glossary sahih bukhari

here are listed only the words occurring in the first and second volume.
'ad : an ancient tribe that lived after noah. it was prosperous but naughty and
disobedient to allah, so allah destroyed it with violent destructive westerly
winds.
adhan : the call to prayer pronounced loudly to indicate that the time of praying
is due.
adhkhar or idhkhir : a kind of grass well-known for its good smell and is found
in hijaz, saudi 'arabia.
ahkam : "orders". according to islamic law, there are five kinds of orders:
(1) compulsory (wajib ‫) و اجب‬.

(2) order without obligation (mustahab ‫) مستحب‬.

(3) forbidden (moharram ).
(4) disliked but not forbidden (makruh).
(5) legal and allowed (halal ).
allahu akbar : allah is greater
al-aqiq : a valley in medina about seven kilometers west of medina.
amin : o allah, accept our invocation.
'amma ba'du : an expression used for separating an introductory from the main
topics in a speech; the introductory being usually concerned with allah's praises
and glorification. literally it means "whatever comes after."
ansari : (plural: ansar) anyone of the companions of the prophet from the
inhabitants of medina who embraced and supported islam and who received and
entertained the muslim emigrants who had emigrated from mecca, and other places.
'anza : a spear-headed stick.
'aqra halqa : is just an exclamatory expression, the literal meaning of which is
not meant here. it expresses disapproval.
arak : a tree from which siwak is made.
'arafat : a famous place of pilgrimage on the east of mecca about twenty-five
kilo-metres from it.
'asb : a kind of yemeni cloth that is very coarse.
'ashura' : the 10th of the month of muharram (the first month in the muslim
calendar).
'asr : afternoon 'asr prayer time.
'aura : the part of the body which it is illegal to keep naked before others.
'awali al-medina : outskirts of al-medina at a distance of four or more miles.
awaq : (singular: aquia); 5 awaqs=22 riyals "fransa" (silver).
awsaq : (awsaq); plural of "wasaq" which is a measure equal to 60 sa's. 1 sa'=3
kilograms (approx).
ayat : verses of the holy qur'an.
azlam : literally means "arrows". here it means arrows used to seek good luck or
a decision practiced by the 'arabs of the pre-islamic period of ignorance.
badana : (plural: budn) a camel offered as a sacrifice.
badr : a place about 150 k.m. to the south of al-medina where the first great
battle in islamic history took place between the early muslims and the infidels of
quraish.
(al) baida' : a place to the south of al-medina on the way to mecca.
baitul-maqdis : 'bait' literally means 'house'; a mosque is frequently called
'baitullah' (the house of allah). baitul-maqdis is the famous mosque in jerusalem
which is regarded as the third greatest mosque in the islamic world; the first and
the second being 'al-masjid al-haram at mecca and the mosque of the prophet at al-
medina respectively.
baqi' : the cemetery of the people of medina; many of the companions of the
prophet are buried in it.
bint labun : two-year-old she-camel.
bint makhad : one-year-old she-camel.
bu'ath : a place about two miles from medina where a battle took place between
the ansari tribes of al-aus and al-khaz-raj before islam.
budn : plural of badana.
burd : a black square narrow dress.
burnus : a hooded cloak.
burud : sixteen farsakhs.
buthan : a valley in medina.
(ad) dabur : westerly wind.
(ad-) dajjal : pseudo messiah (messiah-ad-dajjal) (see hadith no. 649 & 650, vol.
iv)
dhatul-jaish : a place near al-medina
dhi-mahram : a male whom a woman can never marry because of close relationship
(e.g. a brother, a father, an uncle etc.); or her own husband.
dhi-tuwa : a well-known well in mecca. in the life-time of the prophet, mecca was
a small city and this well was outside its precincts. now-a-days mecca is a larger
city and the well is within its boundaries.
dhul-hijja : the twelfth month in the muslim calendar.
dhul-hulaifa : the miqat of the people of medina now called "beer 'ali".
dhul-qa'da : the 11th month of the muslim calendar.
dibaj : pure silk cloth.
dirham : a silver coin weighing 50 grains of barley with cut ends.
diyya : compensation paid by the killer to the relatives of the victim, (in
unintentional cases).
dubba : a name of a pot in which alcoholic drinks used to be prepared.
duha : forenoon.
fajr : dawn or early morning before sunrise.
faraq : a name of a pot.
farida : (plural: fara'id) an enjoined duty.
farruj : a oaba' opened at the back.
farsakh : a distance of three miles: 1 mile = 6000 dora = 1760 yards.
