Islam Vocabulary

Question 1

al-fana

Answer 1

extinction of one’s sense of separate existence before achieving union with Allah; aim of Sufi mystics

Question 2

caliphs

Answer 2

military and political leaders of the Muslim community who succeeded Muhammad after his death

Question 3

Five Pillars

Answer 3

specific religious & ethics; requirements for Muslims

Question 4

hajj

Answer 4

journey to Mecca that all Muslims are to make at least once in their lifetime (if they can afford it and are physically able)

Question 5

Hijra

Answer 5

emigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib in AD 622; founding event of the Muslim community

Question 6

Imam

Answer 6

an early successor to Muhammad and leader of Islam believed to have special spiritual insight

Question 7

imam

Answer 7

leader of the Friday worship service who directs the prayers and delivers a sermon

Question 8

jihad

Answer 8

general spiritual struggle to be a devout Muslim; armed struggle (holy war) for the sake of Islam

Question 9

Ka’ba

Answer 9

stone cubical structure in the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Mecca, believed to have been built by Abraham and regarded as the sacred center of the earth

Question 10

mosque

Answer 10

Muslim place or building of worship, traditionally including a prayer hall & courtyard, with towers called minarets at the corners

Question 11

Qur’an

Answer 11

Islam’s primary sacred text, regarded by Muslims as the direct words of Allah, revealed to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel

Question 12

Ramadan

Answer 12

9th month of the Islamic calendar, a period during which Muslims fast, in accordance with the third of the Five Pillars

Question 13

Shahada

Answer 13

confession of faith and central creedal statement of Islam: “There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

Question 14

Shari’a

Answer 14

divine law, derived from the Qur’an and the Sunna, encompassing all and setting forth in detail how Muslims are to live

Question 15

shaykh

Answer 15

a teacher and master in Islam, such as the leader of an order in Sufism

Question 16

Shi’i

Answer 16

division of Islam dominant in Iraq & Iran, originating as a result of an early dispute over leadership; distinguishable from Sunni Islam mainly by its figure of the Imam and strong messianic expectations

Question 17

Sufi

Answer 17

adherent of Sufism, form of Islam characterized by a mystical approach to Allah, who is experienced inwardly

Question 18

Sunna

Answer 18

teachings & actions of Muhammad recorded in writings known as hadith, which provide the model for being Muslim; Islam’s second most important authority

Question 19

Sunni

Answer 19

division of Islam practiced by most Muslims, named after the Sunna

Question 20

Umma

Answer 20

community of all Muslims