Aameen — A term which literally means, ‘so let it be’ and is used at the end of a supplication to pray that God may accept it. It is similar in meaning to ‘amen’.
Ahadith — Plural of hadith. Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community — Community of Muslims who have accepted the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian as the Promised Messiah. The Community was established by the Promised Messiah (as) in 1889, and is now under the leadership of his fifth Khalifah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah strengthen him). The Community is also known as Jama’at Ahmadiyya. A member of the Community is called an Ahmadi Muslim or an Ahmadi.
Alhumdulillah — The literal meaning is, ‘all praise belongs to Allah’; an expression from the Holy Quran for showing one’s gratitude to Allah.
Allah — Allah is the personal name of God in Islam. To show proper reverence for Him, the Muslims often add Ta’ala, the Exalted, when saying His Holy name.
Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) — A conference held annually and attended by Ahmadi and non-Ahmadi Muslims and other people throughout the world in large numbers. The annual conference was initiated by the Promised Messiah (as) in 1891. It is known by its original Urdu name, Jalsa Salana.
Aqtab — Plural of qutb, which means the polar star. Metaphorically applied to a saintly leader who guides people out of darkness.
Ar-Rahim — Merciful. An attribute of God as mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah and throughout the Holy Quran. The verbal noun of this attribute is Rahimiyyat.
Ar-Rahman — Gracious. An attribute of God as mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah and throughout the Holy Quran. The verbal noun of this attribute is Rahmaniyyat.
Arya Samaj — A Hindu sect founded by Pundit Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875. Their first and foremost belief is that Parmeshwar [God] is not the Creator of matter and souls. Rather, all of these things are eternal and self-subsisting like Parmeshwar.
Asr — Late afternoon. One of the five times of the daily obligatory Prayers [i.e. Salat] in Islam.
Auliya — Literally means ‘Friends’ and is the plural of wali, which is generally used to refer to a saintly person. Shorter version of auliya’ullah.
Azan — The formal call for Islamic daily Prayers
Bai’at — Oath of allegiance to a religious leader; initiation at the hands of a Prophet or his Khalifah.
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.
Durud — Invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).
Eid — Literally, ‘Happiness that is often renewed.’ Eidul-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan. Eidul-Azha is celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Hazrat Ibrahim (as) to sacrifice his son for God.
Fajr — Dawn. One of the five times of the daily obligatory Prayers [i.e. Salat] in Islam.
Furqan — Literally, the ‘Discrimination’. Another name for the Holy Quran, meaning the discrimination between right and wrong.
Ghazz-e-basar — A term in the Holy Quran that literally means ‘keeping the eyes cast down’.
Hadith — A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas). The plural is Ahadith.
Hakam — Arbiter, Judge. A title given to the Imam Mahdi by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).
Hazrat — A term of respect used to show honour and reverence for a person of established righteousness and piety. The literal meaning is: His/Her Holi- ness, Worship, Eminence, etc. It is also used for God in the superlative sense.
Holy Prophet (sas) — A title used exclusively for the Founder of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (sas).
Holy Quran — The final and perfect Scripture revealed by Allah for the guidance of mankind for all times to come. It was revealed word by word to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) over a period of twenty-three years.
Ijma — Consensus. Refers to the agreement by all or the vast majority of Muslim scholars on a matter relating to Islamic belief etc.
Ilham — Divine revelation from God, used interchangeably with wahi in Islamic terminology. The plural is ilhamat.
Imam Mahdi — A title meaning ‘Guided Leader’, given to the Reformer of the Latter Days prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas); see also About the Promised Messiah.
Insha’Allah — An Arabic term meaning ‘God-willing’. See It is Essential to Say Insha’Allah.
Istighfar — Seeking Allah’s forgiveness.
Jalsa Salana — Annual Convention, Conference, or gathering. See Annual Convention.
Jama’at — Community. Although the word Jama’at may refer to any community, in this book Jama’at generally refers to the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at.
Jizyah — A tax paid in lieu of military service by non-Muslims living in a Muslim State.
Juzw — A term meaning ‘part’; it refers to a part consisting of sixteen pages of a publication. The word is also used to denote one of the thirty parts in which the Holy Quran is divided for convenience in recitation.
Kafir — A person who is not a Muslim; disbeliever.
Ka‘bah — The first house built for the worship of God, located in Makkah. Muslims face Ka‘bah while performing their daily Prayers [i.e. Salat] and make circuits of it as a part of the pilgrimage and also as an act of devotion.
Kalimah Tayyibah — The declaration of the Islamic faith: La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur-Rasulullah, ‘ There is no one worthy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’
Kazzab — A great liar.
Khatamul-Anbiya — The Seal of the Prophets, a title accorded to the Holy Prophet (sas).
Khatamul-Khulafa — The Seal of the Successors. A title bestowed by God upon Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian.
Khatamun-Nabiyyin — The Seal of the Prophets. A title accorded by God to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) in the Holy Quran. A variant is Khatamul-Anbiya.
Khalifah — Caliph is derived from the Arabic word ‘khalifah’, which herein means ‘successor’. Khulafa is the plural of Khalifah.
Khilafat — The institution of successorship in Islam.
Khalifatul-Masih — See Khalifah.
Khulafa — See Khalifah.
Kufr — Disbelief. Describes any belief or act that is so contrary to Islamic teachings that it can cause its doer to fall outside the pale of Islam. Often used by Muslims in the context of opining on the beliefs or actions of their co-religionists.