(al-) ghaba : literally: the forest (a well-known place at 'awali al-medina).
ghazwa : (plural: ghazawat); a holy battle in the cause of allah consisting of a
large army unit with the prophet himself leading the army.
(al-) ghurrul-muhajjalun : a name that will be given on the day of resurrection
to the muslims because the parts of their bodies which they used to wash in
ablution will glitter then.
ghusl : taking a bath in a special ceremonial way. this is necessary for one who
is junub, and also on other occasions. this expression 'taking a bath' is used in
this book with the special meaning of ghusl mentioned here.
hadath (a) small : passing wind or urine or answering the call of nature.
(b) big : sexual discharge.
hadi : an animal (a camel, a cow, a sheep or a goat) offered as a sacrifice by
the pilgrims.
hadith : the traditions of the prophet; i.e. his sayings and deeds.
hais : a dish made of cooking-butter, dates and cheese.
hanatah : an expression used when you don't want to call somebody by her name.
(it is used for calling a female).
hajj : pilgrimage to mecca.
hajj-tamattu' and qiran : hajj performed with 'umra preceding it. for details see
vol ii (book of hajj)
halal : lawful
hanif : worshipping allah alone and nothing else along with him, associating no
partners to him.
hantam : a name of a pot in which alcoholic drinks used to be prepared.
haraam : unlawful, forbidden and punishable from the view-point of religion.
haram : sanctuary.
haraura' : a town in iraq.
harba : a short spear.
harj : killing
(al-) harra' : land covered with black stones well-known in al-medina.
(al-) hasba : a place outside mecca where pilgrims go after finishing all the
ceremonies of hajj.
hasir : a mat that is made of leaves of date-palms and is as long as or longer
than a man's stature.
haya' : see vol. 1 no. 8 (hadith). this term covers a large number of concepts.
it may mean 'modesty', 'self-respect', 'bashfulness', or 'scruple' etc. haya' is
of two kinds good and bad, the good haya' is to be ashamed to commit a thing which
allah has forbidden or not to do a thing which allah has ordered to do.
(al-) hijr : the unroofed portion of the ka'ba which is at present in the form of
a compound towards the north-west of the ka'ba.
hilab : a kind of scent.
himyan : a kind of belt part of which serves as a purse to keep money in.
hinna' : a kind of dye.
hiqqa : a three-year-old she-camel.
(al-) hudaibiya : a well-known place ten miles from mecca on the way to jedda.
hudud : (plural of had) allah's boundary limits for halal and haram.
hukm : a judgement of legal decision especially of allah.
hums : the tribe of quraish, their offspring and their allies were called "hums".
this word implies enthusiasm and strictness. the hums used to say, "we are the
people of allah". they thought themselves superior to the other people.
hunut : what is used for scenting a deceased.
'id al-adha : the four days festival of muslims starting on the tenth day of
dhul-hijja (month).
'id al-fitr : the three days festival of muslims starting from the first day of
shawwal, the month that follows ramadan immediately. 'fitr' literally means
'breaking the fast'. muslims fast for the whole of ramadan, the ninth month of the
muslim calendar and when shawwal comes they break their fast.
ihram : a state in which one is prohibited to practice certain deeds that are
lawful at other times. the ceremonies of 'umra and hajj are performed during such
state. when one assumes this state the first thing one should do is to express
mentally and orally one's intention to assume this state for the purpose of
performing 'umra or hajj. then talbiya is recited, two sheets of unstitched
clothes will be the only clothes one will wear, (1) izar: worn below one's waist
and the other (2) rida: worn round upper part of body.
ihsan : the highest level of deeds and worship (when you worship allah or do
deeds consider yourself as if you see him and if you cannot achieve this feeling
or attitude then you must bear in mind that he sees you).
