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122 Cards in this Set
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“Abbasids
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great dynasty of classical Islamic civilization – 750 to 1258 CE
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‘Abd
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slave or servant (esp of God). ‘Abd Allah means “slave of God”
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Adhan
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the “call” to salat (“worship”), uttered by the mu’adhdhin
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Al-ahkam al-khamsa
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the “five principles” of Islamic law relating to acts: fard (“obligatory”) sunna (recommended) mubah (indifferent) makruh (reprehensible) and haram (forbidden)
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Ahl al-‘adl wa ‘l-tawhid
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“The people of justice and (divine) unity” the formal name that the Mu’tazilites gave themselves
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Ahl al-Bayt
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people of the house ie the family of the Prophet
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Ahl al-Kitab
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people of the book meaning especially the jews and Christians, but also the Zoroastrians. Tolerated as dhimmis by Muslim gov’ts
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‘Alid
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one who has a special respect for ‘Ali and his line. Extends to the political sphere but doesn’t necessarily imply Shi’I partisanship
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‘Alim
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one learned in ‘Ailm or “religious knowledge” = plural ulama
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Ansar
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helpers, namely the Medinans who joined with Muhammad and his Meccan muslim followers in establishing the umma
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'Aqida
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a creedal statement in summary of basic religious beliefs
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Asbab nuzul al-Qur’an
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the “occasions of revelation” of the Qur’an. Historical events connected with times of specific revelations
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Aya
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"sign” of God in the created universe. It also refers to “verse” of the Qur’an
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Baqa’
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sufi technical term for eternal “abiding” with God
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Basmala
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name of the invocation: Bismillahi l’Rahmani l’Rahim (In the name of God, the beneficent, the merciful”
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Batin
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interior, esoteric, particularly with respect to saving knowledge or gnosis.
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Bid'a
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“innovation” meaning heresy in the context of Islamic law and doctrine
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Bila kayfa
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“w/o asking how”. Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s formula concerning Qur’ans literal sense including anthropomorphisms, which must be accepted bila kayfa, regardless of rational objections
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Dar al-Islam
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“the abode of islam” meaning those territories of the umma that are under muslim control. The rest of the world is Dar al-Harb – the Abode of Warfare, because it has not “surrendered” to God and come to enjoy the benefits of Shari’a rule.
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Da’wa
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“call, bidding” to Islam. Missionary activity of Muslims
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Dhikr
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“mentioning, remembering” God. The central Sufi form of spiritual discipline with many specific types.
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Dhimmi
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a member of the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) who is protected in his or her minority status when living under Muslim rule, in exchange for certain obligations such as paying the “head tax” jizya. From dhimma, a covenant of “protection”
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Din
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religion, especially in practice. Al-Din al-Islami means “the Islamic relgion”
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Du’a
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calling upon God in supplication or petition. Spontaneous and individual prayer, as distinguished from the formal prayer service of salat.
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Falsafa
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philosophy. A philosopher in Arabic is a faylasuf/p. falasifa. From the greek philosophia
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Fana’
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“passing away or extinction” the sufi technical term for the ceasing to be before attaining final union with God.
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Faqih
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one expert in fiqh, a jurist (pl fuqaha)
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Fard
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obligatory duty, as the five daily salats
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Al-Fatiha
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“the opening” meaning the first sura of the quran. It is a prayer frequently uttered in many contexts
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Fatwa
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a learned legal opinion produced by a mufti, “jurisconsultant” (pl fatawa)
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Fiqh
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“understanding” of the law, and therefore jurisprudence
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Fitna
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“trial, testing”. In islamic history, great trials and tribulations experienced by the umma as in the early dissensions (pl fitan)
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Ghayba
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“occultation” a sort of mysterious concealment. The Imami Shi’is believe that their twelfth imam is concealed by ghayba but still ruling the world.
