A to Z of Islam

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Proud to be a MUSLIM
Adhan (Arabic) -The call for daily prayers. The Adhan is composed of specific words and phrases to be recited loudly in the Arabic language so that the community can recognise the time schedule for the prayers.

Allah (Arabic)- The Islamic name for God in the Arabic language. Allah derives from Al-llah and means literally 'The One' or 'The God' or 'The One God'.

Asalamu- Alaykum -An Islamic greeting ‘Peace be upon you’.

Asr (Arabic)- midday prayer. The timing of Asr depends on the length of the shadow cast by an object. According to the Shafi school of jurisprudence, Asr begins when the length of the shadow of an object exceeds the length of the object. According to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, Asr begins when the length of the shadow exceeds TWICE the length of the object. In both cases, the minimum length of shadow (which occurs when the sun passes the meridian) is subtracted from the length of the shadow before comparing it with the length of the object.

Du’a-varying forms of personal prayer.

Deen (or Din) - (Arabic) the way of life in any religion together with its practices.

Dhuhr - obligatory prayers that begin after midday when the trailing limb of the sun has passed the meridian. For convenience, many published prayer timetables add five minutes to mid-day (zawal) to obtain the start of Zuhr. Zuhr ends at the start of Asr time.

Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic)- 'Feast of Fast-breaking'. The festival which marks the end of Ramadan. See Ramadan.

Eid ul-Adha (Arabic)- 'Feast of Sacrifice'. A festival commemorating the Muslim belief that Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Ishmael.

Fajr- obligatory prayer which starts with the dawn or morning twilight. Fajr ends just before sunrise.

Hadith (Arabic)- Reported sayings or actions or traditions of Mohammad (Peace be upon him) or his companions, together with the tradition of its chain of transmission that are not part of the Qur'an.

Hajj - The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that is obligatory for every Muslim. It is the fifth pillar of Islam and takes place during the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims must perform the Hajj at least once in his life. The only exception to this is for financial and health reasons .

Halal (Arabic)-something that is lawful and permitted according to Islamic din (religion), especially food that may be eaten by believers.

Haraam (Arabic) -Not lawful therefore prohibited according to Islam. Engaging in an act that is Haram (i.e. eating food like pork, drinking alcohol) would lead to punishment in the hereafter.

Hijab (Arabic)- Veil or Cover. Veil. Often used to describe the head scarf or modest dress worn by women, who are required to cover everything except face and hands in the sight of anyone other than the immediate family.

Imam (Arabic)- leader of the congregational prayer (salat) which the Muslims offer five times a day. It is sometimes used to refer to the head of an Islamic State.

Iman (Arabic)- faith in Allah.

Islam-The word Islam means 'submission and obedience’ to the will of Allah (God) submission is to accept the command of Allah, Obedience means putting the command of Allah in to practice. Islam is a complete way of life, it is the guidance provided by Allah (swt) the Creator of the Universe, for all man kind. A person who accepts the Islamic way of life and acts upon it is a Muslim.

Isha'a - obligatory prayers which start after dusk when the evening twilight disappears.

Jum'ah "Friday" -A day when Muslim's gather together, when all Muslim males must go to the Masjid to hear the Friday Khutba (sermon) and to do the Jum'ah Salat (prayer), which is prayed instead of Dhur. Surah 62 of the Holy Qur'an.

Ka'aba - A cube-shaped structure in the centre of the grand mosque in Makkah. The first house built for the worship of Allah.
Maghrib- obligatory prayer begins at sunset and ends at the start of isha’a.

Medina or Madina (Arabic)- The first city to come under Islamic rule. The prophet Mohammed (Peace beupon him)'s place of worship and grave are located in Medina.

Mufti (Arabic) -A Muslim theologist.

Muhammed or Mohammed or Mahomet (Arabic)- The last and greatest messenger and prophet of God, to whom the Quran was revealed.

Mullah (Arabic) -A Muslim scholar and teacher.

Muslim- One who claims to have accepted Islam by professing the Shahadah.

Qibla (Arabic) -Direction which Muslims face when performing salah which faces Mecca.

Quran or Qu'ran (Arabic) ("Koran" in English) -That which is read or recited. The Divine Book revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The Qur’an has 114 chapters (Suras) and is Allah's final revelation to humankind.

Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calender, during which fasting is obligatory for all Muslims, this is from just before dawn until sunset, as ordered by Allah in the Qur'an. This year Ramadan will start on the 1st September and last for 29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the moon.

Sadaqah- Voluntary payment or good action for charitable purposes.

Salah (Salat) (Arabic) The second pillar of Islam. The five obligatory prayers that a Muslim must perform every day; Fajr, Zuhr Asr, Maghrib and Isha'a. Ritual washing (wudu) is carried out before prayer. Salah is always performed in Arabic, and the prayers are recited by heart.

Sawm or Siyam (Arabic)- Fasting from just before dawn until sunset. Abstinence is required from all food and drink (including water) as well as smoking and conjugal relations. It is the fourth pillar of Islam.

Shahadah (Arabic)- Declaration of faith, which consists of the statement, "I bear witness that there is no God except Allah and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah".

Sujud- the position in salat in which the person prostrates on the ground with his hands, knees, feet, and face touching the ground.

Ummah- community or nation. It is a special name given to Muslim brotherhood and unity.

Wudu- Ritual washing performed before Salah.

Zakah (Arabic)- Literally 'purification' an Islamic charity tax where individuals pay 2.5% of one's wealth each year to benefit the poor. It is the third pillar of Islam so it is mandatory for all Muslims to pay there Zakah if they have finances.

Zakat ul-fitr- Compulsory payment that is the equivalent to the cost of feeding a person per day.
 
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