Islam Practices Key Terms

Islam Practices

ibadah

acts of worship; any permissible action performed with the intention to obey God

niyyah

having the right intention to worship God

Five Pillars

five duties that Muslims must follow

shahadah

Muslim declaration of faith, which all Muslims know the words

salah

prayer, compulsory for Muslims to pray 5 times a day

zakah

almsgiving, encouraging generosity and compassion; donating 2.5% of salary to charity

sawm

obligation to fast during Ramadan, teaching self-discipline

hajj

pilgrimage to Makkah; compulsory for Muslims to make the trip at least once in their lifetime if possible

Du’a

personal prayer (prayer of individual speaking to God privately)

Jumu’ah

congregational prayers which take place on Friday and is special as there’s a sermon for everyone to attend

wudu

ritual washing before prayer

mihrab

archway at the front of prayer hall in the mosque, pointing in the direction of Makkah

qibla

angle at which Muslims should pray as it points towards Makkah

takbir

standing facing Makkah with hands raised to head height saying Allahu Akbar

ruku

bow

qiyam

standing with hands on chest saying short prayer of supplication

sujud

bow and touch head to floor

jalsa

kneeling

tashahud

recitation of shahadah

salam

end of prayer

nisab

minimum earnings required to pay zakah

khalifah

Allah’s representatives on Earth

sadaqah

voluntary giving in addition to zakah, done out of compassion for others

ramadan

ninth month of Muslim calendar; month of fasting

suhur

meal eaten before dawn during ramadan

iftar

meal eaten after dusk during ramadan

night of power (laylat-ul-qadr)

night when Muhammad first received the Quran

hajji

male who has completed Hajj

hajjah

female who has completed Hajj

Dhul-Hajjah

the last month in Islamic calendar in which Hajj takes place

Hajira

Ibrahim’s wife

Ishmael

Ibrahim’s son

Ibrahim

prophet

safa and marwah

hills that Hajira ran up and down trying to find water

zamzam well

water that God made spring from the ground for Hajira and Ishmael

ihram

state of purity

tawaf

circling the Ka’ba seven times anticlockwise

sa’y

walk between mountains of Safa and Marwah seven times

wuquf

ask Allah for forgiveness at Mount Arafat

Mount Arafat

where Muhammad gave his farewell speech

mina

throwing pebbles at the three jamarat that represent shaytan

jihad

struggling against evil as either individual or collective fellowship of Islam

greater jihad

personal, inner struggle to be a good Muslim and to improve spirituality; constant duty and seen as an act of worship

lesser jihad

the struggle to defend Islam from outward threat

ten obligatory acts

rules that have to be run by Shia Muslims

khums

tax set at 20% for causes decided by Shia leaders; paid on profit and money is split between charities supporting Islamic education etc by SHIA

Amr-bil-Maroof

encouraging others to do good actions

Nahil Anril Munkar

discouraging evil actions and forbidding evil

Tawalia

association with good people and showing love

Tabarra

dissociation with evil people

ashura

festival:

• Shia commemorate the martrydom of Husayn

• Sunni commemorate Musa and the parting of the Red Sea

Husayn

Ali’s son, grandson of Muhammad and the rightful successor/third imam following Muhammad

Muharram

first month of the Islamic calendar; month Ashura is celebrated

Karbala

place that Husayn died

Id-ul-Fitr

Festival of Breaking the Fast; at the end of Ramadan

Id

festival

zakat-ul-fitr

charity of the fast

Id Mubarak

happy festival; said as greeting on Id-ul-Fitr

You Xiang

flour, water and yeast patties fried in oil

Tokhm-Jangi

food fight with hard boiled eggs in Afghanistan as celebration of Id-ul-Fitr

Id-ul-Adha

Festival of Sacrifice; celebrates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son