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Hadith
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“report, event, news” a literary form that communicates the sunna of the Prophet Muhammad (pl. ahadith)
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Hadith Qudsi
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“divine saying” God’s thoughts expressed in Muhammad’s words. Occupies an exalted position between the quran and the prophetic hadith
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Hafiz
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“guardian, keeper” one who knows the Qur’an by heart
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Hajj
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pilgrimage – to mecca during pilgrimage month (dhu l’hijja) a make pilgrim is a hajji, a female a hajja, both terms of great honor
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Hal
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sufi state an unerned grace on the mystic path to God. Contrasted with maqam, an earned station on the path
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Halal
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permission, lawful, as regarding food and activities. The opposite of haram (forbidden)
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Hanafiya
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madhhab of sunni law founded by Abu Hanifa (hanafi)
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Hanbaliya
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madhhab of Sunni law founded by Ahmad ibn Hanal (hanbali/ite)
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Hanif
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in the Qur’an means pure or “generic” monotheist such as Abraham who was not a Jew Christian or Qur’anic Muslim
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Haram (accent over last a)
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in Islamic law means forbidden and punishable. Can also mean sacred and therefore also forbidden in the sense of taboo. Both haram and haram express the ambivalence of the sacred, its terrible as well as sublime sides.
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Hijab
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cover, curtain, veil, the muslim practice veiling women either by covering the hair or the entire head and face. In south asia this is called purdah and may also mean the seclusion of females
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Hijra
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emigraion esp of the prophet and his companions in 622 from mecca to medina
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‘ibada
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worship, esp the five pillars; lit. service
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‘id
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festival, there are two canonical festivals recognized by Islamic law, the great feast known as ‘idal-adha, “the feast of sacrifice” and the minor feast called ‘id al’fitr “the feast of breaking the Ramadan fast”
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ijma’
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consensus, one of the four sources of sunni fiqh
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ijtihad
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independent legal reasoning, engaged in by a mujtahid
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'ilm
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knowledge, science, those who possess knowledge of the religious sciences are called the ‘ulama
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imam
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leader as in the daily salats. The Shi’is hold an exalted view of their imams, who have been invested with infallible guidance by God. An imam may also be a religious teacher with no special sacrality.
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Iman
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“faith” a religious virtue that is more highly regarded by the Qur’an than islam, surrender. One who has faith is mu’min.
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Al-insan al-kamil
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“the complete human or perfect man”. A sufi theosophical concept of an exalted human who rules the universe as God’s agent. The insane kamil is at the top of the hierarchy of saints.
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Islam
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surrender, submission, the name of the religion of the Qur-an, one who surrenders is a muslim
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Isma’ili
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a major shi’I branch which takes its name from isma’ik, the sixth imam. Jafar al-sadiqs older son who is regarded as the true successor to ja’far. His position in the succession gives the alternative name of the seven imam shiism to the isma’ilis. The ismailis have a complex esoteric doctrine of the imam
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Isnad
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the process of providing authentication for hadiths, a sanad is a prop or support in the sense of a person who has transmitted the report. The isnad is the connection of the chain of transmitters of a given hadith.
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Isra
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a night journey, esp muhammad’s miraculous flight from mecca to Jerusalem on the night of his ascension to heaven
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Ja’fariya
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the major shi’I school of law, named after imam ja’far al-sadiq
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Al-jahiliya
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the pre-islamic Arabian era of barbaric ignorance
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Jama’a
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community or group, a synonym for the umma but it has more restricted meanings too.
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Al-Janna
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the garden, a major QWur’anic concept of the hereafter of the blessed
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Jihad
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striving or exertion, esp on the religious path or holy war
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Ka-ba
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lit cube is the main Islamic sanctuary in mecca
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Kafir
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infidel, the rood kufr includes the meaning ingratitude
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Kalam
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speech or discourse, esp on religious matters. Ilm al-Kalam is a dialectical or systematic theology.
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Khalifa
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successor or deputy esp of the prophet. Caliph
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Khilafa
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caliphate
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Khawarij
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kharijites; strict sect of early Islamic history
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Khatam al-anybiya'
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seal of the prophets, a title of Muhammad who was last and who validated the true prophecies of former times.
