This document provides a list of important Arabic terms related to the study of the Qur'an and Islam. It includes key passages to memorize in Arabic, the Arabic names for the days of the week, common greetings and phrases, and over 100 key words and concepts from the Qur'an and related to Islamic theology, law, worship practices, and history. Other terms defined include names of prayers, parts of the mosque, hadith terminology, and concepts related to theology and sects.
This document provides a list of important Arabic terms related to the study of the Qur'an and Islam. It includes key passages to memorize in Arabic, the Arabic names for the days of the week, common greetings and phrases, and over 100 key words and concepts from the Qur'an and related to Islamic theology, law, worship practices, and history. Other terms defined include names of prayers, parts of the mosque, hadith terminology, and concepts related to theology and sects.
This document provides a list of important Arabic terms related to the study of the Qur'an and Islam. It includes key passages to memorize in Arabic, the Arabic names for the days of the week, common greetings and phrases, and over 100 key words and concepts from the Qur'an and related to Islamic theology, law, worship practices, and history. Other terms defined include names of prayers, parts of the mosque, hadith terminology, and concepts related to theology and sects.
Arabic key word list, and key concepts in study of the Qur’an
First, memorize, in Arabic, important Qur’an passages such as: Surat Al Fatiha (1), Surah Ikhlas (112), the call to prayer, and other key verses.
Know the Arabic names for the days of the week:
Sunday – yom al ahad - day one Monday – yom al ithnane – day two Tuesday – yom al thalatha – day three Wednesday – yom al arba’a – day four Thursday – yom al khamees – day five Friday – yom ajuma’a – day of the gathering (for prayer) Saturday – yom assabt – day seven
Common greetings, phrases:
Peace upon you – essalam wa’alaikum, (and the mercy and blessing of God – rahmat Allah wa barakat) And on you peace – wa’alaikum essalam How is your condition (how are you)? – kiif halak? Good, praise to God – Qwais illhamdulillah In the name of God the merciful and caring – bism-allahi errahman errahim May God protect me from Satan the cursed one – auza-billahi min asshaitan arrajeem May God the almighty establish (the reading of the Qur’an just read) – sadaq allah al’atheem Glory to God the highest – subhann-allah wa ta’ala Praised and exalted (is he) – subhanna wa ta’ala God is greatest – allah-hua akbar God hears those who praise Him – samia-allah liman hamidah If God wills (I hope so in common usage) – inshallah Oh God! (to begin a du’a) – allahumma Our Lord (used also to begin a du’a) – rabina Please – min fadlak Thank-you – shukran Good bye (peace go with you) – ma’assalama And God give you peace – allaisallmak Allah the greatest – takbeer To exalt Allah – tassbeeh Peace be upon him (pbuh) – a’alaihi essalam
Key words in the Qur’an:
1. tawhid – unity, oneness
2. huda – guidance 3. ilm – knowledge 4. taqwah – inner sense of right, rightness, hence, conscience. Righteousness, moral responsibility, sense of. 5. sakinah – tranquility, peace, the same word as shakinah in Hebrew – the glory of God’s presence 6. akhira – end time (things) 7. yom ad-din – day of reckoning 8. qiyyamat – resurrection 9. rahma – mercy 10. ghafur – forgiving 11. iman – faith 12. mu’min – believer, one who has faith 13. salat – formal prayer 14. du’a – informal (personal) prayer 15. wahy – revelation, inspiration 16. shirk – associate another with God, from sharaka to partner, share 17. nabi - giver of news, prophet 18. rasul – messenger 19. iblis – satan, shaitan 20. na’amat – grace, favor 21. nas – people 22. insan – humankind 23. fitra – primordial nature (in which God created man) 24. nafs – person, self 25. tauba – repentance 26. sharr – evil 27. sadaqa – good (gift) 28. salaha – good, or to be right (verb form, to put right) 29. ayat – signs 30. zakat – pure