ilya : jerusalem.
imam : the person who leads others in the prayer or the muslim caliph.
inbijaniya : a woolen garment without marks.
iqama : the statements of the adhan are recited reduced so that the statements
that are repeated twice in the adhan are recited once in iqama except the last
occurrence of 'allahu akbar'. the prayer is offered immediately after lqama has
been pronounced.
iqamat-as-salat : the offering of the prayers perfectly. this is not understood
by many muslims. it means:
(a) all members of a family or group etc., of a town or a village etc., must offer
the prayers; all the males in the mosque for the five congregational prayers and
the females in their houses both young and old from seven years of age upwards,
(and no member of the family is to be excused)
or a village etc.,) is responsible for it before allah.
(b) to offer the prayer in a way just as the prophet muhammad offered it with all
its rules and regulations. please see hadith no. 785, 786, 788 of the 1st volume
for the prophet's ways of praying.
isha' : night prayer, the time for which starts about (1) one and a half hours
after sunset.
ishtimal assamma : wrapping one's body with a garment so that one cannot raise
the ends or take ones hands out of it.
istabraq : thick dibaj (pure silk cloth).
istihada :vaginal bleeding of a woman in between her ordinary periods.
istikhara : asking allah to guide one to the right sort of action concerning an
important endeavour. a two rak'at prayer is offered for this purpose. certain
formulas of invocation are observed. see hadith 263, vol. ii.
istisqa' : invoking allah for rain in seasons of drought.
i'tikaf : seclusion in a mosque for the purpose of worshipping allah only. the
one in such a state should not have sexual relations with his wife and one is not
allowed to leave the mosque except for a very short period and that is only for
very urgent necessity, e.g. answering the call of nature or to join a funeral
procession, etc.
izar : a sheet worn below the waist.
jadh'a : a four-year-old she-camel.
janaba : the state of a person after having sexual discharge either with a person
or in a dream etc. a muslim in such a state is not allowed to pray or do other
kinds of worships unless and until he performs ghusl (have a bath) or do tayammum.

jamrat-al-'aqaba : one of the three stone-built pillars situated at mina. one of

the ceremonies of pilgrimage is to throw pebbles on these stones which stand as a
symbol of satan.
jihad : holy fighting in the cause of allah or any other kind of effort to make
allah's word (islam) superior which is regarded as one of the principles of islam.

jimar : plural of jamra.

jizya : head-tax imposed by islam on the people of the scriptures and other
people who have a revealed book when they are under muslim rule.
(al-) juhfa : the miqat of the people of sha'm.
jumu'a : friday.
junub : a person who is in a state of janaba.
ka'ba : a stone building in the great mosque at mecca built by prophet abraham
towards which muslims turn their faces in prayers.
khasafa : an arabic verb meaning "eclipsed" used for a lunar eclipse: al-qamaru
khasafa (the moon eclipsed).
kasafat : an arabic verb meaning "eclipsed" used for a solar eclipse. we say:
ash-shamsu kasafat (the sun eclipsed).
khaleel : this is superior than friend or beloved and is the one whose love is
mixed with one's soul. the prophet had only one khaleel i.e. allah but had many
friends.
khamisa : a black woolen square blanket with marks on it.
(al-) khandaq : the name of a battle between the early muslims and the infidels
in which the muslims dug a 'khandaq' (trench) round al-medina to prevent any
advance by the enemies.
khazir : a special type of dish prepared from barley flour and meat soup.
khuff : leather socks.
khumra : a small mat just sufficient for the face and the hands (on prostrating
during prayers).
khumus : one-fifth of war booty given in allah's cause etc. ref: qur'an 8:41.
khutba : sermon
kufr : disbelief including the refusal of anything of what the prophet muhammad
brought.
kunya : agnomen (consisting of 'abu' or 'um' followed by the name of the son).
kusuf : solar eclipse.
la-ilaha ill-allah : none has the right to be worshipped but allah.
labbaika wa sa`daika : i respond to your call; i am obedient to your orders.
li'an : an oath which is taken by both the wife and the husband when he accuses
his wife for committing illegal sexual intercourse. (refer: qur'an; sura noor; 24:
6, 7, 8, 9).
limas : a sale in which deal is completed if the buyer touches a thing without
seeing or checking it properly.
