---
title: The Islamic Lexicon – Voiced Dictionary of Key Arabic Vocabulary
description: "**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)** ** ** ### **A** *‘Adl *: Justice. *‘Adl (al-) *: the Just. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.                  Can also mean a person of probity. *               * *Aḥkām al-khamsah- (al)** *: the five judgments or…"
url: "https://majalla.org/ilm/the-islamic-lexicon-voiced-dictionary-of-key-arabic-vocabulary/"
updated: "2024-07-23"
category: Language / Arabic
---

# The Islamic Lexicon – Voiced Dictionary of Key Arabic Vocabulary

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

** **

### **A**

*‘Adl *: Justice.

*‘Adl (al-) *: the Just. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

                 Can also mean a person of probity.

*               *

*Aḥkām al-khamsah- (al)** *: the five judgments or normative categories. The way in which Islamic law and ethics have traditionally divided human behavior. The five categories classifies behavior as obligatory (*[wājib](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W%C4%81jib), [fard](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Fard)̣*), recommended (*[mandūb](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mand%C5%ABb), [mustaḥabb](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mustah%CC%A3abb)*), indifferent, morally neutral or permissible (*[mubāh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mub%C4%81h)̣*), reprehensible (*[makrūh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Makr%C5%ABh)*)  and forbidden (*[ḥarām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H%CC%A3ar%C4%81m)*).

*Aḥkām al-sulṭaniyyah (al-) *: Political Ordinances. It is the title of a book written by *al-Māwardī* in which the author lists seven conditions or prerequisites the caliph should meet to qualify for the caliphal office. The prerequisites are: justice, knowledge, soundness of the organs of sense, soundness of body, soundness of judgment, courage and finally the Quraysh pedigree.

*Ahl al-ḥaqq *:* *the adherents of the truth (literally: ‘the people of the truth’. It could also mean ‘the people of the true one’ i.e. ‘the people of God’).

*Ahl al-kalām *(also *mutakallimūn*) : Muslim theologians (see *[kalām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Kal%C4%81m)*). According to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)), *the methods used by theologians essentially recourse to persuasive (*[iqnā‘ī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Iqn%C4%81%E2%80%98_)*) or dialectical (*[jadalī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Jadal)*) arguments, in which imaginative representations tend to replace demonstrative proofs. *[Al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *believed that these arguments are inferior to dialectical ones.

*Ajsām al-basīṭah** *(*al-*)* *: simple bodies, primary elements. According to *[Ibn Rushd](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ibn_Rushd)* they are four:
 1) *al- nār* : the fire
 2) *al-hawā’* : the air
 3) *al-mā’* : the water
 4) *al-arḍ *: the soil.

*Akhlāq* (sing. *khuluq*) : character, manners; relating to individual mannerism, nature, see [Q68:V4]. According to *[Ikhwān al-Ṣafā](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ikhw%C4%81n_al-s%CC%A3af%C4%81), *it is a natural disposition that prepares each and every member part of the body to enable the soul to act.

*Akhlāṭ* (sing. *khalīṭ*) : mixtures.

*Alfāẓ *(sing. *lafẓ*) : (pronounced) terms.

*‘Ālim (al-*) : the One who knows. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God. Also, one of the attributes of the First, according to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)). (see [al-awwal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Awwal_(-al)))*

*Allāh** *: the God.

*‘Amal** :* action, practice, behavior.

*‘Aqīdah *: articles of faith.
 1. Belief in God (*[Allāh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#All%C4%81h)).*
 2. Belief that *[Muḥammad](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Muh%CC%A3ammad)* is the Messenger of God.
 3. Belief in the Books (Torah, *Zabūr* (Psalms), *Injīl *(Gospels), *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n)*).
 4. Belief in the existence of angels and *[jinn](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Jinn).*                    5. Belief in the Last Day, Paradise, Hell…
 6. Belief in divine *qaḍā'* and *qadar.*

*‘Aql* : reason, mind, intellect (see *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))*).  In his treatise *On the Meanings of the Intellect *(*fī ma‘āni al-‘aql)*, *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))* gives a list of the meanings of the intellect or reason as used by the general public, the *[mutakallimūn](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#mutakallim%C5%ABn),* and Aristotle.
 1) prudence or sound judgment in determining what is right and what is wrong.
 2) the *[mutakallimūn](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#mutakallim%C5%ABn) *use it when referring to certain actions enjoined or repudiated by reason (generally received by the public as a whole or for the most part).
 3) for Aristotle, it is a “faculty of the soul whereby man is able to attain certainty by recourse to universal, true and necessary premises, known neither by deduction nor reflection, but rather naturally and instinctively”.
 4) a part of the soul which is able to gain, through habituation and prolonged experience, a certain apprehension of premises pertaining to volitional matters, which are susceptible of being sought or shunned. This reason grows with age.
 5) potential, actual, acquired and active reason.

*‘aql,‘āqil wa ma‘qūl *: Plato believed that it is the Active Intellect or the unmoved Mover. Clearly distinguishable from the First Principle (*[al-awwal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Awwal_(-al))*) upon Whom it depends, it is the ultimate principle of motion, in substance and actuality.

