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I had a discussion with a friend the other night and I realized that there probably needs to be more articles on terms and definitions in this section. The fundamental understanding of even basic terms differs.
I would love for those who are knowledgeable to start a weekly article on topics like...
What is Fiqh?
What are the different types of Islamic Prayer?
What are Madhhabs and what are the basic differences between the four?
These shouldn't be long or complicated articles as they are for Non-Muslims. I realized this when I was talking to my husband about prayer in Islam. Christians are unfamiliar with anything really resembling the Salat. The prayer we do is much more akin to Duaas. For example, My husband and I pray five times a day. When we wake, over each meal and then before bed. But, the style of prayers we give are supplications, not anything like Salat which is a ritualized worship of God and not a supplication of anything specific. Catholics of both the Roman and Eastern Orthodox traditions are familiar with something akin to Dhikr through the rosaries and other meditative prayers. This is a recitation meant to focus the participant on the Almighty.
This is an example of the type of articles I'm looking for in these articles. The term Prayer is different to different faiths. By setting down the Islamic definition of prayer in its forms allows for non-muslims to better understand the conversations they have with Muslims. Knowing what Figh is or what a Madhhab is and why they are important is also good. Like I said, they don't need to be lengthy in most cases and should be simplified and not overly complicated (if possible).
Rami has done a wonderful job explaining to me how Islamic law is derived from the Quran and the Hadith without them overruling each other. Khadijah has always been good about simplifying a topic for the understanding of someone who isn't studying Islam in depth.
This is a suggestion and I hope its one that is taken up by those here with the knowledge to help us non-Muslims understand the kaleidoscope of Islamic terms and definitions.
God Bless,
Angie
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Bi ismillahi rahmani raheemHi Angela, Islamic Expressions
There are a number of different
collections of Islamic terms and common expressions. Here is a
collection that I have found to be most useful to explain common
expressions and terminology used by Muslims.
ALAYHIS SALAM-
'Peace be upon him', a formula used after the name of a prophet
AMEEN-
The Arabic expression meaning 'Please accept.' Used at the end of prayers and supplictions.
ASSALAMU ALAYKUM
'Peace be upon you' the greeting of the muslim
[the reply is 'wa alaikumus salam' which means 'and peace be upon you. The
fuller version reads, 'assalam u alaikum wa rahmatulahi wa baakatuhu' which
means 'peace be upon you and the blessings and mercy of Alllah' the reply is 'wa
alaikumus salam wa rahmatulahi wa baakatuhu']
ALLAHU AKBAR-
The Arabic expression meaning 'Allah is greater.' Also called the takbir
ALLAHU ALAM-
An Arabic expression meaning 'Allah knows best'
AL HAMDU LILAH WA SHUKRU LILLAH-
The Arabic expression meaning which means 'Praise belongs to Allah and all
thanks to Allah'
AMMA BAAD-
An expression used for separating an introductory from the main topics in a
speech; the introductory being usually concerned with Allahs praises and
glorification. Literally it means 'whatever comes after'
ASTAGFURALLAH-
The Arabic expression meaning 'I ask forgiveness of Allah'
AUDHU BILLAHI MIN ASH SHAYTAN AR RAJIM-
The Arabic expression meaning 'I seek protection in Allah from the accursed
satan.'
AZZA WA JAL-
A formula used after the mentioning the name of Allah meaning 'Mighty and
Majestic is He'
BARAKALLAH FIK-
An expression which means 'May the blessings of Allah be upon you.' When a
muslims wants to thank another person, he uses different statements to express
his thanks, appreciation and gratitude. One of them is BarakAllah
BISMILLAH AR RAHMAN AR RAHIM-
The basmala. 'In the name of Allah, the all Merciful the all Compassionate.'
[this is also translated as in the name of Allah most gracious most merciful]
FI AMANALLAH-
Valedictory phrase meaning 'In Allahs protection'
FI SABILILLAH-
The Arabic expression meaning 'In the way of Allah', 'For the cause of Allah'
[also used to mean 'for the love of Allah']
HADHRAT/HAZRAT-
Literally 'Presence'; a term of address roughly equivalent to 'Your Honour'
HASBALA-
The Arabic expression, 'Hasbunallah wa nimalwakil' meaning 'Allah is enough for
us and an excellent guardian'. Usually known as 'Hasbi Allah'
HAWQALA-
The Arabic expression, 'la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' which means 'There
is no power nor strength save (expect) by Allah'
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAJIUN-
This is something which a muslim expresses when he is afflicted by a misfortune,
the meaning of which is 'We are from Allah and to Him are we returning.' It is
taken from an ayat (verse) from the Quran (ch 2 vs 156).
