Glossary
Entries related to tasawwuf can be learned best from Hadrat Ahmad al-Fârûqî as-Sirhindî’s Maktûbât.
adhân: the Muslim call to prayer.
adilla (ash-Shar’iyya): the sources from which Islamic rules were derived: the Book, the Sunna, qiyâs al-fuqahâ and ijmâ’ al-Umma.
Ahd-i atik: the old testament.
Ahd-i jadid: the new testament.
ahkâm: rules, conclusions Ahkâm ash-Shar’iyya: the rules of Islam.
ahl: people.
Ahl al-Bayt: immediate relatives of the Prophet.
Ahl as-Sunna (wa’l-Jamâ’a): the true pious Muslims who follow as-Sahâbat al-kirâm. These are called Sunnî Muslims. A Sunnî Muslim adapts himself to one of the four Madhhabs. These Madhhabs are Hanafî, Mâlikî, Shâfi’î and Hanbalî.
Allâhu ta’âlâ: Allah the Most High.
amru bi’l-ma’rûf (wa ’n-nahyu ’ani’l-munkar): duty to teach Allâhu ta’âlâ’s commandments and prohibitions.
’Arsh: the end of matter bordering the seven skies and the Kursî which is outside the seventh sky and inside the ’Arsh.
As’hâb-i kirâm: (as-Sahâbat al-kirâm); the Companions of Rasûlullah.
Awâmir-i ashara: the ten commandments which Allâhu ta’âlâ gave Mûsâ (alaihi ’s-salâm) on Mount Tur.
Awliyâ: pl. of Walî which means a person very much beloved to Allâhu ta’âlâ.
âyat: a verse of al-Qur’ân al-kerîm; al-âyat al-kerîma.
Azrâ’il: one of the four archangels, who takes the souls of human beings.
Banî Israil: sons of Israel; Israelites; Jews.
Basmala: the Arabic phrase “Bismi’llâhi ’r-Rahmâni ’r-Rahîm” (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful).
bid’a: (pl. bida’) heresy; false, disliked belief or practice that did not exist in the four sources of Islam, but has been introduced later as an Islamic belief or ’ibâda in expectation of thawâb (blessings).
Bi’that: the year in which Hadrat Muhammad ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’ was informed that he was the Prophet.
Burâq: the animal of Paradise which took Rasûlullah from Mekka to Jerusalem during the Mi’râj event. It was white, very fast, sexless, smaller than a mule, and bigger than an ass.
dalâla: deviation from the true path of the Ahl as-Sunna.
dirham: weight unit of three grams.
efendi: a title given by the Ottoman state to a statesmen and especially to religious scholars; a form of address, meaning “Your Great Personage.”
emân: pardon; protection; guarantee.
fard: an act or thing that is commanded by Allâhu ta’âlâ in al-Qur’ân al-kerîm.
Fard ’ayn: an obligation for every Muslim.
Fard kifâya: a fard that must be done at least by one Muslim in a community.
fermân: command, especially given by the Ottoman Sultans.
fatwâ: ijtihâd (of a mujtahid); a conclusion (of a muftî) from books of fiqh concerning whether something not shown in them is permitted or not; answer to religious questions by Islamic scholars; rukhsa.
fiqh: knowledge dealing with what Muslims should do and should not do; actions, deeds, ’ibâdât.
ghazâ: a battle against non-Muslims.
hadîth: a saying of the Prophet ‘alaih’s-salâm’ al-Hadîth ash-sherîf: all the hadîths as a whole.
hadrat: title of respect used before the names of great people like prophets and Islamic scholars.
hajj: pilgrimage to Mekka, performance of which once in one’s lifetime becomes fard under certain conditions and circumstances prescribed by the Islamic Sharî’at.
hamd: thanksgiving.
harâm: not permitted in Islam.
hegira: the emigration of the Prophet ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ from Mekka to Medina.
’ibâda: worship, rite; act for which blessings will be given in the next world.
’ibâdât: (pl. of ’ibâda).
ijtihâd: (meaning or conclusion drawn by a mujtahid by) endeavouring to understand the hidden meaning in an âyat or a hadîth.
’ilm al-hâl: books of Islamic teachings (of one Madhhab) used to teach Muslims their religion.
îmân: faith, beliefs of Islam; kalâm, i’tiqâd.
iqâmat: the words recited while standing before beginning one of the five daily fard prayers.
irshâd: enlightenment; guiding; inspiring.
i’tikâf: retreat, religious seclusion during Ramadân.
Jannat: Paradise.
jâriya: non-Muslim female slave captured in war.
jihâd: war against non-Muslims (or the nafs) to convert them (it) to Islam.
jizya: tax imposed on the non-Muslim citizens living in an Islamic country (Dâr al-Islâm).
Ka’ba (t-al-mu’azzama): the big room in the great mosque in Mekka.
kâfir: a disbeliever, a non-Muslim.
kalâm: the knowledge of îmân (belief).
karâma: miracle worked by Allâhu ta’âlâ through a Walî.
karâmât: (pl. of karâma).
kerîm: gracious.
