The Life of Muhammad The Prophet

Glossary

Adhan the call for prayers; muadhdhin is one who performs adhan
 
Dirham an Islamic silver currency weighing approximately 3.12 grams
 
Hafiz one who knows the entire text of the Holy Qur'an by heart; plurall "huffaz." In hadith, one is called haftz if he memorizes one hundred thousand traditions with their chains of narrators
 
Hajj Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhul-Hijjah Hijabah the trusteeship of the Ka'bah
 
Ihram pilgrimage garb, two white unwoven cotton robes worn by pilgrims
 
Kafir infidel, apostate, atheist, one who does not believe in the existence of the Creator, one who deliberately covers the truth.
 
Khandaq moat, ditch
 
Khums one-fifth of one's savings (usually paid by Shi'a Muslims only) set aside from annual income
 
Muhaddith one who narrates hadith, traditions of the Holy Prophet
 
Najis unclean, impure
 
Nadhr sing. of "nudhur," one's pledge to do something good, an act of charity, to show appreciation for the Almighty's fulfillment of his/her earnest worldly wish
 
Rifadah the act of feeding the pilgrims during the pilgrimage season
 
Sahih literally: authentic, correct, accurate; it is generally used to refer to a collection, group of collections, or book of verified and authenticated ahadith (plural of hadith, tradition; see muhaddith above) of the Holy Prophet
 
Sajdah prostration
 
Saraya plural of sariya, a military expedition in which the Prophet himself did not participate
 
Shari'ah Islamic legislative system
 
Siqayah the act- of providing water to the thirsty (especially the pilgrims) free of charge
 
Tafsir (sing.) exegesis or explanation of Qur'anic verses and chapters; plural: tafasir
 
Tarikh chronicle, a book of history
 
Tawaf circling around Ka'bah
 
Umrah the lesser pilgrimage done outside the month of Hajj
 
Waqf a piece of property dedicated for the promotion of any particular good cause, a charitable trust, endowment
 
And surely Allah knows best.