Ahad — (pl. Ahad), or Khabr-e-Wahid, refers to those ahadith that are solitary and not duplicated by others.
Ahadith — Plural of hadith. Reported statements of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sas).
Amin — Lit. may it be so. It is used at the end of a supplication to pray that God may accept it. It is similar in meaning to ‘amen’.
Asauj — A month in a Hindu calendar.
At-tahiyyat — Lit. all kind of praise. The name of a supplication offered during the formal Prayer.
Zuhr — Lit. midday, noon. Refers to the noon Prayer (one of the five daily Prayers in Islam).
Durud — The name of a special prayer that calls down blessings upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sas) which is also a part of the formal Prayer.
Fard — Lit. compulsory or obligatory. Refers to the units of the five daily Prayers that must be performed. Contrast with ‘sunnah’, ‘nafl’, etc.
Frontier — In British India, ‘the Frontier region’ referred to the North-western Frontier Province (in present-day Pakistan) and contiguous regions of Afghanistan.
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.
Holy Prophet(sas) — A title used exclusively for the Founder of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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.
‘Isha’ — Lit. evening. Refers to the night Prayer before going to bed (one of the five daily Prayers in Islam).
Khalifah — Caliph/Successor. In Islamic terminology, the word righteous Khalifah is applied to one of the four Khulafa’ who continued the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sas).
Khalifatul-Masih — Ahmadi Muslims refer to a successor of the Promised Messiah(as) as Khalifatul-Masih. Khulafa’ is the plural of Khalifah.
Maghrib — Refers to the evening Prayer, immediatley after sunset (one of the five daily Prayers in Islam).
Mahram — Close relatives of the opposite sex who have been granted sanctity and thus may not marry one another and are not subject to the requirements of veiling etc. Non-mahram are the class of people from whom Muslims must observe purdah (veiling), lowering of gaze, etc.
Marfu‘ — Applied to those ahadith whose chain of narrators reaches up to the Holy Prophet(sas) himself.
Muttasil — Lit. ‘Continuous’ or ‘uninterrupted’. Applied to those ahadith where there is no break in the chain of narrators.
Muqallidin — Plural of muqallid, literally means ‘followers’ or ‘disciples’. The term was originally applied to the followers of one of the four Imams: Abu Hanifah, Malik, Shafi and Hanbal. All four of these Imams were true muwahhidin, believers in the Unity of God, who spent their entire lives interpreting the true teachings of Islam.
Muwahhidin — Plural of muwahhid, literally meaning a believer in the Unity of God. All Muslims, by virtue of subscribing to the Kalima-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.
Rak‘at — Plural of rak‘ah, which refers to one cycle of the formal Prayer, consisting of standing, bowing, sitting, and prostration.
Sahih — Lit. correct or authentic. A grade applied to ahadith that are deemed authentic.
Sihah Sittah — The title given to the six authentic books of ahadith, namely: Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih al-Muslim; Sunan an-Nasa’i, Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan at-Tirmidhi, and Sunan Ibni Majah.
Sirat — The name of a narrow bridge over the hellfire that all people will cross on the Day of Judgement; some will enter heaven thereby, whereas others will fall into the fire.
Sunnah — In the context of the formal Prayer, refers to those rak‘at that the Holy Prophet(sas) offered but are not prescribed as obligatory. Sunnah rak‘at are offered regularly by practicing Muslims.
Surah — A chapter of the Holy Quran.
Tawatur — Refers to those ahadith that are reported from multiple narrators, further increasing their reliability.