Many of the Arabic terms used in this translation are found in The Oxford English Dictionary, including, Islam, Quran, Hadith, Sunnah, etc. Such words have not been italicised in the text, and generally, are not glossed here. In various places, the Promised Messiah(as) has explained various words in a linguistic context or expounded their deeper spiritual meaning, as is the case, for example, with lahw, ghamrah, istiqamat, rujz, among others. Such words, though italicised in the text, have not been included in the glossary. Similarly, foreign terms which can adequately be translated into English—though given in the text on certain occasions—have not been elaborated here. Therefore, please note that only such terms are included in this glossary which require an explanation above and beyond a simple translation in English.
alhamdulillah — literally, ‘all praise belongs to Allah’, which is an expression in Islam for showing gratitude to God.
Asr — the third of the five daily prayers, which is offered in the late afternoon.
athra — an illness caused by a weakness in the womb. On this account, a woman is either unable to conceive at all, but if successful she repeatedly miscarries; those who do give birth either deliver stillbirth or lose their children in young age.
Badr — the second official organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community established on 31 October 1902. This weekly newspaper was published from Qadian, District Gurdaspur, in the Urdu language.
Bayazid Bastami — Abu Yazid Tayfur ibn Isa ibn Surashan al-Bastami, commonly known as Bayazid Bastami was a Persian Sufi from north-central Iran. He is considered by some to be one of the pioneers of the concept of fana.
Bustan — literally, ‘The Orchard’ is a famous collection of Persian poetry by the renowned Sheikh Sa’di comprising his wise judgements on life and other anecdotes.
cowrie — the flattened yellowish shell of the money cowrie, formerly used as money in parts of Africa and the Indo-Pacific area. Cowrie is derived from the 17th century Hindi word ‘kauri.’
Dar-ul-Harb — literally, ‘Territory of War’ and refers to such territories where no treaty of peace with the Muslims exists. Various schools of thought and jurists believe that an Islamic territory taken by non-Muslims becomes a Dar-ul-Harb when Islamic law is replaced.
Dharam Mahautsav — the ‘Conference of Great Religions’ held at the Lahore Town Hall on 26th-29th December 1897 on the efforts of Swami Sadhu Shugan Chandar. The purpose of the conference was for the learned representatives of various religions to set forth the excellences of their respective faiths. For more information, please see The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace.
dhikr-e-arra — literally, the ‘invocation of the saw’. A Sufi invocation, commonly found among the Yasavi order and others. The sound that comes from the throat of those performing this chant aloud resemble the grinding of a saw and is symbolic for the Sufi ‘sawing their desires.’
Dhul-Faqar — The famous sword of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talibra, the fourth Caliph of the Holy Prophet(sa).
Fajr — the first of the five daily prayers, which is offered at dawn before sunrise.
fana-e-nadhari — literally, ‘annihilation of perception,’ is a concept held by the Sufis and saints. The Promised Messiah(as) explains elsewhere in Malfuzat that fana-e-nadhari or ‘annihilation of perception’ is when man keeps his attention towards Allah in every action and movement, and becomes so absorbed in God that he can see nothing in the world to possess any power in its own right. Such an individual can perceive and observe nothing but the power and control of Allah in all things, and he comes to realise that everything in the world happens only by God’s will.
fana — literally, ‘annihilation’ or ‘to cease to exist’. The Sufis speak of three stages in man’s spiritual journey to God. The first stage is fana, or the complete denial of the self and the realisation that only when a person imposes a death upon their own soul can they be truly united with God. The second stage is baqa (subsistence or life) and the third stage is liqa (meeting), which is the state of union with God. The state of fana fillah means to be lost or absorbed completely in the love of Allah.
Al-Hakam — the first official organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community established on 8 October 1897. The first editor of Al-Hakam was Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani(ra). This weekly newspaper was published from Qadian, District Gurdaspur.
Hujaj-ul-Kiramah — a book by Nawwab Siddiq Hasan Khan, relating to signs of the Latter Days.
ihsan — a favour, but in the context of worship, the Holy Prophet(sa) has expounded that ihsan means to worship God as though one can see Him, and if this is not possible, then at least to stand before Him in worship knowing that He can see you.
Isha — the last of the five daily prayers, which is offered in the evening, shortly after nightfall.
Maghrib — the fourth of the five daily prayers and offered right after sunset.
mahapralaya — the Grand Dissolution of the universe. The Hindus believe that the fourteen realms (loka) are destroyed; the universe and all souls are absorbed in Shiva, and a state of non-existence, as it were, prevails.
