Islamic terms, A to Z
The Arabic words every Muslim hears, in plain English. Each term has its Arabic and a short meaning. The 16 marked "Full page" have their own page with the root, the Quran and hadith, and common phrases; the rest link to the tool or guide that explains them.
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A
- Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book) Full page
- The Jews and Christians, given the Torah and the Gospel before the Quran, with their own rulings on food and marriage.
- أَهْلُ الْكِتَاب
- Akhirah
- The Hereafter: the life after death, from the grave to Jannah or the Fire. Barzakh and the afterlife
- آخِرَة
- Aqiqah
- The sacrifice for a newborn, on the 7th day, with the shaving of the hair. Aqiqah calculator
- عَقِيقَة
- Asma ul Husna
- The most beautiful names of Allah, such as ar-Rahman and al-Ghafur. The 99 Names
- الأَسْمَاءُ الحُسْنَى
- Awrah
- The parts of the body that must be covered, in salah and in front of others. Awrah guide
- عَوْرَة
B
- Barakah Full page
- Blessing from Allah: lasting good that makes a little do more than expected.
- بَرَكَة
- Barzakh
- The barrier between death and the Day of Resurrection: the life of the grave. Barzakh and the angels
- بَرْزَخ
D
- Deen and dunya Full page
- Deen is religion as a whole way of life; dunya is this world. What "deen over dunya" really means.
- دِين
- Dhikr
- Remembering Allah with the tongue and heart: SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu akbar. Tasbih counter
- ذِكْر
E
F
- Fitnah Full page
- A trial or test, temptation, persecution, or discord among people, depending on the context.
- فِتْنَة
G
- Ghusl
- The full ritual bath, required after janabah, menses and post-natal bleeding. How to do ghusl
- غُسْل
H
- Hijrah Full page
- The Prophet's ﷺ migration to Madinah in 622 CE, the start of the Islamic calendar, and leaving sin for Allah.
- هِجْرَة
I
- Ihsan Full page
- To worship Allah as if you see Him, and doing every deed beautifully: the highest level of faith.
- إِحْسَان
- Iman
- Faith: belief in Allah, His angels, books, messengers, the Last Day and decree. The articles of faith
- إِيمَان
- Itikaf
- Staying in the masjid for worship, above all in the last ten days of Ramadan. Itikaf guide
- اِعْتِكَاف
J
- Jumuah
- The Friday congregational prayer, with its khutbah, in place of Dhuhr. How to pray Jumuah
- جُمُعَة
K
- Kalimah
- "Word": the Shahada and the other short statements of faith learned by heart. The 6 kalimas
- كَلِمَة
- Kufr
- Disbelief: rejecting Allah, His Messenger or what is known to be from him. Tawheed, shirk and kufr
- كُفْر
L
- Laylat al-Qadr
- The Night of Decree in the last ten nights of Ramadan, better than a thousand months. Laylatul Qadr 2027
- لَيْلَةُ القَدْر
M
N
- Nabi and rasul
- A prophet, and a messenger given a new law or book. 25 are named in the Quran. The 25 prophets
- نَبِيّ
Q
R
S
- Sadaqah
- Voluntary charity; sadaqah jariyah is charity that keeps giving after death. Sadaqah jariyah
- صَدَقَة
- Sahaba Full page
- The companions of the Prophet ﷺ: everyone who met him as a believer and died in Islam.
- صَحَابَة
- Sawm (fasting) Full page
- Fasting: holding back from food, drink and intimacy from dawn to sunset for Allah. In Ramadan it is the fourth pillar of Islam.
- صَوْم
- Seerah Full page
- The life story of the Prophet ﷺ, from birth to death, and the books that tell it.
- سِيرَة
- Shahada
- The testimony of faith: there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. The Shahada
- شَهَادَة
- Sharia
- The path of Islamic law, from the Quran and sunnah, as worked out by the scholars. What is sharia
- شَرِيعَة
- Sheikh, ustadh, imam and mufti Full page
- What each title means, who uses it, and how an imam differs from a sheikh, a mufti and an ustadh.
- شَيْخ
- Sunnah Full page
- The way of the Prophet ﷺ, and in fiqh a recommended act; with sunnah muakkadah explained.
- سُنَّة
T
- Tahajjud
- The voluntary night prayer, best in the last third of the night. How to pray tahajjud
- تَهَجُّد
- Taqwa Full page
- Guarding yourself from Allah's displeasure: God-consciousness that shows in what you do and leave.
- تَقْوَى
- Tasbih
- Saying SubhanAllah, "glory be to Allah"; also the prayer beads used to count dhikr. Tasbih counter
- تَسْبِيح
- Tawbah (repentance) Full page
- Repentance: turning back to Allah from a sin, with regret, leaving it and resolving never to go back.
- تَوْبَة
U
- Ummah Full page
- The worldwide community of Muslims, one body bound by faith rather than race or border.
- أُمَّة
W
- Witr
- The odd-numbered prayer after Isha; three rakahs and wajib in the Hanafi school. How to pray witr
- وِتْر
Z
- Zakat
- The yearly 2.5% due on savings above the nisab, the third pillar of Islam. Zakat calculator
- زَكَاة
- Zakat al-Fitr
- The charity paid for each family member before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. Zakat al-Fitr
- زَكَاةُ الفِطْر
Glossary
Why learn these words?
Islamic terms are the Arabic words Muslims use for the ideas of their faith, whatever language they speak at home. Many have no exact English match. Taqwa is more than fear, barakah is more than blessing, and deen is more than religion, so Muslims keep the Arabic word and learn what it carries. This glossary gives each term in Arabic script with a short, plain meaning, then sends you to a fuller page or to the tool that puts it into practice.
How the term pages are built
Each full term page gives the Arabic word and its three-letter root, the literal meaning, the meaning in Islam, how the word is used today, verses from the Quran and hadith with their sources, the common phrases that use it, and related terms. Quran text is the Uthmani script with the Sahih International translation. Hadith are cited by collection, and by number where we have checked it, with gradings stated. Where a term touches a ruling, such as mahram or touching the mushaf, the Hanafi position comes first and the other madhhabs are shown where they differ.
About the spellings
Arabic has sounds and long vowels that English letters cannot show exactly, so most terms have several spellings: sunnah and sunnat, hijrah and hijra, deen and din. None is wrong. We use the spelling most English speakers search for, and give a careful transliteration with marks such as ā and ḥ on each term page.
Terms by theme
Questions
Good to know
What are the most common Islamic terms?
Salah (prayer), zakat (charity), sawm (fasting), hajj (pilgrimage), iman (faith), tawheed (oneness of Allah), sunnah (the Prophet's way), halal and haram (lawful and forbidden), ummah (the Muslim community) and deen (religion) are among the words Muslims use most.
Why do Muslims use Arabic words?
The Quran was revealed in Arabic, and many of its terms carry meanings no single English word holds. Using the Arabic keeps the full meaning and connects Muslims who speak different languages.
What is the difference between sunnah and hadith?
A hadith is a report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved. The sunnah is his way, which is known through the authentic hadith.
What does mahram mean?
A relative of the opposite sex you can never marry, by blood, marriage or nursing. Our mahram page has a checker for any relative.