Beseeching For Help (istighathah)

Glossary

athar: pl.aathar . lit. relating. Generally used for ahadith related by one of the Companions, as distinguished from one of the Prophet’s own.

da‘if: an inaccurate narration which does not qualify to be eithersahih (sound) orhasan (fair), and hence cannot be used as a basis of an Islamic opinion.

din: an Arabic word for religion. It is more specifically used for the religion and revealed books of the prophets and the messengers. It is a comprehensive term covering not only religious rites and rituals but also applies to all aspects of life and provides guidance in all of its pursuits, whilemadhab (religion) is restricted to man’s spiritual life and regulates its relationship with God alone.

dinar: an ancient gold coin.

du‘a’: lit. to call someone; making supplication to Allah.

gharib: ahadith or version reported by one reliable or unreliable narrator which differs in context with anotherhadith or version reported by a group of reliable narrators. Agharib hadith can besahih (sound) orda‘if (weak).

ghawth: lit. one to whom we can cry for help. A mediator; a title given to a saint of the highest order.

hadith: pl.hadiths orahadith . The sayings, practice and approved traditions of the Prophet Muhammad*(Peace Be Upon Him and His Household)* .

Hafiz: lit. a guardian or protector. (1) one of the names of God, al-Hafiz. (2) a governor, guardian of the Makkan temple. (3) one who has committed the whole of the Qur’an to memory. (4) one who has committed one hundred thousandhadiths to memory.

hajj: the yearly pilgrimage of the Muslims to Makkah.

hasan: ahadith , narrated by a reliable chain of transmission though not approaching the grade ofsahih (sound)hadith , but records a complete chain of narrators up to the Prophet*(Peace Be Upon Him and His Household)* .

Imam: one who leads people in prayers; an eminent Islamic scholar.

‘Isa: name of Allah’s penultimate messenger, Jesus.

Jibril (Peace Be Upon Him) : the archangel Gabriel who brought the revelations of Allah to His messengers.

jihad: the wordjihad , in terms of the acquisition of a desirable and commendable objective, carries a number of meanings.Jihad is striving against the evils of the self, and it is also the struggle waged for the propagation of Islam and the integrity of Ummah. For example, to launchjihad through tongue and pen for the improvement and development of the Islamic society; an armed struggle against the exploitive forces is alsojihad but this is ‘minorjihad ’ while a perpetual struggle against the evil wishes of one’s self is ‘majorjihad ’.Jihad is one of the cardinal articles of Islam.

kawthar: lit. abundance. A pond in Paradise.

Maryam: the Prophet ‘Isa’s mother; Mary.

mawdu‘: amawdu‘ tradition narrated by a liar, a narrator whose act of lying in relating traditions has been proved.

sahih: sound. Ahadith with an unbroken chain of narrators ranging from the Prophet Muhammad*(Peace Be Upon Him and His Household)* and approaching an era through reliable narrators without beingshadh (odd) ormu‘allal (faulty) in between the two cross relaters.

shari‘ah: lit. road. It is a legal modality of a people based on the revelation of their prophet/messenger. The lastshari‘ah is that of Islam that abrogates all previousshari‘ahs .

sunnah: pl.sunnahs . lit. the path, way or a form, the customary practice of a person or a group of people. It has come to refer almost exclusively to the legal way or ways, orders, statements and acts of worship, etc., of the Prophet Muhammad*(Peace Be Upon Him and His Household)* which have become the models to be followed by the Muslims.

surah: a chapter of the holy Qur’an. There are 114 chapters in the holy Qur’an.

Ya‘qub (Peace Be Upon Him) : the prophet Jacob.

Yusuf (Peace Be Upon Him) : the prophet Joseph.

zakat: a yearly fixed percentage of wealth and property of the Muslims liable to zakat to be paid to the poor and the needy of the Muslim Community. It is obligatory, as it is one of the five indispensable pillars of Islam.