*Arkān** *: pillars. They are the ritual practices (*‘ibādāt*).
 1. Declaration of faith. (see *[Shahādah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Shah%C4%81dah)*).
 2. Performance of obligatory prayers (see *[Ṣalāh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3al%C4%81h)*).
 3. Mandatory alms tax (see *[Zakāh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Zak%C4%81h)*).
 4. Fasting all days of *[Ramaḍān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ramad%CC%A3%C4%81n)* (see *[Ṣawm](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3awm)*).
 5. Undertaking the journey of pilgrimage (see *[Ḥajj](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H%CC%A3ajj)*).

*Ash‘arī** (al-), Abū al-Ḥassan ‘Alī Ibn Isma‘īl* (873-4/ 260H -935-6/ 324H) : A famous medieval Muslim theologian. He was born in Basra and he died in Baghdad. Originally he was a member of the *[Mu‘tazilah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mu%E2%80%98tazilites) *but he abandoned their doctrine in 912-3. He is the author of *The Treatises of the Islamic Sects* *(maqālat al-islāmiyyīn). *His followers are called the *Ash‘arites** (al-Ashā‘iriah).*

*Awwal *(a*l-*) : the First.  Following the example of Proclus of Athens, *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))* calls God* al-awwal* or the first being from whom all other beings emanate.  *[Al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))* believed that, the successive orders of intellect (*[‘aql](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#%E2%80%98Aql))*, soul (*[nafs](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Nafs))* and prime matter (*[hayūlah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Hay%C5%ABlah)*) arised from the First Being through a process of progressive overflowing (see *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))*).

*Azraqiyyah (azraqites) *: a* [kharajite](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Kharajites)* group that believes *[īmān wa ‘amal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#%C4%AAm%C4%81n_wa_%E2%80%98amal)* (faith and action) are not dividable.  One cannot pretend to have the faith unless one acts according to this faith.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **B**

*Bāri**’ *(*al-*) : the Creator.

*Baṣrī (al-), Ḥasan*, (**born in 642, in *Mad****ī**nah*****, died in 728, Basra, Iraq) ****: an important religious figure in Islam, founder of the school of rationalism. He argued that a Muslim who commits a [*kabīrah*](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Kab%C4%ABrah)*** *is a [*m*](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mun%C4%81fiq)*[unāfiq](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mun%C4%81fiq)* (a liar, a hypocrite); hence, he is punished by hell.

*Bay‘ah *: It is an oath of allegiance to the caliph, once he has been established as such. Traditionally this endorsement of the caliph had to be open/public. A later development of the *bay‘ah *distinguished between the *bay‘ah khāṣah* (done only by Muslims) and the *bay‘ah ‘āmmah *(secondary to *bay‘ah khāṣah,* and done by Non-Muslims too).

*Burhāniyyah *: (from the Arabic noun *Burhān = *proof) demonstrative philosophy.

### * ***C**

*Consequentialism*: a modern Western moral theory that holds that known consequences dictate moral values. In short, an act is morally right if and only if that act maximizes the good.

* *

### **D**

*Dalīl *(pl. *dalā’il* or *adillah*) : proof.

*Deontologism*: a modern Western moral theory that holds that actions conform to certain laws, prohibitions, and commandments. Hence, moral acts are acts that conform to the values expressed in the laws, prohibitions and positive commandments (system of obligations).

*Dhāt *: self.

### **E**

*Ethics*: a. in Greek ‘Ethike/ Ethicos’, relating to good and bad.
 b. The corpus of rules and the system of principles governing the practice in respect to a single class of human actions.

*Eudemonia *(from Greek): a state of being Happy. Not an instance of feeling Happy. Most influential Ancient Greek thinkers thought that the Happy person is the virtuous one. The virtuous person is He who has a settled disposition to reliably do virtuous things. Human virtue (or excellence) consists of courage, moderation, justice and wisdom… in short, in Greek ethical theories, virtuous agents are happy.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **F**

*Faḍīlah –(pl. fadā‘il*)  : excellence, merit, virtue.

*Faḥṣ *: inquiry, examination.

*Falsafah* : philosophy. The word derives from the Greek *philosophia.*

* *

*Faqīh –* (pl. *fuqahā’*) : jurist, jurisprudence, one who practices *[fiqh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Fiqh)* jurisprudence.

*Faqr *: poverty.* *It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue), in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Fārābī (al-)**, Abū Naṣr Muḥammad al-Fārābī *(870-950) : one of the renowned Islamic [philosophers](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Philosophers). He occupies a unique position in the history of philosophy, as the link between Greek philosophy and Islamic thought. He is also a leading advocate of the Islamic Neoplatonism school of reasoning. He became known as the Second Teacher (*al-mu‘allim al-thānī*) after Aristotle himself. His major contribution to Islamic metaphysics was his development of the doctrine of essence and existence. Following the example of Greek philosophers, *al-Fārābī *believed in the concept of emanation according to which the successive orders of intellect (*[‘aql](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#%E2%80%98Aql))*, soul (*[nafs](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Nafs))* and prime matter (*[hayūlah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Hay%C5%ABlah)*) arised from the First Being through a process of progressive overflowing.  This issue became one of the most heated controversies between the Islamic philosophers and the theologians (*[mutakallimūn](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#mutakallim%C5%ABn)*). He is the author of the *Virtuous** City** *(*al-madīnah al-fāḍilah*) and the *Civil Polity *(*al-Siyāsah al-madaniyyah*). His philosophical successor was *Ibn Sīnā.*

*Farḍ* : see *[wājib](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W%C4%81jib).*

*Fayḍ* : “emanation” from a purely technical philosophical point of view. The contrast posed was between a world created *ex nihilo* at a moment in time by God, and a world which emanated eternally from God. The later was frequently opposed by *[ahl al-kalām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#mutakallim%C5%ABn) *and seen as heretical (see *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))*).

