Glossary

Adhan the call for prayers; muadhdhin is one who performs adhan

 

Dirham an Islamic silver currency weighing approximately 3.12 grams

 

Hafiz one who knows the entire text of the Holy Qur'an by heart; plurall "huffaz." In hadith, one is called haftz if he memorizes one hundred thousand traditions with their chains of narrators

 

Hajj Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhul-Hijjah Hijabah the trusteeship of the Ka'bah

 

Ihram pilgrimage garb, two white unwoven cotton robes worn by pilgrims

 

Kafir infidel, apostate, atheist, one who does not believe in the existence of the Creator, one who deliberately covers the truth.

 

Khandaq moat, ditch

 

Khums one-fifth of one's savings (usually paid by Shi'a Muslims only) set aside from annual income

 

Muhaddith one who narrates hadith, traditions of the Holy Prophet

 

Najis unclean, impure

 

Nadhr sing. of "nudhur," one's pledge to do something good, an act of charity, to show appreciation for the Almighty's fulfillment of his/her earnest worldly wish

 

Rifadah the act of feeding the pilgrims during the pilgrimage season

 

Sahih literally: authentic, correct, accurate; it is generally used to refer to a collection, group of collections, or book of verified and authenticated ahadith (plural of hadith, tradition; see muhaddith above) of the Holy Prophet

 

Sajdah prostration

 

Saraya plural of sariya, a military expedition in which the Prophet himself did not participate

 

Shari'ah Islamic legislative system

 

Siqayah the act- of providing water to the thirsty (especially the pilgrims) free of charge

 

Tafsir (sing.) exegesis or explanation of Qur'anic verses and chapters; plural: tafasir

 

Tarikh chronicle, a book of history

 

Tawaf circling around Ka'bah

 

Umrah the lesser pilgrimage done outside the month of Hajj

 

Waqf a piece of property dedicated for the promotion of any particular good cause, a charitable trust, endowment

 

And surely Allah knows best.