taken as days of purity. The number of running days of purity is. fifteen minimum. Bleeding that recurs before these fifteen days is istihâda. Such days of purity are infinite, (i.e. there is not a maximum limit.) If a bleeding stops and recurs fifteen days later, it is haid. Bleeding undergone before a childbirth is haid. If the baby is lifted out of the woman's womb through an opening cut in her abdomen, the bleeding that occurs in the immediate aftermath is not nifâs (puerperal discharge). Puerperal period is sixty days maximum. If the puerperal bleeding stops and does not recur within the following fifteen days, (the puerperal period has ended and) the woman undergoing nifâs has become tâhir (clean, purified). Bleeding that occurs thereafter is haid.]
[18] Inhabitants of the ancient city of Sodom (Sodomites), who were famous for their immoralities.
[19] Salât (namâz) of janâza is explained in detail in the fifteenth chapter of the fifth fascicle of Endless Bliss.
[20] If she chooses to do so, she will have to make another ghusl when her period is over.
[21] Parts of a person's body that should be under cover in company, (and/or during certain acts of worship,) are termed awrat parts. Please ; see chapter 8 for details.
[22] Please see chapter 7 for kinds of water.
[23] For the sake of fluency and simplicity in the delivery of our argument, we have used the word 'necessity' for the technical word 'darûrat', which in turn is explained at various places in the text.
[24] The blessed Islamic scholar, Husayn Hilmi bin Sa'îd Ishiq 'quddisa sirruh', means himself.
[25] According to a second authentic report in the Mâlikî Madhhab, najâsat, regardless of its kind and amount, is not a hindrance to namâz. It is sunnat, not fard, to wash it off.