*Fiqh** : *Islamic law. Originally the word meant 'understanding' or 'knowledge'.

*Fitnah** *: social upheaval, civil war. *Fitnah* is often used to refer to the civil war between *‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib *and* Mu‘āwiyah Ibn Abī Ṣufyān.*

### **G**

*Ghaffār (al-) *: the Forgiver. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Ghalabah *: literally, it means “victory, overcoming something”.  *Ghalabah* is a gender, ethnic, tribal and linguistic based dominance that forces a choice.

*Ghāyah *: purpose.

*Ghazālī** (al-), Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad* (1058-1111) : Muslim theologian. He was also a scholar of Islamic philosophy and a [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah). He is the author of *Revival of the Religious Sciences (iḥyā' ‘ulūm al-dīn).*

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **H**

*Ḥadd* : definition.

*Ḥadīth** –*(pl. *al-aḥādīth*) : the Arabic word has many meanings: ‘sayings’, ‘uttering’ ‘conversation’, ‘speech’, ‘report’. In Islam it means ‘tradition’. It is a record of the sayings or doings of the Prophet and his Companions. The *Ḥadīth* is considered as a source of Islamic law, dogma and ritual second only to the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n)*.

*Ḥajj** : *pilgrimage to *Mecca*. It is the fifth of the five* *pillars (*[Arkān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ark%C4%81n)*) of *[Islām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isl%C4%81m)*.

*Ḥākim (al-) *: the Sage, the Wise. *Ḥakīm *related to the word *[ḥikmah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/MP3/E%20to%20H/hakim.MP3) *(wisdom).
 1) *[Al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *refers to Plato as *al-ḥakīm. Al-ḥakīmān *(the two Sages) are Plato and Aristotle.
 2) *al-ḥakīm *is also one of the attributes of the First, according to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *(see *[al-awwal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Awwal_(-al))*).

* *

*Ḥaqq (al-) : *the Truth. One of the 99^th attributes of God. Also, one of the attributes of the First, according to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)). (see [al-awwal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Awwal_(-al))).*

*Ḥarām* : forbidden. One of the five categories in which Islamic law and ethics have traditionally divided human behavior.

*Hawā’*: air. *[Ikhwān al-Ṣafā](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ikhw%C4%81n_al-s%CC%A3af%C4%81)* use *hawā’* as “climate”.

*Ḥayā’ :* bashfulness, shyness.

*Hayūl**ā** *: substance, matter, indivisible matter, primordial matter (see *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) [Ibn Rushd](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ibn_Rushd)*)*.*

*Ḥayy (al*-) : the Living. One of the 99^th attributes of God. Also, one of the attributes of the First, according to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) (see [al-awwal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Awwal_(-al))).*

*Hedonism*: a moral theory that argues that: a) morals are of consequence only if they motivate the agent to act,
 b) The agent will act only to receive pleasure and avoid pain.

* *

*Hidāyat Allāh *: divine guidance, God’s guidance.

* *

*Ḥikmah *:* w*isdom.

*Ḥilm *:* *forebearance, indulgence, gentleness.

*Ḥusn al-dhātī (al)* : inherent goodness. A *[mu‘tazilah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mu%E2%80%98tazilites) *doctrine.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **I**

*Iblīs *: satan.

*Ibn ‘Atā’ al Ghazāl, Wāṣil,* also called *Abū Ḥudhayfah* (**700– 748, Arabia) ****: After he left [*al-*](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Bas%CC%A3r%C4%AB_%E2%80%93(al),_H%CC%A3asan)**[*Baṣrī*](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Bas%CC%A3r%C4%AB_%E2%80%93(al),_H%CC%A3asan)** 's study circle, he founded the ***[Mu‘tazilite](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mu%E2%80%98tazilites) *school of thought.

*Ibn Rushd**, Abū el-Walīd Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad *(1126- 1198) : he is known in the West as Averroes, a Hispano-Arab [philosopher](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Philosophers), commentator on Aristotle, who also was a *qadi* and a doctor. His books were ordered to be burned and very little has remained of his writings. *Ibn Rushd * argued that all “imperfect” existing bodies consist of *[hayūlā](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Hay%C5%ABlah)* (substance) and *[ṣūrah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABrah) *(form). He considers that any *jism *(body) has to be a combination of these two components in order to be able to exist (see *[al-ajsām al-basīṭah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ajs%C4%81m_al-bas%C4%ABt%CC%A3ah), [hayūlā](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Hay%C5%ABlah), [ṣūrah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABrah)*).

‘*Iffah *: temperance, purity, abstinence.

*Ijmā‘** *: in jurisprudence this term can be translated as 'consensus'. Along with the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n)*, the *[Sunnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sunnah).* It is one of the main sources of law and ethics in Islam.