Langar Khanah — Community Kitchen. The Promised Messiah (as) established a dining and hospitality centre that provided free meals to anyone in need, as well as those people who travelled to Qadian to visit him.
Mahdi — Literally means ‘Guided’. See Imam Mahdi.
Maulawi — A Muslim religious cleric.
Mi’raj — The spiritual ascension of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) to Heaven, described in the Holy Quran and related in detail in hadith literature.
Mubahalah — Prayer duel. As described in Surah Aal-e-‘Imran, a contest between claimants to divine support wherein each party prays for God to curse the lying party.
Muhaddath — A recipient of divine revelation.
Muhammad (sas) — Founder of Islam. See Holy Prophet (sas).
Muharram — The first month of the Islamic calendar.
Mujaddid — A Reformer. Holy personages within Islam who appeared in at the head of every century.
Mutashabihat — One of two categories into which the Holy Quran’s verses are divided. Refers to verses that are susceptible to differing interpretations.
Muwahhid — Literally meaning a believer in the Oneness of God. All Muslims, by virtue of subscribing to the Kalimah-e-Tauhid, are muwahhidin. However, the term muwahhidin has been adopted by some Muslims who consider the Quran and hadith to be sufficient sources of guidance and do not follow any Imam.
Nafs — A term in Arabic that literally means ‘self’.
Nafs-e-ammarah — The self that incites to evil. The lowest of three spiritual states; also an-nafsul-ammarah.
Nawwab — An honorific title ratified and bestowed by Mughal emperors to semi-autonomous Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. The female equivalent is ‘Begum’ or ‘Nawwab Begum’.
Nikah — The announcement of marriage in Islam.
Parmeshwar — A term in Hinduism for God. Sometimes also written as Parmeshar.
Prayer and Prayers — Three Islamic terms, all sometimes translated as ‘prayer’, should be distinguished.
The first term is du’a prayers or supplications made to God Almighty. du’a can be made at any time and in any language. It does not require any formal prescribed posture. Du’a is translated in the text as ‘prayer’ or ‘supplications’.
Secondly, Salat refers to the five daily Prayer services prescribed for all Muslims. Unlike du’a, Salat has fixed timings and modes of performance. We have retained the term Salat in the translation or have used the term ‘prescribed Prayer’, or ‘Prayer’.
Promised Messiah (as) — A title given to the Reformer prophesied to appear during the Latter Days, by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas); see also About the Promised Messiah.
Quddus — An attribute of Allah, which means the Holy.
Quran — See Holy Quran.
Qutb — The polar star. Metaphorically applied to a saintly leader who guides people out of darkness.
Rabb — Lord, Master, Creator; One who sustains and develops; One who brings to perfection by degrees.
Rabbul-alamin — An attribute of God as mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah. Meaning: ‘Lord of all the worlds’.
Rahmaniyyat — See Rahman.
Rishi — A Hindu saint or a spiritual scholar.
Rububiyyat — Allah’s attribute of sustaining or nurturing.
Sahib — A title of respect similar to diverse English terms like Mister, Honourable, and Revered.
Salat — Five daily Prayers that are obligatory for Muslims.
Sattar — Concealor of weaknesses; one of the attributes of God.
Shariah — Religious law of Islam. The term is also used in the general sense of any revealed law.
Shirk — Associating partners with God.
Sufi — A Muslim focusing on mystical and ascetic aspects of religious worship.
Sunnah — In the context of the formal Prayer, refers to those rak’aat that the Holy Prophet (sas) offered but are not prescribed as obligatory and are dropped while travelling. Sunnah rak’aat are offered regularly by practicing Muslims.
Surah — A chapter of the Holy Quran.
Tahajjud — Early morning supererogatory prayers.
Taqwa — Righteousness. Fear of God.
Tauhid — The Oneness of God—the fundamental Islamic belief that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah.
Tirmidhi — A book which contains collections of ahadith.
Ulema — A class of Muslim scholars.
Vedas — The most ancient Hindu scriptures, written in Sanskrit and containing hymns, philosophy, and guidance on ritual for the priests of the Vedic religion.
Wahi — Divine revelation from God, used interchangeably with ilham in Islamic terminology.
Walimah — Reception given by the husband after the marriage has been consummated.
Wali — Literally, ‘friend’. In the terminology of Islamic mysticism, it refers to a very pious person or a friend of Allah. The singular form is wali [friend] or waliyyullah [friend of Allah], the plural form is auliya’ullah which is sometimes abbreviated as auliya.
Zakat — The fourth pillar in Islam known as obligatory almsgiving, which constitutes the social support system in Islam for the distribution of wealth. The poor and needy are provided for by the contributions of the rich and affluent. Literally means, ‘increase’ or ‘purification.’
Zikr — Zikr is an Arabic word meaning remembrance. Zikr-e-Ilahi means the remembrance of Allah. See also Prayer and Prayers.
Zuhr — Lit. midday, noon. Refers to the early afternoon Prayer (one of the five daily Prayers in Islam).
Zul-Qarnain — Lit. One who lives in two centuries or one with two horns. Historical figure mentioned in the Holy Quran. Also contains a prophecy about the Promised Messiah (as).
Zamzam — An underground spring in Makkah that appeared at the time of extreme desperation following the prayers of Hazrat Hajirah (Hagar), the mother of Hazrat Isma‘il (Ishmael), when he appeared close to dying out of thirst. It continues to flow to this day.