Mahdi — literally ‘the guided one’ and also refers to the Imam Mahdi—a title meaning ‘Guided Leader’, given to the Reformer of the Latter Days prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
mahram — a man or woman with whom marriage is not permissible. A non-mahram, therefore, refers to a man or woman who one can marry and between whom the shariah instructs segregation in light of the Islamic injunction of veiling.
Malfuzat — written records of sayings, discourses and audiences of pious men, Sufis and religious divines.
Maqamat-e-Hariri — a collection of 50 stories by Abu Muhammad Al-Qasim ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman Al-Hariri, commonly known as Al-Hariri of Basra, who was an Arab poet and scholar of the Arabic language. His work Maqamat-e-Hariri is a classical text and also studied for its language as a literary masterpiece.
maulvi — a Muslim cleric.
muttaqi — generally translated as ‘righteous’ but has far deeper connotations than can be encompassed in the English word ‘righteous’ alone. The word ‘muttaqi’ is from ittiqa; in Arabic, taqwa and ittiqa mean to guard oneself against sin or trouble. Ubayy ibn Ka’b explains taqwa by elaborating that a muttaqi is one who walks on thorny bushes, cautiously taking every possible care that his clothes are not caught in and torn by the branches. This also implies a fear of God which is inspired by reverential respect, awe and love—taqwa is a fear of God at the thought of losing His love. In Malfuzat, the Promised Messiah expounds that ittiqa is a lower level of piety, where an individual must force themselves to do good. He has explained that while a muttaqi remains in constant battle against evil, stumbling at times and overcoming Satan in others, a salih (also generally rendered in English as ‘righteous’ or ‘virtuous’), sits at a higher level where virtue becomes second nature to them. In the text, wherever the word ‘muttaqi’ appears it has been rendered as ‘righteous’ for the ease of English readers, but where the difference between muttaqi and salih is expounded by the Promised Messiah, the original Arabic has also been given in italics to allude to the deeper connotation just described.
nafi-o-asbat — a meditative practice among the Sufis, in which they recite, as a formula, the Muslim creed la ilaha illallahu muhammadur-rasulullah, and direct the energy of these words throughout their body, whilst holding their breath. First they recite la ilaha (there is no God) and this constitutes a negation (nafi) of all that is besides God. Then they recite illallah, (except for Allah) which is an affirmation (asbat) of the One True God.
paise — a paisa is a monetary unit in India that is equal to one hundredth of a rupee. The plural is paise.
pilau — an Indian rice dish cooked in stock and spices, typically with meat or vegetables.
puranas — Eighteen well-known works of theology compiled by the poet Vyasa (and narrator of the Mahabharata) giving his version of Hindu mythology and theology.
ruku — The bowing position in the formal Prayer.
Sab’ah Mu’allaqah — literally, ‘the seven hung’ which refers to seven renowned poems of the pre-Islamic era. They are called the ‘seven hung’ poems because they were hung on the Ka’bah as a display of literary mastery.
salahiyyat — a higher level of virtue. Please see muttaqi and salih.
salih — a virtuous person. Please see ‘muttaqi’.
sama — literally means ‘listening’. It is a Sufi practice that combines music, chanting and dance to induce mystical trance and spiritual ecstasy.
shastras — a Sanskrit word generally means precept, rules, collection, book or treatise.
Syed — a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
Tadhkira-tul-Awliya — literally ‘Memorial of the Saints’ is a book written by Farid-ud-Din Attar, a Persian poet and Sufi, about the life of renowned mystics and their miracles.
Tahajjud — the voluntary prayer offered in the middle of the night, before the obligatory Prayer at dawn.
taqiyyah — a Shia doctrine that permits one to conceal their faith, hide the truth or forgo ordinary religious duties under threat of death or injury.
tolah — a traditional Indian unit of measurement, equivalent to approximately 11.664 grams.
wahdat-ul-wujud — literally, ‘Oneness of Being’ is a Sufi doctrine generally attributed to Ibni Arabi, which suggests that God and His creation are one in the same thing. Those who believe in this doctrine are referred to as Wujudis.
wahdat-ush-shuhud — literally, ‘Oneness of Witnessing’ is a doctrine that is opposed to Oneness of Being (wahdat-ul-wujud). The doctrine was taught by the Indian Sufi Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi and puts forth that though God and His creation are not one, God’s creation is a reflection of His Being.
Zuhr — the second of the five daily prayers, which is offered in the afternoon after the sun begins to decline from its zenith.