Glossary

(as)
An abbreviation for “alayhis salam,” meaning “peace be upon him.” The phrase typically appears after the name of a Prophet of Allah.

(ra)
An abbreviation for the Arabic phrase “radi allahu an/anha/anhum,” meaning “may Allah be pleased with him/her/them.”

(saws)
SAWS is an abbreviation for the Arabic phrase sallalahu alayhe wa salam which means may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

The phrase typically appears after the name of Prophet Muhammad (saws) or one of the other Prophets.

(swt)
An abbreviation for the Arabic phrase subhanahu wa ta’ala. The abbreviation often appears after the name of Allah and means glory be to Him, the Most High.

adab
Meaning courtesy, etiquette, rules and manners.

adhan
The Islamic call to pray given five times a day.

The wording of the adhan is:
Allah is the greatest (x4)
I bear witness there is no deity but Allah (x2)
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (x2)
Come to the prayer (x2)
Come to the success (x2)
Allah is the greatest (x2)
There is no deity but Allah.

ah
AH stands for “after hijrah.” The hijrah, in the year 622CE, is the starting point of the Islamic calendar, and was adopted as such during the rule of Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra).

The Islamic calendar is lunar rather than solar and hence a year in the Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter than in the Gregorian calendar. So, for example, 400AH corresponds to 1009CE rather than 1022CE.

ahadeeth
Pl. – see hadeeth.

ahl as-suffah
Literally, “the People of the Bench.”

The name was given to new arrivals to Madinah, during the time of the Prophet (saws), who were so poor they lived around a bench in the mosque and depended upon the charity of other Muslims.

akhira
The hereafter, i.e. the life and environment we experience after we die, including Paradise and Hellfire.

alameen
A Qur’anic term used for the mankind, jinn and all of creation.

alhamdulillah
Meaning “praise be to Allah.”

alim
An Islamic scholar.

alimah
Fem. – see alim.

Allah
Allah is the Arabic name for God, the sole creator and sustainer of the universe.

The word “Allah” is often used by Muslims in preference to “God” as unlike the later, the former is never applied to anything else, has no plural and has no gendered form.

Allahu akbar
Meaning “Allah is the greatest” or “Allah is greater.”

Allahu alam
Meaning “Allah knows best.” The phrase is used by Muslims as a reminder that we are prone to mistakes and Allah alone has perfect knowledge.

ameen
A phrase said at the end of a du’a, meaning “O Allah, respond (to what we have asked for).”

ansar
Pl. – see ansari.

ansari
Literally the term means ‘Helper;’ it refers to a Muslim who was a native of Madinah and supported the Prophet (saws) and muhajireen when they migrated there.

aqeedah
The Islamic aqeedah is the belief system or creed of Islam, based upon a firm conviction in all the fundamentals of faith and the Oneness of Allah.

arafat
Arafat is a large open plane approximately eleven miles from Makkah.

The 9th of Dhul-Hijjah is known as the Day of Arafat. Pilgrims spend it making du’a at Arafat and this is the essence of Hajj. For those not performing Hajj, fasting the Day of Arafat is highly recommended and atones for the preceding and coming year’s minor sins.

arsh
The “Throne” of Allah (cf. [17:42]), whose exact nature is known to Allah alone.

ashoora
Ashoora or the Day of Ashoora is on the 10th of Muharram. It is recommended for Muslims to fast on this day and either the preceding or following day.

asr
Asr is the afternoon prayer whose time extends from mid-afternoon until just before sunset. The asr prayer consists of four fard rakat.

assalamu alaikum
Assalamu alaikum / wa rahmatullah(i) / wa barakatahu is the Arabic for peace be upon you / and the mercy of allah / and His blessings.

The phrase, in one of the three forms, is the Islamic greeting and the greeting of the people of Paradise, and was first taught to Adam (as).