*Ijtihād* : informed independent reasoning.

*Ijtimā‘ *: derives from the same root as *ijmā‘ *but it does not have the same legalistic force. *Ijtimā‘* can mean consensus or converging on one idea or conclusion.

*Ikhlāṣ *: sincerity, faithfulness, fidelity. A supporting mystical virtue or a second-order virtue in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Ikhtilāṭ *: admixture, combination.

*Ikhtiyār** (al-) *: Men’s free will to choose.

*Ikhwān al-Ṣafā** *: a secret group of Muslim philosophers, theologians and intellectuals who flourished most probably in Basra in the 4th/10th or 5th/11th centuries. They were believed to be *isma‘īlī*. They are the authors of fifty-two epistles (*Rasā'il*) which were encyclopedic in range, covering subjects as diverse as music, astronomy, embryology, and philosophy. According to *Ikhwān al-Ṣafā*, all souls (living beings) are moved by the desire to live (*shahwat at-baqā’*) and contempt of death (*karāhiyyat al-fanā’*).  *Ikhwān al-Ṣafā*  also believe that humans act only when faced with:
 a) positive and negative commands: *amr wa nahy*
 b) promise of positive reward and promise of painful reward: *wa‘d wa wa‘īd *
 c) praise and bashing: *madḥ wa dhamm*
 d) enticement and threat: *targhīb wa tarhīb *

*‘Ilm* : science. Genuine knowledge.

*Imām** *: a) leader of the prayers.
 b) for *[Shī‘ah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sh%C4%AB%E2%80%98ah)*, he is the successor of the Prophet and is believed to be infallible.

*Īmān *: faith, belief.

*Īmān wa ‘amal** *: faith and action.

*Ins** *: mankind. *Ins *has the same root as *insān *(a human being).

*‘Iqāb *: punishment.

*Iqnā‘ **(adj. iqnā‘ī/ iqnā‘ yyah*)* *: persuasion. According to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)),* persuasion is a form of conjecture (*[ẓann](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z%CC%A3ann)*), in which one believes a thing to be such and such, although it is possible for it to be otherwise. (see *[ra’y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ra%E2%80%99y)*)

*Irādah *: volition, want, will.

‘*Ishq *: erotic passion. According to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)), *it is a disposition of the human soul to seek the satisfaction of ‘beastly’ passion and renounce divine things.

*Islām** *: literally, it means ‘submission’. *Islām* is one of the three monotheistic religions. It was founded by *[Muḥammad](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Muh%CC%A3ammad)* in the 7^th century, after God reveald the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n)*  to him through the archangel *Jibrīl.*

*Isti‘dād* : preparedness.

*I‘tidāl *: moderation.

*Ittiṣāl** *: conjunction. According to *[al-Farābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)), *when humans attain the highest stage of theoretical knowledge, they attain the stage of union with the Active Intellect. *[Al-Farābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *sometimes* *calls this stage conjunction, sometimes proximity, of which humans’ ultimate happiness consists.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **J**

*Jabbār (al-) *: the Restorer. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Jabr (al-) *: Opposite of *[ikhtiyār](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ikhtiy%C4%81r)*.

*Jabriyyah *:* *early Muslims who believed in predetermination.

*Jadal** *(adj. *Jadalī/ jadaliyyah*) : dialectic. *[Al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *believed that one cannot acquire genuine knowledge without prior training in dialectic.

*Jāhiliyyah *: derives from the Arabic noun *jahl *(state of ignorance). It is used to refer to the pre-Islamic period.

*Jannah (al-) :* literally: ‘the garden’.  In the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n) *it is often used to refer to ‘paradise’. Paradise is also referred to with the words *‘Adan* (Eden) and *Firdaws.*

*Jawhar* : substance.

* *

*Jazā’ *: reward (positive reward).

*Jiblah *(pl. *jibillah*) : natural disposition, nature.

*Jihād* : comes from the Arabic verb *jahada*: to strive for a better way of life. *Jihād* means endeavor, strain, exertion, effort, diligence, fighting to defend one's life, land, and religion.

*Jinn** *: in the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n), jinn* are beings made from fire (or flame) who can take different forms. There are good *jinn *and bad ones.

*Jubā‘ī (al-), Abū ‘Alī Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab* (?-303/915-6) : one of the celebrated thinkers of *[mu‘tazilah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mu%E2%80%98tazilites).* He was born at Jubba in Khuzistan, and he attended the school at *Baṣrā* of *Abū Ya‘qūb Yūsuf al-Shahhām***.* ****Abū al-Ḥassan al-Ash‘arī  *was one of his pupils, but in 912-913 he broke away and founded the *[Ash‘arite](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ash%E2%80%98arites) *school of thought*.*

* *

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **K**

*Kabīrah** *: grave moral or religious wrong.

*Kalām** *: literally it means ‘speech’. In Islam however, *‘ilm al- kalām* is the science of theology. Therefore, *kalām *includes the theological debates that took place in Islam and that dealt with the theological subjects on which some scholars disagreed.

*Karam : *generosity, nobility.