(al-) lizam : the settlement of affairs. in the hadith it refers to the battle of
badr which was the means of settling affairs between the muslims and the pagans.
luqata : article or thing (pouch or a purse tied with a string) found by somebody
other than the owner who has lost it.
mabrur : (hajj) accepted by allah for being perfectly performed according to the
prophet's traditions.
maghrib : sunset.
(al-) mahassab : a valley outside mecca called sometimes khaif bani kinana.
mahram : see dhi-mahram.
mahr : bridal money (given by the husband to the wife on marrying).
makruh : not approved of, undesirable from the point of view of religion,
although not punishable.
(al-) manasi : a vast plateau on the outskirts of medina.
maqam lbrahim : the station (the stone) where ibrahim stood while he and isma'il
were building the ka'ba.
ma'ras : a place nearer to mina than ash-shajara.
mashruba : attic room.
mathani : oft repeated verses of the qur'an, and that it is sura-al-fateha,
recited repeatedly in the prayer.
maula : it has many meanings. some are: a manumitted slave, or a master or the
lord (allah).
mawaqit : certain places specified by the prophet for the people to assume ihram
at on their way to mecca when intending to perform oajj or 'umra.
mikhdab : a painted stone pot.
mina : a place outside mecca on the road to 'arafat'. it is five miles away from
mecca and about ten miles from 'arafat.
miqat : singular of mawaqit.
mi'raj : the ascent of the prophet to the heavens. (see hadith no. 345,vol i and
hadith 227, vol. v)
mu'adh-dhin : a call maker who pronounces the adhan loudly calling people to come
and perform the prayer.
mudd : a measure of two-thirds of a kilo-gramme.
mufasal or mufassalat : the suras starting from 'qaf' to the end of the holy
qur'an, (i.e. from no. 50 to the end of qur'an , 114)
muhajir : anyone of the early muslims who had emigrated from any place to medina
in the life-time of the prophet before the conquest of mecca and also the one who
quits all those things, allah has forbidden.
muhrim : one who assumes the state of ihram for the purpose of performing hajj or
'umra'.
muhrima : a female in the state of ihram.
mujahidin : muslims fighting in holy wars.
muqaiyar : a name of a pot in which alcoholic drinks used to be prepared.
musalla : a praying place.
muttaqin : allah-fearing people (pious), who keep their duty to allah.
muzaffat : a name of a pot in which alcoholic drinks used to be prepared.
muzdalifa : a place between 'arafat and mina where the pilgrims returning from
'arafat spend a night between the ninth and tenth of dhul-hijja: after performing
the maghrib and 'isha' prayers, there.
nabidh : water in which dates or grapes etc. are soaked and is not yet fermented.

nadiha : a camel used for agricultural purposes.

nafila or nawafil : optional practice of worship in contrast to obligatory
(farida).
(the day of) nafr : the 12th or 13th of dhul-hijja when the pilgrims leave mina
after performing all the ceremonies of hajj at arafat, al-muzdalifa and mina.
nahr : (literal: slaughtering of the camels only and is done by cutting the
carotid artery at the root of the neck); the day of nahr is the tenth day of dhul-
hijja, on which pilgrims slaughter their sacrifice.
naqib : a person heading a group of six persons in an expedition.
naqir : a name of a pot in which alcoholic drinks used to be prepared.
nibadh : a kind of sale in which the deal is completed when the seller throws a
thing towards the buyer giving him no opportunity to see, touch or check it. (see
hadith no. 354 & 355, vol. i i i).
nusuk : a sacrifice.
qaba' : an outer garment with full-length sleeves.
qadr : one of the odd last ten nights of the month of fasting (ramadan). allah
describes it as better than one thousand ordinary nights and the one who worships
allah in it by praying nafila and reciting the holy qur'an his reward will be
great.
qalib : a well.
qarin : one who performs hajj-al-qiran.
