Amin — Let it be so. Arabic equivalent to amen.
Auliya’ — Literally means ‘Friends’ and is the plural of wali, which is generally used to refer to a saintly person. Shorter version of auliya’ul-lah.
Auliya’ullah — Literally means ‘friends of Allah’. Plural of waliyyullah.
Bai‘at — Oath of allegiance to a religious leader; initiation at the hands of a Prophet or his Khalifah.
Barahin — Convincing and conclusive arguments, evidence, and proof; the singular is burhan. Short name for Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, the five part magnum opus of the Promised Messiah(as).
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 Anti christ refers to the same approach phenomenon, and we have therefore used the terms ‘Dajjal’ and ‘Antichrist’ and synonyms.
Eid — Literally, ‘Happiness that is often renewed’. Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan. Eid ul-Adha is celebrated to commemorate Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God.
Furqan — Literally, the ‘Discrimination’. Another name for the Holy Quran, meaning the discrimination between right and wrong.
Hadith — A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa). The plural is ahadith.
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 Holiness, Worship, Eminence, etc. It is also used for God in the superlative sense.
Hakam — Arbiter, Judge. A title given to the Imam Mahdi by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
Hijrah — Migration. Refers to the exodus from Makkah to Madinah by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) in the year 623 CE, which marks the beginning of the lunar calendar of Islam.
Hilal — Crescent. A term to describe a nascent moon, usually for the first three days.
Holy Prophet(sa) — A title used exclusively for the Founder of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad(sa).
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(sa) over a period of twenty-three years.
I‘jaz — lit. Miracle
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.
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.
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.
Kafir — A person who is not a Muslim; disbeliever.
Khalifa — Caliph is derived from the Arabic word khalifah, which herein means ‘successor’. Khulafa’ is the plural of Khalifah. In many divine revelations someone commissioned by God Almighty is referred to as His Khalifah. In Islamic terminology, the title ‘Khalifa-e-Rashid’ [righteous Khalifah] is applied to each 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.
Khatamul-Khulafa’ — The Seal of the Successors. A title bestowed by God upon Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian.
Khilafat — The literal meaning of the term is successorship.
Madinah — The ancient Arabian city to which the Holy Prophet(sa) emigrated from Makkah. Home to al-Masjid an-Nabawi and the tomb of the Holy Prophet(sa), the second holiest site in Islam.
Mahdi — Literally means ‘Guided’. See Imam Mahdi.
Makkah — The ancient Arabian city of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s(sa) birth, settled by Prophet Ibrahim(as), and home to the Ka‘bah, the holiest site in Islam.
Maulawi — A Muslim religious cleric.
Mi‘raj — The spiritual ascension of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) to Heaven, described in the Holy Quran and related in detail in hadith literature.
Mubahalah — Prayer duel. As described in Surah Al-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. Plural is muhaddathin or muhaddathun.
Mujaddid — Reformer. Holy personages within Islam who appeared in at the head of every century.
Qamar — Moon
Qasidah — An ode.
Quraish — The leading tribe in Makkah during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa). He himself was from the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe.
Quran — See Holy Quran.
Ramadan — The ninth month of the lunar calendar, in which fasting is prescribed for all adult, able-bodied Muslims, except those traveling, ill, pregnant, or nursing.
Sha‘ban — The eighth month in the lunar calendar, preceding Ramadan directly.
Shariah — Religious law of Islam. The term is also used in the general sense of any revealed law.
Surah — A chapter of the Holy Quran.
Taqwa — Righteousness. Fear of God.