Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at—The Community of Muslims who have accepted the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The Community was established by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) in 1889, and is now under the leadership of his fifth Khalifah—Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his help). The Community is also known as Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya. A member of the Community is called an Ahmadi Muslim or simply an Ahmadi.
Alhamdulillah—A phrase from the Holy Quran meaning, all praise belongs to Allah alone.
Allah—Allah is the personal name of God in Islam. To show proper reverence to Him, Muslims often add Ta‘ala, translated here as ‘the Exalted’, when saying His Holy name.
Anjuman—An administrative body established by the Promised Messiah (as) for the administration of the affairs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Bai‘at—Oath of allegiance to a religious leader; initiation at the hands of a Prophet or his Khalifah.
Bukhari—A book of ahadith (the sayings) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) compiled by Hazrat Imam Muhammad Bin Isma‘il Bukhari (rta) (194H-256H). This book of ahadith is believed to be the most authentic book after the Holy Quran.
Darsul-Quran—Meetings or classes for the study of the Holy Quran.
Hazrat—A term of respect used for a person of established righteousness and piety.
Musleh-e-Mau‘ud—A title used by Ahmadi Muslims to refer to Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifatul-Masih II (ra).
Hadith—A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas). The plural is ahadith.
Holy Prophet (sas)—A term used exclusively for the Founder of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Holy Quran—The Book sent by Allah for the guidance of mankind. It was revealed word by word to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) over a period of twenty-three years.
Imam Mahdi—The title given to the Promised Reformer by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas); it means: the Guided Leader.
Istikharah—A special Prayer made to seek guidance from Allah before making an important decision.
Jalsa Salana—Annual convention or gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It was initiated by the Promised Messiah (as) himself.
Jama‘at—Jama‘at means community. Although the word jama‘at itself may refer to any community, in this book, Jama‘at specifically refers to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.
Khalifah and Khilafat—Caliph is derived from the Arabic word Khalifah, which herein means the successor. Khulafa’ is the plural of Khalifah. In Islamic terminology, the title ‘Khalifa-e-Rashid’ [righteous Khalifah] is applied to one of the first four khulafa’ who continued the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas). Ahmadi Muslims refer to each successor of the Promised Messiah (as) as Khalifatul-Masih. The institution of successorship is called Khilafat.
Khalifatul-Masih I—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I, Hakim Maulana Noor-ud-Deen (ra) (1841–1914), the first person to do the bai‘at at the hand of the Promised Messiah (as), was elected as the first Khalifah after the demise of the Promised Messiah (as). The Promised Messiah (as) has highly appreciated his faith, sincerity and sacrifices and has regarded him as a model for everybody in the ummah.
Khalifatul-Masih II—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II, Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad (ra) (1889–1965), was the second successor of the Promised Messiah (as). He is also called Musleh-e-Mau‘ud because he was born in accordance with the prophecy made by the Promised Messiah (as) in 1886 concerning the birth of a righteous son who would be endowed with unique abilities and attributes.
Khalifatul-Masih III—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih III, Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad (rta) (1909–1982), was the grandson of the Promised Messiah (as) and his third successor. Before being elected as Khalifah, he served in many key positions in the Jama‘at.
Khalifatul-Masih IV—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IV, Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rta) (1928–2003), was the fourth successor of the Promised Messiah (as). He was the grandson of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (as).
Khalifatul-Masih V—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), is the fifth successor of the Promised Messiah (as) and the current Imam of Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya. He is the great grandson of the Promised Messiah (as).
Khilafat—The institution of successorship in Islam. See also Khalifah.
Khulafa’—Plural of Khalifah. See also Khalifah.
Minaratul-Masih—A minaret in the Aqsa Mosque of Qadian, which was initiated by the Promised Messiah (as) and completed during the Khilafat of Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II (ra).
Mahdi—‘The guided one.’ This is the title given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) to the awaited Reformer of the Latter Days.
Maulana or Maulavi—A Muslim religious cleric.
Nikah—The announcement of marriage in Islam.
Muhammad—Proper name of the Holy Prophet (sas) of Islam.
The Promised Messiah—This term refers to the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. He claimed that he had been sent by Allah in accordance with the prophecies of the Holy Prophet (sas) about the coming of al-Imam al-Mahdi (the Guided Leader) and Messiah.
Sunnah—Traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) of Islam.
Surah—A term in Arabic referring to a chapter of the Holy Quran.
Shariah—Religious law.