*Karīm (al-) :* the Generous. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Khalīfah (pl. khulafā’)* :* *caliph. Originally the word meant “successor” (i.e. of the Prophet). In Islam, the caliph is the head of the community of believers. His functions are secular as well as religious. The first four caliphs are called “*al-khulafā’ al-rāshidūn *(the wise caliphs). In the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n), *the title of *khalīfah *is given to both* Ādam *and* Dāwūd *(David).

*Khalq *: creation. According to *[al-Māturīdī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M%C4%81tur%C4%ABd%C4%AB), * God created everything including acts.

*Kharajites* (in Arabic *khawārij) *: derives from the Arabic root ‘*kharajah’ *(means ‘to go out’, ‘to secede’).  A revolutionary, and egalitarian group that revolted against the Caliph ‘*Uthmān Ibn ‘Affān* and later against *‘Alī Ibn Alī Ṭālib.  *In the battle of *Siffīn, *opposing *‘Alī Ibn Alī Ṭālib *and *Mu‘āwiyah Ibn Abī Ṣufyā *they refused any form of arbitration saying that the judgment should be left only to God.

*Khāṣṣah* : the elite.  For *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))*, the philosopher should be regarded as a member of the elite in an absolute sense.

*Khawf :* fear. It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Khayr : *as adjective, means ‘charitable’, ‘good’. As nouns, means ‘goodness’, ‘welfare’.

*Khilāfah** *: caliphate. (see *[khalīfah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Khil%C4%81fah)).*

*Khuluq ḥasan : *a good character, virtuous manner.

*Kitāb *: book.

### **L**

*Ladhdhah* (pl. *ladhdhāt*) : pleasure, bliss, enjoyment.  According to *[al-Ghazālī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ghaz%C4%81li),* the ultimate pleasure (*a‘ẓam* *ladhdhah*) is knowing God.

*Luṭf *:  Divine grace. It is a *[Shī‘ite](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Shi%E2%80%98ite) *doctrine arguing that there should be always an infallible* [imām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Im%C4%81m) *that exists.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **M**

*Madhhab al- ladhdhāt *: hedonism.

*Maḥabbah *: platonic love. It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Maḥrūrī al-ṭibā‘*: hot tempered persons.

*Makrūh** *: reprehensible, discouraged. One of the five normative categories (see *[al-aḥkām al-khamsah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ah%CC%A3k%C4%81m_al-khamsah-_(al))).*

*Mālik: Abū ‘Abd Allāh Mālik Ibn Anas *(716- 795) : One of the most important jurists of Medieval Islam. He lived and spent most of his life in *Madinah *where he also died. He is the founder of the *Māliki *school that considers the ‘practice’ (*[‘amal](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#%E2%80%98Amal)*) of *Madinah* as the ideal and example to follow. *Mālik* is the author of what is considered as the first major *[Ḥadīth](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H%CC%A3ad%C4%ABth)* in Islam: *The Smoothed Path* (*al-muwaṭṭa’).* Nowadays, followers of the *Mālikī* school of law are located mainly in North Africa as well as the West and Center of the African continent  .

* *

*Mālik (al-) : *the Ruler or the Owner. One of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Mālik al-Mulk :* the Owner or the Ruler of the universe. One of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Mandūb** : *recommended (also *[mustaḥabb](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mustah%CC%A3abb))*. One of the five normative categories (see *[al-aḥkām al-khamsah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ah%CC%A3k%C4%81m_al-khamsah-_(al))).*

*Manṭiq** *: logic. According to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)),* logic is a tool which, when used properly, will yield to certainty (*[yaqīn](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Yaq%C4%ABn))* in all theoretical and practical sciences and is absolutely indispensable for attaining that goal. *Manṭiq* derives from *[nuṭq](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Nut%CC%A3q)*.

*Ma‘qūl *: intelligible.  *[Al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *believed the First to be an intelligible in act, since matter is what impedes an entity from being an intelligible in act. (see *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))*)

*Māturīdī**: Muḥammad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Maḥmūd Abū Manṣūr al-Samarqandī al-Māturīdī al-Ḥanafī *(died in 944 in Māturīd in Samarqand) : he was one of the most important *[imām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Im%C4%81m) *of the* mutakallimūn *of *[ahl al-sunnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#mutakallim%C5%ABn)* and the founder of the *Māturīdī *school of theology.

*Mizāj *: mixture. Also, temperament, mood, humor, state of mind, physical constitution.

*Morality:* a. in Latin ‘moralis’, meaning custom; relating to right and wrong in terms of behavior.
 b. Descriptively: a code of conduct put forward by some group, an individual, or society.
 c. Normatively: a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.

*Mubāh**̣ :* permissible, morally neutral. One of the five normative categories (see *[al-aḥkām al-khamsah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ah%CC%A3k%C4%81m_al-khamsah-_(al))).*

*Mughālaṭah *: sophistry.

*Muḥammad** Ibn ‘Abd Allāh *(570-632) : prophet of Islam. He is reported to have received the first revelation of the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n) *in *Mecca**, *through the angel Gabriel (*Jibrīl)* when he was about 40 years old.

*Muḥāsabah *: self-examination or accounting for one's own actions. A supporting mystical virtue or a second-order virtue in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Muḥdath *: created in time. Plato believed that the world is created in time, while Aristotle is alleged to hold that it is eternal.

*Mukhāṭabah* : modes of address.

