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 Prayer.
Ahmadi Muslim or Ahmadi—A member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at—(Also Ahmadiyya) The Community of Muslims who accept the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The Jama‘at was established by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), and is now lead by his fifth Khalifah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his help).
Ahrar—An organisation of Muslims known for its opposition to the creation of Pakistan and to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.
Arya Samaj—A militant Hindu sect.
Hadith—A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas). The plural is ahadith.
Hazrat—A term of respect used for a person of established righteousness and piety.
Huzoor—Your Holiness; His Holiness.
Holy Prophet (sas)—A term used exclusively for Hazrat Muhammad (sas), the Prophet of Islam.
Holy Quran—The Book sent by Allah for the guidance of mankind. It was revealed to the Holy Prophet (sas) over a period of twenty-three years.
Imam—The Arabic word for a leader. The head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at is also referred to as the Imam.
Insha’Allah—An Arabic term meaning ‘God willing’.
Jalsah Salanah—Annual Convention; Annual 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 Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.
Jihad—The literal translation from the Arabic of this word is ‘striving’. The term is used to mean self-purification as well as metaphorically for religious wars.
Kalimah Shahadah—The declaration of the Islamic faith: to bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, that He is One, without any associate, and to bear witness that Muhammad (sas) is His Servant and His Messenger.
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 ‘righteous khalifah’ is applied to one of the first four khulafa’ who continued the mission of Hazrat Muhammad (sas), the Holy Prophet of Islam. Ahmadi Muslims refer to each successor of the Promised Messiah (as) as Khalifatul-Masih.
Khalifatul-Masih II—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (ra). He is also called Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (the Promised Reformer) because he was born in accordance with the prophecy made by the Promised Messiah (as) in 1886 regarding the birth of a righteous son who would be endowed with special abilities, attributes, and powers.
Khalifatul-Masih IV—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IV, Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rta) (1928–2003) was the fourth successor of the Promised Messiah (as). He was a grandson of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (as).
Khilafat—The institution of successorship in Islam.
Mahdi— ‘The guided one’. This is the title given by the Holy Prophet (sas) to the awaited Reformer of Latter Days.
Maulavi and Mullah—A Muslim religious cleric.
Nabi—Nabi means a Prophet.
Promised Messiah—The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian, India, who made his claim in fulfilment of the prophecies of the Holy Prophet (sas) regarding the coming of a Mahdi and Messiah from among the Muslims.
Rasullah—Messenger of Allah.
Sahib—A term of respect, similar to the diversity of English terms like mister or sir.
Surah—Arabic word for designating the chapters of the Holy Quran.