Allah — Allah is the personal name of God in Islam. To show proper reverence to Him, Muslims often add Ta‘ala, ‘the Most High’, when saying His Holy name.
Adhan — The formal call for Islamic daily Prayers.
Ahadith — Plural of hadith, See Hadith.
Ahmadi Muslim or an Ahmadi — A member of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at.
Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at — (Also Ahmadiyyah) The Community of Muslims who accept the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian as being the Promised Messiah and Mahdi; the Jama‘at was established by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) in 1889, and is now under the leadership of his fifth Khalifah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba).
Al-Imam al-Mahdi — The title given to the Promised Reformer by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa); it means guided leader.
Amin — May Allah make it so.
Asfal-us-Safilin — The lowest of the low.
Assalamo ‘Alaikum — Peace be unto you. An Islamic salutation.
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(sa) 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 Qur’an.
Chandah — Monetary contributions or donations.
Dajjal — A term in Arabic that literally means, ‘the great deceiver.’ In Islamic terminology ‘Dajjal’ refers to those satanic forces that would be unleashed in the Latter Days to oppose the Promised Messiah(as) and al-Imam al-Mahdi. A similar prophecy in the Christian faith about the appearance of the Antichrist refers to the same phenomenon, and we have therefore translated the term ‘Dajjal’ as ‘Antichrist’.
Durud — Invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
Du‘a’ — Prayer or supplication.
Eid — A Muslim feast day; Islamic celebrations at the end of Ramadan and at the conclusion of Pilgrimage.
Ghadd-e-Basar — A term in the Holy Qur’an that literally means ‘keeping the eyes cast down’.
Ghafara — A term in the Holy Qur’an that literally means ‘covering and suppressing’.
Hadith—A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa). The plural is ahadith.
Hazrat — A term of respect used for a person of established righteousness and piety.
Hajj — Pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Mecca, Arabia; also known as the fifth pillar of Islam.
Halal — Lawful, permissible or pure.
Haram — Unlawful, forbidden or impure.
Haq-Mehr — The money [or gift] a husband either gives or promises to give to his wife; it is announced at the time of nikah.
Holy Prophet(sa) — A term used exclusively for Hazrat Muhammad(sa), the Prophet of Islam.
Holy Qur’an — The Book sent by Allah for the guidance of mankind. It was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) over a period of twenty-three years.
Huzur — Your Holiness; His Holiness.
Ijtima‘ — Gathering of members of an organisation. Plural is ijtima‘at.
Imam — The Arabic word for a leader. The head of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at is also referred to as the Imam.
Insha’Allah — An Arabic term meaning ‘God-willing’.
Istighfar — Seeking Allah’s forgiveness.
Istikharah — A special Prayer made to seek guidance from Allah before making an important decision.
Jalsah Salanah — Annual convention or gathering.
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 Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at.
Jizyah — A tax paid in lieu of military service by non-Muslims living in a Muslim State.
Kalimah Shahadah — The declaration of the Islamic faith: to bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, He is One, without any associate, and to bear witness that the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) is His servant and His Messenger; also known as the first pillar of Islam.
Khalifah — 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(sa). Ahmadi Muslims refer to each successor of the Promised Messiah(as) as Khalifatul Masih.
Khalifatul Masih I — Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, Hakim Maulana Nur-ud-Din(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-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra) (1889–1965), was the second successor of the Promised Messiah(as). He is also called Musleh-e-Mau‘ ud (Promised Son) 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 Ahmadiyyah 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-Ahmadiyyah. He is the great grandson of the Promised Messiah(as).
Khilafat — The institution of successorship in Islam.
Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyyah — An organisation of Ahmadis between the ages of fifteen and forty years.
Kufr — A term in Arabic that literally means ‘disbelief’.
Lajnah Ima’illah — An organisation of Ahmadi women above the age of fifteen years.
Mahdi — ‘The guided one.’ This is the title given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) to the awaited Reformer of the Latter Days.
Maulana or Maulavi — A Muslim religious cleric.
Nikah — The announcement of marriage in Islam.
Mullah — A Muslim religious cleric.
Muttaqi — A term in Arabic that literally means ‘righteous person’.
Nafs — A term in Arabic that literally means ‘self ’.
Nafs-e-’Ammarah — A term in the Holy Qur’an that literally means ‘the self that incites to evil’.
Nawafil — Optional or supererogatory Prayers.
(The) Promised Messiah — This term refers to the Founder of the Ahmadiyyah 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 Muhammad(sa) concerning the coming of al-Imam al-Mahdi and Messiah from among the Muslims.
Purdah — From the Hindi term parda, which literally means ‘veil’; a state of seclusion or concealment.
Rak‘at — One unit of formal worship prescribed in Islam. Plural of rak‘at is rak‘at.
Ruku‘ — The bowing down position in the Prayer.
Sahib — A term of respect for a man, similar to the diversity of English terms like mister or sir.
Sadaqah — Charity or alms. The plural is Sadaqat.
Salam — An Islamic salutation of peace.
Salat — Five daily Prayers that are obligatory for Muslims.
Salat-ul-Witr — Three rak‘at of Prayer offered either at the end of ‘Isha’ Prayer or Tahajjud Prayer.
Shari‘ah — Islamic religious law.
Shirk — Associating partners with Allah.
Sufi — An Islamic mystic.
Sunnah — Traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) of Islam.
Surah — A term in Arabic referring to a chapter of the Holy Qur’an.
Tabligh — Preaching or propagating the message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat. Literally means conveying (the message).
Tahajjud Prayer — Optional Prayer of great merit offered in the latter part of the night; pre-dawn formal Islamic worship.
Taqwa — A term in Arabic that literally means ‘righteousness’.
Tauhid — The fundamental Islamic belief that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.
‘Ulema — A class of Muslim scholars.
Ummah — The larger community of Muslims.
Walimah — Reception given by the husband after the marriage has been consummated.
Wasilah — Intermediation, intercession.
Zakat — A term in Arabic that literally means ‘increase’ or ‘purification’; technically signifies the obligatory alms prescribed in Islam.