*Munāfiq** *: Hypocrite, liar.

*Muqārabah *: see *[qurb](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qurb).*

*Murāqabah *: vigilance. A supporting mystical virtue or a second-order virtue in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Murji’ah *:  a sect of Islam. *Murji’ah *believe that ‘sinful’ actions do not adversely affect faith the same way that acts of obedience are of no benefit if they are accompanied by disbelief. *Murji’ah *withheld judgment regarding those who start / participate in *[fitnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Fitnah).*

*Mustaḥabb*:* *recommended (see *[mandūb](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mand%C5%ABb))*. One of the five normative categories (see [*al-aḥkām al-khamsah*)](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ah%CC%A3k%C4%81m_al-khamsah-_(al)).

*Mu‘tazilites* (or *mu‘tazilah*) : the word derives from the Arabic verb *i‘tazala*: to seclude oneself. In effect, the term refers to some scholars who disagreed with theologians on a number of points among which the doctrine of a created *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n), *and man’s free will.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **N**

*Nafs** *(pl. *nufūs, anfus*) : soul (see *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))*).

*Nāmūs** *: law, natural law, moral law, possibly religious law. *[Ikhwān al-Ṣafā](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ikhw%C4%81n_al-s%CC%A3af%C4%81),* organize all living beings in categories. According to them, plants rank under animals, animals rank under humans, humans rank under wise people, wise people rank under the people of law (*nāmūs*), who in turn, rank under angels.

*Nār :* literally: the fire. It is the most common name by which ‘hell’ is referred to in the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n).*

*Naẓar *: literally: sight, discernment. Deliberation.

*Niyyah :* Intention. A supporting mystical virtue or a second-order virtue in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

* *

*Nubuwwah* : prophetic office.

*Nūr *: light. Angels are believed to be created from *nūr, *as opposed to humans (*[ins](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ins)*) from clay, and* [jinn](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Jinn)* from fire.

* *

*Nūr (al-) : *The Light. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Nuṭq** *: speech. Philosophers divided *nuṭq* in two parts:
 1) the power to conceive of intelligible in the practical and theoretical fields.
 2) the power of expression in spoken language.

### **P**

*Philosophers* : timeline of medieval philosophers, mystics and thinkers.
 *Al-Kindī*: (805-873 CE)
 *Abū al-Ḥassan ‘Alī Ibn Isma‘īl [al-Ash'arī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ash%E2%80%98ari): *(873-936 CE)
 *Abū Naṣr Muḥammad [al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *(870-950 CE)
 *Ibn Sīnā* (Avicenna) (980-1130 CE)
 *Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad [al-Ghaẓālī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ghaz%C4%81li) *(1058-1111)
 *Ibn Tufayl *(110-1185 CE)
 *Abū al-Walīd Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad [Ibn Rushd](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ibn_Rushd) *(1126- 1198)
 *Ramba'm Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon  *(Maimonides) (1135-1204 CE)
 *Ibn al-'Arābī *(1165-1240)
 *Rabbi Abraham bin Ha-Ramba'm Abraham *(son of Maimonides) (1186-1237 CE)
 Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
 *Ibn Khaldūn *(1332-1395 CE)

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **Q**

*Qadariyyah *: early Muslims who believed in free-will.

*Qaḍī : *judge*.*

*Qalb* : heart. According to *[al-Ghazālī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ghaz%C4%81li)*, it is the same as *al-rūḥ * (the soul, the spirit). The virtues of the heart are:
 a) virtues of devils: *akhlāq al-shayāṭīn*
 b) virtues of domestic animals: *akhlāq al-bahā’im *
 c) virtues of predatory animals: *akhlāq al-sibā‘ *
 d) virtues of angels: *akhlāq al-malā’ikah *

*Qiyās **:* 'analogy' or 'analogical reasoning'. A method of extracting (deriving) legal rulings when none exists in the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n), [Sunnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sunnah), *and *[ijmā‘](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ijm%C4%81%E2%80%98)* . In his writings, *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al))* is critical of this method of analogy on the ground that it is reductible to similarity (*shabah*), rather than deduction in the strict sense. According to him* *there are five types of *qiyās*: the demonstrative, the dialectical, the sophistical, the rhetorical and the poetical.

*Qubḥ al-dhātī (al) *: inherent badness. A *[mu‘tazilah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mu%E2%80%98tazilites) *doctrine.

* *

*Qudrah *: power to perform an act.

*Qur’ān** :* Also spelled in English as Koran. Literally this word means 'Recitation'. The *Qur'an* is Islam's holiest book.

*Qurb** *(also *muqārabah*) :  proximity. According to *[al-Farābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)), *when humans attain the highest stage of theoretical knowledge, they attain the stage of union with the Active Intellect. *[Al-Farābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)) *sometimes calls this stage  conjunction (*[ittiṣāl](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ittis%CC%A3%C4%81l)*).

*Quwwah* : power.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **R**

*Raḥīm (al-) *: the Compassionate. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Raḥmān (al-) *: the Merciful. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Ra’īs *: the Master Ruler.

*Rajā’ *: hope.* *It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Ramaḍān** :* it is the 9^th month of the Muslim lunar calendar: it is believed that the *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n) *was descended that month. It is also the month of fasting. During the fast the believer must abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse during daylight hours.