(qarn-al-manzil) : the miqat of the people of najd. it is situated on the way
from ta'if to mecca.
qibla : the direction in which muslims turn their faces in prayers. that
direction is towards the ka'ba at mecca.
qirat : a special weight, some times of a very great weight like uhud mountain.
qiram : a thin marked woolen curtain.
(hajj-al-) qiran : hajj performed along with 'umra in the same state of ihram;
hadi is to be brought by the pilgrim along with him and offered on performing this
type of hajj. (see page 369, vol i i.)
qissi : a kind of clothes containing silk; some say it is called so because it is
manufactured in egypt at a place called qiss.
qiyam : the posture of standing in prayer.
quba' : a place at the outskirts of medina. the prophet established a mosque
there which bears the same name. a visit to that mosque on saturday forenoon and
offering two rakat at prayer is regarded as equal in reward to a performance of
'umra according to the prophet's saying.
qunut : invocation in the prayer.
quraish : one of the greatest tribes in arabia in the pre-islamic period. the
prophet muhammad belonged to that tribe which had great powers spiritually and
financially both before and after islam came.
(al-) rabada : a place in the desert three stages away from medina.
rahila : a she-camel used for riding. (literary means: a mount to ride).
rak'a : the prayer of muslims consists of rak'at (sing. - rak'a) which consists
of one bowing and two prostrations.
ramadan : the month of fasting. in this month the holy qur'an started to be
revealed to our prophet and in it occurs the qadr night and in it also the great
decisive battle of badr took place.
ramal : fast walking accompanied by the movements of the arms and legs to show
one's physical strength. this is to be observed in the first three rounds of the
tawaf around the ka'ba, and is to be done by the men only and not the women.
rami : the throwing of pebbles at the jimar at mina.
riba (usury) : is of two kinds: (a) riba nasi'a: i.e. to take interest on lent
money; (b) riba fadal: i.e. taking a superior thing of the same kind by giving
more of the same thing of inferior quality; e.g.
: dates, some other food-stuff, or gold and silver. islam strictly prohibits any
kind of usury.
rida : a sheet that is worn round the upper part of the body.
rikaz : buried wealth from the pre-islamic period.
sa' : a measure that equals four mudds i.e. 3 kgrms (app).
(as-) saba : easterly winds
sa'dan : a thorny plant suitable for grazing camels.
sadaqa : anything given in charity.
safa and marwa : two mountains at mecca neighbouring al-haram (the great mosque)
to the east. one who performs 'umra or hajj should walk seven times between the
two places and that is called "sa'i".
sahba' : a place near khaiber.
sahu : forgetting (here it means forgetting how many rak'at a person has prayed
in which case he should perform two prostrations of sahu).
(as-) sajda : a sura by the recitation of which prostration becomes essential
when certain verses are read.
sariya : a small army unit sent by the prophet for jihad, without his
participation in it.
sarif : a place six miles away from mecca.
sawiq : a kind of mash made of powdered roasted wheat or barley grain (also with
sugar and dates).
sham : the region comprising syria, palestine, lebanon and jordan.
(ash-) shajara : a well-known place on the way from medina to mecca.
shawwal : the 10th month in the muslim calendar.
shirk : to worship others along with allah. see introduction.
sidr : lotus tree.
sidrat-ul-muntaha : a tree over the seventh heaven near the paradise.
sila : a well-known mountain in medina
(as-) sirat : sirat: originally means 'a road'. it also means the bridge that is
laid across hell-fire for the people to pass on the day of judgement. it is
described as sharper than a sword and thinner than a hair, it will have hooks over
it to snatch the people.
siwak : a piece of a branch or a root of a tree called al-arak used as a
toothbrush.
subhan-allah : to honour allah from all what (unsuitable things) is ascribed to
him.