Khutba: the homily delivered at the pulpit by the imâm during the prayers of Friday and during Islamic festivals, which must be read in Arabic all over the world (it is sinful to read it in another language).
kufr: being in disbelief, (intention, statement or action) causing disbelief.
lâ-madhhabî: a person without a madhhab.
madhhab: all of what a profound ’âlim of (especially) Fiqh (usually one of the four-Hanafî, Shafi’î, Mâlikî, Hanbalî) or îmân (one of the two, namely Ash-arî, Mâturîdî) communicated.
madrasa: school where Islamic knowledge is taught.
Makrûh: (an act) improper, disliked or abstained by the Prophet.
makrûh-tahrîma: prohibited with much stress.
makrûh-tanzîhî: makrûh of a lesser degree.
masah: rubbing one’s wet hands (on one’s mests, which are soft, soleless, and waterproof shoes that cover the feet) while performing an ablution.
Masjid: mosque.
mawlid: the Prophet’s birthday; writings that describe the superiorities and excellences of the Prophet.
minbar: the high pulpit in a mosque climbed with stairs where the khutba is performed.
Mi’râj: the Prophet’s ascension from Jerusalem to heaven.
mubâh: an act neither ordered nor prohibited.
mu’jiza: miracle peculiar to prophets alone.
munâfiq: hypocrite; one who disguises himself as a Muslim though he believes in another religion.
murshid: guide, director.
murshid al-kâmil: great guide who has attained perfection and is able to assist others.
mustahab: (an act) for which there is thawâb (a blessing) and if omitted there is no sin.
nâfila: the supererogatory, additional; in the Sharî’at non-fard and non-wâjib ’ibâdât; the sunnat salâts accompanying the daily five salâts or any ’ibâdât one can perform whenever one wishes.
nafs: a negative force within man that prompts him to do evil.
nass: (general term for) an âyat or a hadîth; an âyat or a hadîth that openly states whether something is ordered or prohibited.
nisâb: minimum quantity of specified wealth making one liable to do certain duties.
pâsha: title given by the Ottoman State to a statesmen, governor and espe-cially officers of high rank (now general or admiral).
qâdi: Muslim judge.
Qur’ân al-kerîm: the Holy Koran.
Ramadân: a Sacred Month in the Muslim Calendar.
Rasûlullah: (Rasûl-Allah); Muhammad ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’, the Prophet of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
Sahâbî: (pl.as-Sahâbat al-kirâm) a Muslim who saw the Prophet ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ at least once; the companions.
Salaf (as-sâlihîn): as-Sahâba and the distinguished ones among the Tabi’în and Taba’at-Tâbi’în.
Shafâ’at: intercession.
Shaikh: an âlim of high rank; expert in zâhirî or bâtinî knowledge; master, murshid; amîr, head.
Shaikh al-Islâm: Head of the Religious Affairs Office in an Islamic State.
sirât: the bridge in the Hereafter.
suhba: companionship.
Sunna: act, thing, though not commanded by Allâhu ta’âlâ, done and liked by the Prophet ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ as an ’ibâda; there is thawâb if done, but no sin if omitted, yet it is a sin if continually omitted and disbelief if despised.
sûra: a chapter of Qur’ân al-kerîm.
tafsîr: a book of the science of interpreting the Qur’ân.
taqwâ: fearing Allâhu ta’âlâ; abstention from harâms; practising azîmas.
tasawwuf: Islamic science of spiritual progress or sufism. [See the book Maktûbât by Ahmad al-Farûqî as-Sirhindî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh’.]
tawakkul: trust in, expectation of everything from Allâhu ta’âlâ exclusively; expecting from Allâhu ta’âlâ the effectiveness of the cause (sabab) after working or holding on to the cause-before which tawakkul is unadvised.
tawhîd: (belief in) the oneness, unity, of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
tekke: (Turkish) a place, building, where a murshid trains his murîds or sâliks; darghâh or Khânaghâh (Persian), Zâwiya (Arabic).
thawâb: the (unit of) reward which has been promised and will be given in the Hereafter by Allâhu ta’âlâ as a recompense for doing and saying what He likes.
umma: the community, the body of believers, of a prophet.
Umma (al-Muhammadiyya): the Muslim Umma; followers of Muhammad ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’.
Wahhâbî: people in Arabia whose beliefs originate from the heresies of Ibn Taymiyya. (See the books Endless Bliss and Advice for the Muslim.)
wâjib: (a belief or act) almost as compulsory as a fard and not to be omitted; something never omitted by the Prophet ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’.
Walî: (pl. Awliyâ’) one who is loved and protected (by Allâhu ta’âlâ).
wara’: (after avoiding harâms) abstention from doubtful things (mushtabihât).
zakât: (fard duty of giving annually) a certain amount of certain kinds of property given to certain kinds of people, whereby the remaining property becomes purified and blessed, and the Muslim who gives it protects himself against being (called) a miser.
zindîq: an atheist who pretends to be a Muslim.
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.[41]