*Ra’y* : opinion. According to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)), *both conjecture and certainty are species of opinion (*ra’y*) which is liable to truth or falsity.

*Riḍah *: satisfaction. It is a virtue produced by love, by pleasant acts, feelings…

*Rushd *: morality, guidance, conscious awareness.

*Ru’yah* : vision.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **S**

*Sa‘ādah *: happiness.  According to *[al-Ghazālī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ghaz%C4%81li), *happiness is achieved through:
 a) the power of anger: *quwwat al-ghaḍab*
 b) the power of lust: *quwwat al-shahwah*
 c) the power of knowledge: *quwwat al-‘ilm *

*Ṣabr *: patience.* *It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Ṣafḥ *: forgiveness.

* *

*Ṣalāh** *:* *ritual prayer. A muslim does his/her prayer five times a day. *Ṣalāh *is the second of the five* [Arkān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ark%C4%81n) *(pillars) of* [Islām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isl%C4%81m).*

*Ṣāni‘ *(*al-*) : the Demiurgus. Plato believed that a Creator whom he called the *Demiurgus *created the world out of a formless matter.

* *

*Ṣawm** *: Fasting during *[Ramaḍān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ramad%CC%A3%C4%81n). *It is the third of the five* *pillars (*[Arkān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ark%C4%81n)*) of *[Islām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isl%C4%81m)*.

*Shabībah *: group among the *[kharajites](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Kharajites) *who argued that even a woman* *who is faithful and practicing can be a *[khalīfah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Khil%C4%81fah).*

*Shāfi‘ī (al-), Muḥammad Ibn Idrīs* (767-820) : Muslim jurist, founder of one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence. He provided a formal structure of Islam’s obligation materials in law and morality. His name was given to the *Shafi‘ī* school of jurisprudence founded by his disciples: the *Shāfi‘īs.*

*Shahādah** : *profession of faith that a person must recite in order to become a Muslim.  It is the first of the five pillars (*[Arkān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ark%C4%81n)*) of [*Islām*](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isl%C4%81m), and is declared once a lifetime.

*Shahwah *(pl. *shahawāt) *: craving, desire, passion, lust, appetite (see *[Ikhwān al-Ṣafā](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ikhw%C4%81n_al-s%CC%A3af%C4%81), *and *[al-Ghazālī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ghaz%C4%81li)*).

*Shajā‘ah *: courage.

*Shakk *: doubt. According to *[al-Fārābī](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F%C4%81r%C4%81b%C4%AB_(-al)), shakk* is the suspension of judgment with respect to two opinions equally credible.

*Shar‘*: “the road leading to water” (or to the source of life). It is also coined to refer to law.

*Sharī‘ah** *: Commonly referred to as “Islamic law” it is a code of behavior, a composite science of law and morality that is at the same time more and less than a simple legal system in the Western sense of the term. More, because it regulates private acts such as ritual practices of the faith or social behavior. Less, because it ignores entire parts of human activity that would be taken into consideration in other juridical codes. Thus, *Sharī**‘ah *is a combination of law, morality, religion and etiquette.

*Sharr :* what is bad, evil.

*Shāṭibī (al-), Abū Isḥāq Ibn Mūsā al-Shāṭibī al-Mālikī *(?-1388) : One of the founding scholars of *[uṣūl al-fiqh](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Us%CC%A3%C5%ABl_al-fiqh)*, he laid great emphasis on the requirement of complete knowledge and erudition in the Arabic language, not merely correct understanding, for those who practice *[ijtihād](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ijtih%C4%81d)*. He is the author of *muwafaq**āt fī uṣul al-Sharī‘ah* (*The Congruences of the Sources of the Divine Law*).

*Shawq *: yearning. It is a virtue produced by love in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Shī‘ah** *: originally, means ‘group’, ‘party’, ‘followers of someone’.  *Shī‘ah *is one of the two major theological and legal school of thought in Islam. It derives from *Shī‘at ‘Alī *(followers of *‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib*). The *Shi‘ites* believe that it is *‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib* (cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet) rather than *Abū Bakr* who should have succeeded *[Muḥammad](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Muh%CC%A3ammad). *In the civil war (*[fitnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Fitnah))* between *‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib *and* Mu‘āwiyah Ibn Abī Ṣufyān* they supported *‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib*. They also argue for the need for infallible *[imām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Im%C4%81m) *to head the community.

*Shi‘ite*: anglicized from the Arabic word *Shī‘i  *(a member of the *[Shī‘ah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sh%C4%AB%E2%80%98ah)  *group).

*Shukr :* gratitude, thankfulness. It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah)  teaching.

*Ṣidq *: truthfulness. A supporting mystical virtue or a second-order virtue in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Ṣinā‘at al- kalām *: art of theology (see *[kalām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Kal%C4%81m)*).

*Sīrah* (pl. *siyar*) : history of way of life.

*Ṣūfi *: an adept of Sufism (*[ṣūfiyyah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah)* or *taṣawwuf*).