[this is usually said upon hearing of the death of an individual]
INSHALLAH-
The Arabic expression meaning 'If Allah wills'
[this is usually said when referring to a situation in the future e.g. inshAllah
I will go to the grocery shop tomorrow etc]
ISTIGHFAR-
To ask the forgiveness of Allah, especially by saying, Astagfuralah, 'I seek the forgiveness of Allah'
ISTITHNA-
Exception, saying 'InshAllah', 'If Allah wills'
ITAQILLAH-
The Arabic expression meaning 'Fear Allah' - i.e. To fear to do
something (i.e. a bad action), knowing that Allah is always watching.
JALLA JALALUH-
The formula said after the name of Allah meaning 'Great is His Majesty'
JAZAKALLAHU KHAIRAN-
This is a statement of thanks and appreciation to be said to a person
who does a favour. Instead of saying 'shukran' (thanks), this phrase is
used. It means 'May Allah reward you with good.
KARAM ALLAHU WAJHAHU-
'May Allah honour him', a formula used when Ali ibn Abi Talib (RadiAllahu Ta'ala anhu) is mentioned
LABBAYK-
'At your service', the talbiya or call of the pilgrim to his Lord in the hajj.
[the full talbiya is 'LabbaykAllah huma Labbayk, LabbaykAllah sharee kalala
Labbayk, innal hamda, wa naimata lakawulmulk la shareekala' which means "Here I
am O Lord, here I am, Oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here
I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partner."]
LA HAWLA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH-
The meaning of this expression is 'There is no power nor strength save in
Allah'. This is said by a muslim when he is struck with calamity, or is taken
over by a situation beyond his control.
LI WAJHILLAH-
Literally, 'For the face of Allah', meaning in order to obtain the pleasure of
Allah, purely for Allah himself.
MA SALAMA-
'With peace', a formula for ending letters
MASHALLAH-
A phrase literally meaning 'What Allah wishes', and it indicates a good omen
[example of usage, I get an A in a test, my mother would say MashAllah]
MALWANA
'Our master', a term of respect
[usually used in the context of referring to the Prophet , also however
used in the context of referring to a learned individual e.g. scholar or imam, a
concept I am not too keen on supporting and Allah knows best]
RABBANA WA LAKAL_HAMD-
'Our Lord, Praise if yours', said after rising from ruku after saying 'sami
Allahuliman hamidah'
[which means 'Allah listens to the one who praises him']
RADIYALLAHU ANHA-
The formula 'May Allah be pleased with her' used after a female companion
[usually abbreviated as RA or RAA]
RADIYALLAHU ANHU-
This is an expression to be used by muslims whenever a name of a companion of
the Prophet Muhammed is mentioned or used in writing. IT means 'May Allah be
pleased with him'
[usually abbreviated as RA or RAA]
RADIYALLAHU ANHUM-
The formula, 'May Allah be pleased with them', used after a group of companions
[usually abbreviated as RA or RAA]
RAHIMAHULLAH-
The formula, 'May Allah have mercy on him'
SALLAHU ALAYHI WA SALLAM-
'May Allah bless him and grant him peace', the formula spoken after the
mentioning of the Prophet Muhammed
[usually the following two sets of abbreviations are used for this phrase (pbuh)
which means 'peace be upon him' and is the technical reply for all Prophets or
(saws) the correct suffix when referring to the Prophet Muhammed ]
SAMI ALLAHU LIMAN HAMIDAH-
'Allah heard him who send praise to Him', said by someone praying when he rises
from ruku (unless he is following an imam in prayer)
[if he is following an imam in prayer he says 'Rabana wala kalhamd' only]
SAYYIDUNA-
'Our Master', a term of respect. Literally means 'Lord' or 'Master, or 'Leader'
[usually used to refer to the Prophet Muhammed , however many people use it
to refer to learned man / scholar, a practise I am not keen on - and Allah knows
best]. It is also frequently used to denote a descendant of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)
SHUYUKH -
Magestic plural of Shaykh, literally meaning 'Old man' - an honorific
title widely used to denote scholars, as well as tribal chieftians and
notables.
SIDI-
Colloquial for 'Sayyidi' or 'Sayyiduna' - My 'Lord/Master/Leader' - an honorific term - especially popular in North Africa.
