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INST 2219 Terms
Islam and Muslim Cultures
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Islam | The religion in which people submit to God and follow the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) |
Muhammad (PBUH) | Prophet; Who Muslims consider the final messenger of Islam |
Muslim | A person who is a member of the religion Islam; One who submits |
Quran | The holy text in Islam; revelation from God |
Hadith | A collection of books that contain eye witness accounts of traditions/sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to help Muslims use correct practices. Includes the chain of transmission (isnad) of the information and the account (matn) itself |
Muminum | Meaning "Believers"; most common term used in the Quran to refer to Muhammad and his followers. |
Sira | Biographical texts recording the life of the Prophet Muhammad. |
Sunnah | Subset of ideas and values (second to the Quran) that help inform and guide Muslims, usually originating from the Prophet (PBUH) (as described in the sira and hadith) |
Ummah | The community of Muslims |
Surah | “Chapters” of the Quran |
Ayah | Lines or verses in the Surahs |
Basmala | Opening/starting line of the Surah; Important phrase |
Abu Bakir | Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) father-in-law, debated first successor or caliph of Muslim community after Prophet's death |
Ali | The cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); debated first caliph (from Shii perspective); fourth caliph of Muslim community. |
Sunni | The focus is the Sunnah of Muhammad (SAW) and majority sect of Islam who believe Abu Bakr should have been first caliph. |
Shia | Minority sect of Islam who believe Ali was Muhammad's (PBUH) chosen successor and should have been 1st caliph. Most believe in the leadership of the 12 Imams through Muhammad's (PBUH) line from his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali. |
Imam | for Shia the rightly chosen leaders for their religion through the family line of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) via his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali. |
Karbala | Holy site in modern day Iraq for Shia. The battlefield where Imam Husayn, son of Ali, was killed, along with his followers, by the caliph Yazid. |
imam | imam: Someone who leads prayer in a mosque; the leader of a Muslim community. |
Tawhid | The oneness of Allah |
Masjid | The Arabic word for mosque, place where Muslims worship, and have religious gatherings |
Five Pillars | Salat - Pray 5 times daily Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Zakat - Giving to charity Sawn - Fasting during Ramadan Shada - Declaration to faith; actual saying |
Ahl Al-Tasawwuf | An Arabic phrase used to identify Sufis; Literally "People of the Woolen Way" |
Dhikr | Literally "remembrance" or "mentioning"; Repeated recollection or mentioning of God's name. In Sufism, it is a ritual practiced in order to get closer to God. Often involves forms of meditation, ritualistic movement. |
Nafs | Self, one's identity, ego, lower impulses; What must be overcome in order to be closer to God |
Fana | The "death" of one's identity/ego (nafs) necessary for one to unite with God; Literally annihilation |
Baqa | The state achieved after fana that allows one to be as close as possible to God; Ultimate goal of Sufi practice |
Dargah | Tomb shrine built in memorium of a Muslim saint/religous figure after death; Gathering place for Sufis for prayer and dhikr. (visted by non-Muslims as well) |