MME Definitions

Adhan

A call to prayer

Caliph

A political & symbolic authority, also known as a khalifa

Dhikr/Zikr

A form of prayer, which consists in the constant repetition/chants of a name or formula, performed either in solitude or collectively.

Dot system

a system of proportions based on the rhombic dot, created by Ibn Muqla (double check)

Eid al-Adha

The feast of Ei-al-Adha is a key religious holiday occurring during the middle of the 12 months of the Islamic calendar. The holiday  commemorates the biblical taste test when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, who was replaced with a ram. Thus, the 4 day festival encourages rich muslims come together as a family and slaughter sheep or animals alike, saving one third for their home and distributing two thirds to those in need.

Hajj

(need to write concise definition)

Halal

Halal means permissible and lawful. Halal meat refers to the slaughtering of animals that follows specific procedures and conditions based on Islamic law.

Hijra

Hijra refers to the year of 622CE, where the Prophet Muhammad and his early followers migrated from Mecca to Medina. Hijra marks the year muslims were able to practise their religion freely and developed an independent political entity which would turn into a global empire.

Iftar

The dinner of Ifta refers to the meal which breaks the daily fast during the Ramadan period, occurring at dusk.

Jihadism

• Jihad is a term found in the Quran, expressing, among other meanings, a call to fight “in the path to God” and refers to a “war waged for God”. 

• A traditional definition of jihadism posits a collective duty to defend Muslim territory under attack.

• However, the notion of jihadism had been radicalised and militarised over time to refer to an individual, religious duty to ‘fight’ to protect Islam, particularly against the West.

Jizya

An annual poll tax aimed to maintain the protection of Arab communities and their religious freedoms. 

Judeo-Arabic

A form of literary and spoken vernacular of the post-talmudic period, entailing Arabic text written in Hebrew characters, with the longest recorded history and geographical diffusion.

Mahraganat

A form of electronic music attributed to Cairo’s working class neighbourhoods which acts as a form of political resistance, specifically against the oppressive control of the Sisi regime. 

Maqam

A melodic mode featuring a distinctive sequence of tonal intervals and patterns , including notes that are recognized in Western notation.

Mehter

The oldest known military band in the world, established by the 1300s. Today mehter is performed in various festivals as a historical music.

Miaphysitism

one, unified nature of Christ

Minbar

A key hallmark of Middle Eastern Classic Architecture entailing an elevated pulpit in a mosque from which the Friday sermon is delivered.

Muqarnas

An architectural form resembling honey-combs, typically decorating domes, walls and entrances. This style is emblematic entering a new, heavenly, cosmic space.

Nagid

?

Nakba

The traumatic loss of Palestinian land as a result of the establishment of Israel during 1948, translating to mean means ‘disaster’ or catastrophe.

Nawruz/Nowruz

Meaning “new day”, marking the Persian New Year that begins with the spring equinox, representing life and rebirth. Observed by religious, non-religious and secularist groups as well as non-Muslims.

Ottomanism

?

Pan-Islamism

?

Raï

An earthy, bluesy, uninhibited musical genre, expressing stories straight from the street and the heart, in colloquial Algerian Arabic.

Salafism

Salafism is a radical religious trend that proposes to come back to the fundamentals of Islam as expressed by the Quran and the Tradition of the Prophet, that has a “neutral” or at least nonmilitant approach to politics.

Sikah/Segah

A musical mode described as “the neutral third” known for its tonal ambiguity.

Sufism

A devotional and mystical current of the Islamic tradition which seeks to achieve  oneness with God through prayer (such as metaphysics, music, and poetry).

Suhoor

The dawn meal (suhoor) during the month of Ramadan

Tarab

Ecstasy that results from a performance in which the performer and the audience are perfectly matched; a heightened state of consciousness

Wahhabism

A modern puritan ideology, condemning widespread and popular tradition muslim practises for their ‘idolatry’. This ideology originated with preacher Ibn Abdulwahab, who blamed the decline of the Ottoman empire on tradition and idolatry. Wahhabism has manifested the destruction of historical sites such as shrines and ancient cemeteries, and influenced jihadist groups like the Taliban and ISIS to perform culturicide.

Orientalism (for long answers)

Systematic knowledge production that constructs a totalising image of the Middle East as an object of prejudice. It considers Muslim-majority populations as static, while neglecting differentiation and change brought about by exchanges among various societies and peoples in the region.