SUBHANALLAH-
'Glorified is Allah.' To honour Allah andmake Him free from all (unsuitable evil
things) that are ascribed to Him, (or 'Glorified be Allah')
SUBHANAHU WA TA'ALA-
'Glorified is He and exalted,' an expression that muslims use when the name of
Allah is pronounced or written
[this us usually abbreviated as (swt)]
TA'ALA-
'Exalted is He', an expression used after the name of Allah is mentioned
[i.e. Allah Ta'ala meaning, Allah, exalted be He]
TAAWWUDH-
Saying, 'I seek refuge in Allah...' (audhu billahi minash shaitan nirajeem)
TABARAKALLAH-
The formula 'Blessed is Allah' [usually used in the context of when one hears good news]
TAHMID-
Saying the expression 'alhamdulillah', which means 'Praise belongs to Allah'
TAKBIR-
Saying 'Allahu akbar', which means 'Allah is Great'
TALBIYA-
Saying 'Labbayk', which means 'At your service' during the hajj
TAMJID-
Glorifying Allah
TARDIYA-
Saying one of the expressions which begin with 'radiyallahu....'
TASBIH-
Glorification, saying 'SubhanAllah', which means 'Glory be to Allah'
TASHMIT -
Uttering a prayer for the sneezer which thes the form, 'yarhamuk Allah' which
means 'may Allah have mercy on you'
[when a person sneezes he says, Ahamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), a person who
hears the sneeze says 'yarhamuk Allah' and the sneezer replies 'Yahdikumul-lah
wa Yuslih balakum' which means 'May Allah give you guidance and improve your
condition.']
ULAMA -
Scholars, or learned men. Especially applied to religious scholars, but
often used also for those learned in other branches of knowledge.
WAJHULLAH -
'The face of Allah', meaning for the sake of Allah, irrespective of any reward
in this life, purely for Allah'
ZAWIYA -
Lodge of religious order or fraternity.
http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/expressions.html
Edited by rami
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Bi ismillahi rahmani raheem
The
study of the rules of Islam (fiqh) is about categorizing and judging
human acts according to the teachings of God and His messenger. Acts
include what we do with our bodies and in our hearts. The basic
categories a student of fiqh needs to know are: Acts that are punishable in the hereafter, and rewardable to avoid:- Prohibited
(Haraam) refers to an act that is sinful and punishable in the
hereafter. It is known by obvious proofs from the Quran, Hadith or
Scholarly Consensus. Examples include adultery, fornication and
drinking wine. The worst kind of prohibited act is called blasphemy,
which are sayings, beliefs and doings that make one a non-Muslim.
- Prohibitively Disliked
(Makruuh taHriimii) refers to an act that is sinful and punishable in
the hereafter, but it is not known by obvious proofs. An example would
be shaking hands with someone of the opposite sex and a desirable age
who is not a relation, even if it is without desire. Another example is
sitting alone in a room with such a person.
- Haraam (prohibited) & Makruuh (disliked) are sometimes used as synonyms.
Acts that are NOT punishable in the hereafter, but rewardable to avoid:- Virtuously Disliked
(Makruuh tanziihhii) refers to a disliked act that is neither sinful
nor punishable in the hereafter, but it is rewardable to leave it for
the sake of Allah.
- The word �Makruuh� / �disliked� alone might mean prohibitively or virtuously.
Mandatory acts that are punishable to leave out:- Obligation
(Fard) refers to an act that is known to be punishable to leave by
obvious proofs. Obligatory acts include the 5 daily prayers and fasting
in Ramadan.
- Duty (Waajib) refers to an act
that is known to be punishable to leave by proofs that are not obvious.
An example is the Eid prayer for men.
- Fard �Obligation� and Waajib �Duty� are often used as synonyms.
Optional rewardable acts:- Ascertained Merit
(Sunnah Muakkadah) refers to an optional act that the Prophet
persistently did for the purpose of worship, but left out a few times.
To leave it out is blameworthy, but not punishable in the hereafter.
- Virtue or Etiquette
(MustaHabb or Adab) refers to an optional act that the Prophet did a
few times for the purpose of worship. Some say that the former is of
somewhat higher rank.
- Merit, Virtue and etiquette are often used as synonyms.
Acts in terms of their fulfillment of prerequisites or conditions:- Valid (Sahiih) refers to an act that has had all its prerequisites and conditions fulfilled, such as a valid prayer.
- Invalid (baaTil) refers to an act that did not have all its prerequisites or conditions fulfilled, such as an invalid prayer.
Acts that are allowed:- Permitted (mubaaH) refers to acts that are allowed, such as eating bread.
- Sometimes
the word Jaa'iz in Arabic refers to something mubaaH, other times it
means "valid." Beware that something "valid" may still have a sin in
it, such as selling grapes to someone who wants to make wine from them.
That is, the transaction is valid in that ownership was transferred,
but the seller commited a sin.
Source: http://fiqhlessons.blogspot.com/2004/07/terminology-for-lear ning-rules-of_10.html
Edited by rami
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