offering (fr. “to purify”) 31. jihad – struggle (for right, against evil) 32. ijtihad – personal struggle, use of ones reason to struggle to understand the meaning of the text 33. qital – physical fight, warfare 34. qadar – power, ability, also – free-will 35. ruh – spirit 36. ahl al kitab – people of the book (Jews, Christians) 37. dhikr – remembrance 38. ahl al dhikr – people of the remembrance (those given the guidance) 39. baraka – blessing 40. hilal – allowed, lawful 41. haram – forbidden 42. fard - obligatory 43. sabr – patience 44. shukr - thankfulness 45. salihat – just deeds 46. naskh – to abrogate, see S. 2:106 – the idea comes from progressive revelation 47. mansoukh – the abrogated 48. sunna – way, practice (of the prophet) 49. ahkam – lit. to decide between two things, refers to “clearly decided verses of the Qur’an” ie., those of clear, established meaning 50. mutashabihat – to look like or appear like fr. To be doubtful; refers to verses of the Qur’an the meaning of which are not clear or not completely agreed upon or open to two or more interpretations. 51. nur – light 52. Torah, Zaboor, Injil – law (given to Moses), Psalms (given to David), Gospel (given to Isa) 53. kitab – book 54. furqan – clear demarcation between (good and evil) fr. Faraka – to divide 55. khalq – Creator, khalaqa – to create 56. Qur’an – from the word to read or to recite 57. hijra, haj – to flee, ie., pilgrimage 58. juz – portion, part (of the Qur’an – there are 30 juz in the Qur’an 59. karim – generous 60. haq – truth 61. ghayb – unseen 62. shafiya – lit. the healer, redeemer, advocate 63. hib – love 64. malak (pl. mala’ika) - angels 65. jinn – spirits, good and bad 66. sawm – fasting 67. Ramadan – month of fasting
Other words of importance:
1. tafsir – explanation, interpretation (of the text) ie. – exegesis 2. asbab al nuzul – lit. reason for what was sent down, meaning the historical event related to the revelation 3. ijma – consensus of the ummah (a method of tafsir) 4. qiyas – analogical reasoning (a method of tafsir) 5. tafsir bil ma’thur – explanation by what has been transmitted (from the prophet or companions of the prophet – sahaba) 6. tafsir bil ray’ – explanation by sound reasoning and ijtihad 7. tafsir bil ishara – explanation by signs 8. hadith – collection of sayings, reports of practice of the prophet 9. hadith qudsi – words of Allah as reported by Muhammad but not in the Qur’an 10. lailat al qadr – night of power in which the first revelations were given to Muhammad 11. qibla – dirction of prayer 12. mihrab – niche in the mosque designating the qibla 13. mimbar – pulpit (in the mosque) 14. mesjid – mosque 15. isnad – record of transmission of the hadith 16. ilm – knowledge 17. ilm al kalam – theology (knowledge of the word) 18. irja – lit. suspension of judgment, led to theory of predestination 19. madrasa – school, most often a religious school 20. ikhtilaf – disagreement 21. salaf – early fathers of the religion 22. shahada – declaration of faith, lit. testimony 23. salihat – just deeds 24. fitna – being pressured to defect from one’s affiliations or retreat from one’s views (jihad iin its most common meaning is a struggle against fitna) 25. dalal – misguidedness 26. ayat bayyinat – clear signs 27. khalifa – vicegerent, steward put in charge 28. sultan – overwhelming power, authority 29. ahzab – parties (fr. Hizb – party) or sects 30. azan – call for prayer 31. muadthin – the one giving the call to prayer 32. Ikama – call that prayer has begun 33. Fajr – dawn (prayer) 34. Dhuhr – noon (prayer) 35. Asr – afternoon (prayer) 36. Maghrab – sunset (prayer) 37. Isha’ – night (prayer) 38. ghusl – bath (complete cleansing, required at least daily in the morning immediately after rising) 39. Ibadah – worship 40. Istaghfar (allah) – forgive (may God) 41. Khutbah – sermon (at Friday prayers in the mosque) 42. raka’a – lit. kneeling, refers to the cycles of the prayer 43. namaaz – formal prayer (salat) 44. wudu – ablution before prayer (partial or minor cleansing required before prayer)