Intro to Islam Vocab #2 J-Q

Jabriya

an early theological school that maintained that humans act entirely by divine compulsion and have absolutely no free will

Ja^cfar al-Sadiq

The sixth Imam of the Shi^cis, who is credited with founding the principal school of Shi^ci law

jahiliya

literally “ignorance” term used to describe Arab society before the advent of Islam. certain Islamist organizations have started using the term to indicate all parts of the world that do not meet their standards of virtue and good government

Jama^cat-e Islami

The most powerful Islamist organization among the Muslims of South Asia, with strong ties to Sunni Islamist organizations all over the world and growing influence in Central Asia

Jihad

literally means “striving” and is a shortened version of a longer name that means “striving in the path of God.” The concept covers all activities that defend Islam or further its cause

jinn

sentient being mentioned in the Qur’an, frequently identified as demons

Ka^cba

a cubic building located in Mecca, believed to have been built by Abraham at God’s command. It is the direction in which Muslims pray and the focus of the ritual pilgrimage called the Hajj

Kalam

literally “speech” or “dialectic” the commonest name given to theology in Islam

Khadija

The prophet’s first wife, who is also honored as the first convert to Islam

liberalism

An ideology that emphasizes, among other things, the difference between opinion and truth; it is based on the belief that people or groups with differing views should engage each other in dialog rather than try to prevail over weaker ones through violent or oppressive means

Maliki

Name of one of the 4 Sunni legal schools

masjid

A muslim place of prayer, same as a mosque

Mevlevi

the name of a Sufi order that is limited to Turkey and some other areas that once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Famous for its distinctive dhikr ritual called sema

mihrab

a prayer niche in a mosque that marks the qibla, or direction of prayer

minbar

a pulpit, one of the most important architectural features of a mosque

modernists

Reformists who subscribe to a spectrum of ideologies, all of which are united in their acknowledgement that the modern significances of human life are substantially different from those that came before it. Modernism is characterized by particular forms of rational thinking and by the belief in the importance of the individual.

mosque

a muslim place of prayer, same as a msajid

mufti

someone normally appointed by the government for the specific purpose of answering questions concerning the Islamic law (shari’a)

Muhammed

the primary prophet of islam, believed by muslims to have received divine revelation in the form of the Qur’an, and to be the last in a serioes of prophets beginning with Adam and including all the prophets mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, as well as Jesus

Muharram

the name of the first month of the Islamic calendar, synonymous with a mourning ritual practiced by members of the Twelver Shi’i sect to commemorate the martyrdom of Muhammed’s cousin Ali and his grandson Husayn

Mujtahid

a respected and learned Muslim scholar who has the right to engage in independent reasoning, or ijtihad

Muslim (fem Muslima)

a person who professes the religion of Islam

Muslim Brotherhood (Al-Ikhwan al-muslimin)

the most powerful Islamist organization in the Arab world, with strong ties to Sunni Islamist organizations in other Muslim societies

Mu^ctazila

the name of one of the most important and influential theological schools in the history of Islam

nabi (pl. anbiya)

a prophet. belief in prophecy is an important tenet of Muslim belief

Namaz

the name of the Islamic ritual prayer, same as salat

Qadariya

an early ismalic theological school that believed in absolute human free will

qadi

an islamic judge

qawwali

a very distinctive form of singing practiced by members of the Chishti Sufi order as part of their dhikr exercises

qibla

the direction of Muslim prayer, which is supposed to be performed facing the Ka’ba in Mecca from all points in the world

Qur’an

the Muslim scripture, which is believed to have been revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammed

Quraysh

the name of Muhammed’s tribe