Islam terms
Ahl al-Kitab
“people of the book,” a reference mostly to Jews and Christians.
Allah
the Arabic name for God, derived from al (the) ilah (god).
Dhimmi
The protection of non muslims under muslim rule
Fatwa
formal legal opinion, or ruling of Islamic law
Fiqh
Islamic jurisprudence. (Philosophy or theory of law)
Fitnah
this battle was the first in a civil war among Muslims, marking the opening of the gates of fitnah, or CIVIL DISCORD, which later became the basis for many political theories in Islam.
Fitrah
the innate goodness of human nature.
Tabwah
to turn toward God in repentance.
Hadith
written reports of the Prophet’s sayings and actions.
Qadar
divine predestination.
Hijra
the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622, the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
Muhajirun
emigrants from Mecca to Medina who were the first converts to Islam.
Ummah
a Muslim community.
Ijtihad
independent juristic reasoning
Islam
submission to the will of God (Allah).
Jahiliyyah
the pre-Islamic age of ignorance in Arabia
Jihad
struggle in the path of God against one’s own evil inclinations and against corruption and oppres- sion in the world
Ka'aba
the house of God, the sacred sanctuary and pilgrimage site in Mecca believed to have been built by Adam and later rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael.
Kalam
Systematic theology "The stidy of devine speech"
sunnah
literally, “trodden path,” referring to the life- style or way of the Prophet Muhammad
ulema
scholars of Islam.
Khalifah
“vice-regent of God” or leader of the Muslim state.
kufic
refers to a form of Arabic calligraphy that was developed in Kufa, Iraq.
Qu'ran
literally “recitation,” the sacred scripture of Islam, believed to have been revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel
Shirk
: to associate partners with the one God (Allah)
tawhid
monotheism, or the worship of one God, from “to make one.”
Ridda
apostasy, or turning away from a religion.
Shahadah
the Islamic statement of faith: “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
shari'ah
sacred law as revealed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
sugar house
A “sugar-house” or “sugar shack” is the English name for the French “cabane à sucre,” usually family-owned homes and restaurants where maple syrup and other related maple-products are made and sold.