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Madhhab
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way of acting, procedure, school of Islamic law
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Mahdi
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guide, leader, messianic figure who will appear at the end of the world and usher in a new order. There are various theories
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Rak’a
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the basic cycle of postures in the salat consisting of standing bowing prostrating and sitting
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Ramadan
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holy month of fasting when the qur’an was first revealed
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Rasul
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messenger; type of prophet entrusted with a special divine message for a specific people. All rasuls are nabis but the reverse is not the case
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Ra’y
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personal opinion esp in legal decisions
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Ridda
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apostasy esp from Islam. Also called irtidad
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Sadaqa
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charity given freely at any time. not to be confused with zakat which is a formal religious tax
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Sahih
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sound especially of hadith
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Salat
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prayer-worship service 5x/day
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Sama'
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lit hearing, but in Sufism the participation in an ecstatic spiritual recital or concert involving music and dance
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Sawm/Siyam
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fasting from dawn until dark during the month of Ramadan
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Shafi’ya
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sunni madhhab founded by Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i
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Shahada
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bearing witness to God’s unity and Muhammad’s messengerhood – there is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God. 1x/life = one is a muslim
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Shari’a
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literally the way to the water hole, came to mean the Islamic law based on the Qur’an and the sunna
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Shaytan
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satan, evil spirit, demon
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Shi'a
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party/faction/sect; the adherents of ‘Ali, who believed that Muhammad had chosen him and his descendents as rightful successors and rulers of the Muslims. There are various subbranches
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Shirk
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association; esp of anything with God; idolatry. One who commits shirk is a mushrik. The one unforgivable sin accd’ng to the Qur’an
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Silsila
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chain” which in Sufism means a spiritual lineage traced back to the prophet thru a succession of shaykhs. The silsila has been called a spiritual isnad because it authenticates the doctrines of tariqa, just as the isnad documents a hadith
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Sufi
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wearer of course woolen frock; adept of the Islamic mystical path
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Sunna
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custom/usual procedure/ way of acting; esp of Muhammad, the prophet’s sunna is remembered and transmitted by means of the literary form known as hadith report sunna also is a legal term that means recommended
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Sunni
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popular name for the muslim majority, which is technically known as ahl al-sunna wa ‘l-Jama’a, or the People of the established custom and the community in the sense of a single normative political entity.
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Sura
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chapter of the Qur’an
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Tafsir
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explanation, commentary, esp of the Qur’an
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Tajwid
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science of euphonious recitation of the Qur’an
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Tanzih
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deeming God as beyond anthropomorphic conceptions
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Taqlid
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acceptance of a legal position or theological assertion on mere authority without independent inquiry – blind imitation
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Tariqa
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the Sufi way, a tariqa may be a method of spiritual discipline with specific techniques of meditation or it may be an actual order in the organizational sense
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Tasawwuf
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the sufi way
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tashbih
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having anthropomorphic conceptions of God. The opposite of ta’til
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Ta’til
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divesting god of all attributes, whether or not they are anthropomorphic. Opposite of tashbih
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Tawaf
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ritual circumambulating of the ka’ba
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Tawba
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repentance, the first station on the sufi path to god
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Tawhid
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maintaining gods unity, this is the central theological fundamental of the Islamic religion
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Ta’wil
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allegorical or symbolic interpretation, for example, of the Qur’an
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Ta’ziya
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consolation; the Shi’I passion drama that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at karbala
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Tilawa
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recitation of the Qur'an
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'Ulama’
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learned class of religious and legal scholars
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Umayyad
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pertaining to the Qurayshi clasn of Banu Umayya, which became the first Muslim dynasty, with its capital at Damascus – 661 to 750
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Umma
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a community having a common religion. The muslim community
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'Umra
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the “lesser hajj” entailing only the rites performed in the vicinity of the Ka’ba. May be performed at any time of the year, whereas the hajj proper must be observed on the set days of the hajj month.
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‘Urs
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marriage festivities as distinguished from the contract-signing ceremony which is known as nikah
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Usul
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“roots” meaning basic principles, as in the case of the sources of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) singular – asl
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Wahhabiya
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sternly puritanical reform movement founded in Arabia in the 18th c. by Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab
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Wahy
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inspiration – the way in which the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad including both the ideas and words
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Wajib
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obligatory, as a duty
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Wali
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one who is close like a friend, relative, protector, helper. Muslim “saint” plural “awliya”
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Waqf
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charitable trust dedicated to some pious or socially beneficial purpose. Plural “awqaf”
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Wudu
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the lesser ablution before certain ritual activities such as salat or Qur’an recitation
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Yathrib
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the oasis town to which Muhammad and his fellow Meccan Muslims migrated in the Hijra in 622. Also and most particularly known thereafter as Madinat al-Nabi, “the city of the prophet” (Medina)
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Zahir
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the external dimension of something, the plain and obvious meaning. Opposite of batin, the interior or esoteric dimension or scripture or doctrine.
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Zakat
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legal almsgiving, calculated on the basis of one’s wealth. One of the categories of Islamic worship (‘ibada). (>>>> isn’t the same as charity, sadaqa; the latter should be dispersed spontaneously and continuously)
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Zaydiya
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one of the major Shi’I branches; as a badhhab, it is close to Sunnism. Prominent in N. Yemen.
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