*Ṣūfiyyah* or *Taṣawwuf *: Sufism, the mysticism of *[Islām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isl%C4%81m).*

*Sunnah** *: literally, it can mean ‘trodden path’, ‘way’, ‘rule’, ‘manner of acting’ or ‘mode of life’.  Originally it meant 'customary practice', it now indicates the specific actions or doings of the Prophet *[Muḥammad](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Muh%CC%A3ammad)* himself verses the specific sayings (*[Ḥadīth](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H%CC%A3ad%C4%ABth) *or reports*)*. Since the life of the Prophet is believed to be virtuous and exemplary, the acts of *[Muḥammad](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Muh%CC%A3ammad)* provide the norms and set the model of human life and behavior (*[Sunnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sunnah)*). These virtuous acts are then converted into obligations of which total constitutes the *[Sharī‘ah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Shar%C4%AB%E2%80%98a). *Customarily, *[Sunnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sunnah)* and *[Ḥadīth](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H%CC%A3ad%C4%ABth) *are used interchangeably nowadays. (see *[Ḥadīth](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H%CC%A3ad%C4%ABth)*).

*Ṣūrah** *: according to *[Ibn Rushd](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ibn_Rushd), *the *ṣūrah *is the entity that does enjoy neither power (*[quwwah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Quwwah)*) nor preparedness (*[isti‘dād](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isti%E2%80%98d%C4%81d)*).

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **T**

*Ṭā‘ah *: obedience.

*Ṭabī‘ah *(pl. *ṭabā’i‘*)* *: nature.

*Tafakkur *:* *meditation, deliberation, pondering. A supporting mystical virtue, or a second-order virtue in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Ṭalāq *:* *Divorce. A saying attributed to the Prophet states that among all things permitted by God, divorce is the most blameworthy. Thus divorce is clearly permitted in Islam but not encouraged.  If the divorce is done by repudiating a marriage three times then this repudiation cancels any opportunity for reconciliation. Otherwise, it should be followed by a waiting period of three menstrual cycles that is supposed to give the spouses a chance of reconciliation and/or to determine if the wife is pregnant.

*Ta‘līm* : instruction, teaching.

*Taqṣīr *: poor judgment.

*Taqiyyah* : Dissimulation of one's religion, especially in time of persecution or danger. The practice is permitted by the *[shī‘ah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sh%C4%AB%E2%80%98ah).*

*Taṣawwuf *: see [*ṣūfiyyah*](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah).

*Taṣawwur *: conception.

*Tasdīd *: leading, guiding, directing, conducting.

*Taṭahhur : *see *[Taṭayyub](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Tat%CC%A3ayyub).*

*Taṭayyub** / Taṭahhur *:* * personal hygiene, ritual purity.

*Tawakkul *: trust in God, rely on God. .* *It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Tawbah *: Repentance, atonement. It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Tawḥīd *: declaration of divine unity.* *It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

*Ta’wīl *: the interpretation of the words of the Lawgiver or His ordinances.

*Ta’yīd *: Support.

*Turbah *or *turāb* : soil. Adam, the first man, is made of *turbah *or *turāb*.

**[A](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#A_) | [B](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#B) | [C](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#C) | [D](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#D) | [E](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#E) | [F](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#F) | [G](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#G) | [H](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#H) | [I](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#I) | [J](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#J) | [K](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#K) | [L](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#L) | [M](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#M) | [N](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#N) | O | [P](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#P) | [Q](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Q) | [R](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#R) | [S](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S) | [T](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#T) | [U](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#U) | V | [W](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#W) | X | [Y](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Y) | [Z](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Z)**

### **U**

*Ummah* (pl. *umam*) : nation or community. This was a highly emotive word in early Islamic history in the time of the Prophet, and remains so among the Arabs today.

*Uns *: Intimacy. It is a virtue produced by love.

*Uṣūl al-fiqh** *: Means ‘the roots’ or ‘sources’ of law: foundation of law. Islamic jurisprudence.

*Utilitarianism*: modern moral theorists who adhere to a form of Consequentialism.

### **W**

*Wa‘d *: promise of good reward for the faithful who upholds a virtuous Islamic life.

*Wadūd (al-) *: the Loving. It is one of the 99^th attributes of God.

*Wa‘īd *: threat. "Promise" of painful reward for those who led a non-virtuous life that contradicted the code of morality established in *[Qur’ān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Qur%E2%80%99%C4%81n) *and* [Sunnah](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Sunnah).*

*Wājib**, farḍ :* Required, obligatory. One of the five categories in which Islamic law and ethics have traditionally divided human behavior.

### **Y**

*Yaqīn* : certain knowledge, certainty (see *[manṭiq](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Mant%CC%A3iq)*).

### **Z**

*Zakāh** *: Alms tax, Almsgiving. It is the fourth of the five pillars (*[Arkān](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Ark%C4%81n)*) of *[Islām](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#Isl%C4%81m). Zakāh* is obligatory for Muslims, and is given yearly by those who have to pay it.

*Ẓann* : conjecture.

*Zindīq* (pl. *zanādiqah*) : unbeliever, heretic, “free thinker”.

*Zuhd *: asceticism, soberness, by the mere necessities (shunning of luxury).* *It is a principal virtue (a first-order virtue) in [Sufi](https://majalla.org/dictionary/#S%CC%A3%C5%ABfiyyah) teaching.

 

**[Practice quizzes](https://majalla.org/dictionary/practice/index.htm)**

### *Related*