(as-) suffa : a shaded place in the mosque of the prophet at medina in which poor
people (emigrants) used to take shelter.
suhuliya : a cotton cloth, its name is derived from the name of a village in
yemen called suhul.
suhur : a meal taken at night before the fajr prayer on the nights of ramadan,
the month of fasting.
sunna : all the traditions and practices of the prophet that have become as
models to be followed by the muslims.
sutra : an object like a pillar, wall or stick, a spear, etc. the height of which
should not be less than a foot and must be in front of a praying person to act as
a symbolical barrier between him and the others.
taba' : another name for medina.
tahajjud : night optional prayers offered at any time after 'isha prayer and
before the fajr prayer.
tahnik : a custom practiced by the early muslims; whenever a child was born, they
would take it to the prophet who would chew a piece of date and put a part of its
juice in the child's mouth.
takbir : saying "allahu akbar" (allah is greater).
takbira : a single utterance of "allahu akbar".
talbiya :saying "labbaik allahumma labbaik" (o allah, i am obedient to your
orders, i respond to your call).
(at-) tan'im : a place towards the north of mecca outside the sanctuary from
where meccans may assume the state of ihram to perform 'umra.
taqlid : putting coloured garlands around the necks of the budn.
tarawih : optional prayers offered after the 'isha' prayer on the nights of
ramadan. they may be performed individually or in congregation.
tarwiya : the 8th of dhul-hijjal when pilgrims start going to mina.
tashah-hud : the recitation of the invocation: "at-tahiyatu lillahi ......(up (up
to) wa ashhadu anna muhammadan rasulul-lah" while in "qu'ud" i.e. sitting posture
in prayer. (see hadith no. 794 vol i)
(days of) tashriq : 11th, 12th and 13th of dhul-hijja .
taslim : on finishing the prayer one turns one's face right and left saying "as-
salamu-alikum wa rahmatullah" (peace and mercy of allah be on you), and this
action is called taslim.
tawaf : the circumambulation of the ka'ba.
tawaf al-ifada : the circumambulation of the ka'ba by the pilgrims after they
come from mina on the tenth day of dhul-hijjah. this tawaf is one of the essential
ceremonies (rukn) of hajj.
tayammum : to put or strike lightly the hands over clean earth and then pass the
palm of each on the back of the other, blow off the dust and then pass them on the
face. this is performed instead of ablution when water is not available.
tauhid (monotheism) : is of four aspects:
(a) unity of lordship; "tauhid-al-rububiya": to believe that there is only one
lord for all the universe and that is allah.
(b) unity of worship: "tauhid-al-uluhiya": to believe that none has the right to
be worshipped but allah.
(c) unity of the names and the qualities of allah; "tauhid-al-asma' was,-sifat: to
believe that:
(i) we must not name or qualify allah except with what he or his apostle has named
or qualified him;
(ii) none can be named or qualified with the names or qualifications of allah;
e.g. "al-karim"
(iii) we must confirm all allah's qualifications which allah has stated in his
book (qur'an) or mentioned through his apostle (muhammad) without twisting the
meanings or giving resemblance to any of the created things.
these three aspects of tauhid are included in the meaning of "none has the right
to be worshipped but allah."
(d) unity of following all'ah's apostle muhammad tauhid al-itaba: this is included
in the meaning "i testify that muhammad is allah's apostle" and that means "none
has the right to be followed after allah's book (qur'an) but allah's apostle "
thaniyat al-wadi : a place at medina.
tubban : shirts that cover the knees.
uqiya : 38 2/3 grams
'ushr : one tenth of the yield of land to be levied for public assistance (see
hadith no. 560 vol. ii)
wala : a kind of relationship between the master who freed a slave and the freed
slave.
walima : the marriage banquet party.
wars : a kind of perfume.
wasaq : singular of awsaq.
witr : an odd number of rak'at with which one finishes one's prayers at night
after the night prayer or 'isha' prayer.
yalamlam : the miqat of the people of yemen.
yaqin : perfect absolute faith.
zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) : a certain fixed proportion of the wealth of
every muslim to be paid for the benefit of the needy in the muslim community. the
payment of zakat is obligatory as it is one of the five major principles of islam.
zakat is the major economic means for establishing social justice and leading the
muslim society to prosperity and security. see the book of zakat (24) vol 11.
zamzam : the sacred well inside the haram (the great mosque) at mecca. noon.
zuhr : mid-day prayer is called zuhr prayer.