Islam Vocab. Flashcards
Caliph
A successor to Muhammad as the leader of the believing community
Fatiha
The opening sura of the Qur’an
Fatwa
A ruling handed down from an Islamic scholar based on his interpretation of Islamic law
Hadith
The records of the teachings, sayings, and actions of Muhammad
Hajj
A once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca
Hijab
The generic term for head coverings; various specific types (that can also include body coverings) including the chador, the burqa, and the niqab
Imam
an Islamic leader, commonly in charge of a mosque
Islam
“Submission” or “(Self)-Surrender”
Jihad
“Exertion” or “Struggle,” it has come to mean the various spiritual struggles Muslims
face; popularly, it means “holy war”
Kaaba
“Cube,” the sacred house that Muslim believers face during prayer
Qur’an
“The recitation:” the central religious text for Muslims, believed to have been
dictated verbatim by God to Muhammad
Salat
Prayer five times a day
Sawm
Fasting from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan
Shahada
“Witness;” Creed declaring ones belief in Allah and Muhammad as his prophet.
Sharia
The moral code and religious law of Islam
Shi‘ites
Group of believers that comprise at least 10% of Muslims; acknowledge only the
authority of ‘Ali as the fourth and final caliph
Sira
Muhammad’s biography
Sura(h)
A unit (or chapter) from the Qur’an
Sunnis
Comprise the majority of the Islamic world; claim to be the direct continuation of the faith of Muhammad; acknowledging the authority of caliphs beginning with
Abu Bakr
Umma
“Nation” or “community:” The community of all Muslims
Zaka
Almsgiving, the tax given out of charity as duty
