Glossaries
1.1 The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain Download Topic
Word : The emotional problem of evil
Meaning : People’s dislike or even hatred of God who permits suffering in the world. They are angry that God doesn’t do anything about it.
Word : The intellectual problem of evil
Meaning : This problem sees God and evil as mutually incompatible from a logical perspective.
1.2 God, Allah and Religion Download Topic
Word : Allah
Meaning : Arabic word for God
Word : Deism
Meaning : Belief in God without belief in religion
1.3 Introduction to Islam Download Topic
Word : Mecca
Meaning : city in modern day Saudi Arabia, the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) place of birth.
Word : Abrahamic religion
Meaning : Religion that traces itself back to the Prophet Abraham (as)
Word : Orthodoxy
Meaning : right creed
Word : Orthopraxy
Meaning : right practice
1.4 What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways? Download Topic
Word : Dīn
Meaning : Way of Life, Arabic term for Religion
1.5 A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam Download Topic
Word : Ismāʿīl
Meaning : Ishmael
Word : Hanif
Meaning : Monotheist follower of Abraham (as) in pre-Islamic Arabia
Word : Hawa
Meaning : the carnal desires of the self
Word : Al-Amīn
Meaning : the truthful one, a name given to the Prophet Muhammad (s) as he was always truthful.
2.1 Entering Islam: The Shahada Download Topic
Word : Shahāda
Meaning : Testimony of faith that brings one into Islam
Word : Polytheism
Meaning : Belief in multiple gods
Word : Monotheism
Meaning : Belief in one God
Word : Dīn
Meaning : Religion
Word : Ghusl
Meaning : The major ablution (bath or shower) required in Islam so as to be able to perform obligatory ritual practices.
2.2 The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam Download Topic
Word : Tawhīd
Meaning : Absolute Oneness and Unity of God
Word : Adalah
Meaning : Divine Justice
Word : Nubuwwa
Meaning : Prophethood
Word : Imamah
Meaning : Divine Leadership
Word : Qiyāmah
Meaning : Day of Resurrection, also known as the Day of Judgment
Word : Usūl al-Dīn
Meaning : Fundamental Beliefs of Islam
2.3 Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam Download Topic
Word : Shirk
Meaning : Polytheism, idol worship, associating partners with Allah
Word : Tawhīd
Meaning : Absolute Oneness and Unity of the Muslim God
Word : Ibāda
Meaning : worship, lit. means “to enslave oneself to something”
Word : uṣūl al-dīn
Meaning : the five foundational beliefs of Islam
2.4 Adala: Divine Justice in Islam Download Topic
Word : Adāla
Meaning : divine justice
Word : Subjective
Meaning : Depends on human opinion
Word : Objective
Meaning : A truth that does not depend on human opinion
Word : Tāghūt
Meaning : Crossing the boundaries of Allah, like idol worship or making corruption
Word : Al-Ghanī
Meaning : One of God’s names and attributes, means the “Self-Sufficient”
Word : Al-Ālim
Meaning : God as the All-Knowing
Word : Al-Hakīm
Meaning : God as the All-Wise
Word : Tawhīd
Meaning : Oneness and Unity of God
2.5 Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam Download Topic
Word : Wahī
Meaning : direct revelation by God through the medium of the Archangel Gabriel
Word : Ilhām
Meaning : divine inspiration
Word : Nabī
Meaning : Prophet
Word : Sunnah
Meaning : Sunnah is the tradition, practice or culture of the Prophet.
Word : Hadīth
Meaning : The oral tradition where the Sunnah is preserved.
Word : Rasūl
Meaning : Messenger who brings a whole system of laws. All rasūls are nabīs.
2.6 Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad. Download Topic
Word : Imām of the Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Meaning : Divinely appointed leader after the Prophet Muhammad (s)
Word : Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Meaning : The divinely selected guides for mankind from among the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) Holy Household.
Word : Sunnism
Meaning : Those who follow Sunni Islam principally follow the opinions of the Prophet Muhammad's companions and the immediate followers of those companions.
Word : Shi’ism
Meaning : Those who follow Shi’i Islam are those who follow the opinion of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Word : 12 Imāms
Meaning : The twelve divinely appointed religious guides for mankind. The first Imām is the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (s) called Ali ibn Abi Talib. The rest of the eleven Imams are descendants of Ali.
Word : Imāma
Meaning : Divinely appointed leadership after the Prophet Muhammad (s).
Word : Wahī
Meaning : direct revelation by Allah through the medium of the Archangel Gabriel. It is conditioned upon propagation.
Word : Ilhām
Meaning : Unmediated divine knowledge which God inspires His select few with, at least in its technical sense.
2.7 Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam Download Topic
Word : Isrāfīl
Meaning : Angel who brings the Day of Judgment
Word : Yawm al-Dīn
Meaning : Day of Reckoning
Word : Qiyāma
Meaning : Day of Resurrection (Day of Judgment)
Word : Maʿād
Meaning : Day of Resurrection (Day of Judgment)
Word : Munkir and Nakīr
Meaning : Angels in the grave who question about our relationship to God
Word : Mahdī
Meaning : The 12th Imām who will come in the end of times and spread good and justice around the world.
2.8 The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice Download Topic
Word : Sharīʿa
Meaning : life or way of obedience and discipline towards God
Word : Dunyā
Meaning : the ephemeral aspect of the world
Word : ʿĀlam
Meaning : the physical world, world of creation
Word : God as the Final Judge
Meaning : In Islam, God is the ultimate judge of all of mankind’s deeds.
2.9 The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego Download Topic
Word : Fitrah
Meaning : Spiritual self
Word : Hawa
Meaning : Whims
Word : Shaytan
Meaning : The Devil, Satan
Word : Nafs
Meaning : Inner self or egoic self that commands to evil
Word : Al-Qalb al-Salīm
Meaning : The pure heart that is devoid of sin and full of the remembrance of God. This is the goal of mankind.
Word : Pride
Meaning : In Islam, it is thinking we are better than others and/or know more than God.
2.10 Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World Download Topic
Word : Jinns
Meaning : Spiritual/intelligent beings made out of smokeless fire. They are invisible unless they take on make themselves visible.
Word : Angels
Meaning : Beings made out of light, they cannot sin and obey every command of Allah.
Word : Nafs
Meaning : It is our inner self, sometimes called the “self/ego that commands evil.” This aspect of the nafs must be fought against.
Word : Shaytān
Meaning : Satan, the Devil.
Word : Iblīs
Meaning : Leader of the Jinn, he is known as Satan or the Devil in English. He is a Jinn and not a fallen angel.
2.11 The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain Download Topic
Word : The emotional problem of evil
Meaning : People’s dislike or even hatred of God who permits suffering in the world. They are angry that God doesn’t do anything about it.
Word : The intellectual problem of evil
Meaning : This problem sees God and evil as mutually incompatible from a logical perspective.
3.1 Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action Download Topic
Word : Straight Path of Allah
Meaning : The path of correct belief and action that lead to salvation
Word : Islam
Meaning : submission
Word : ʿAmal
Meaning : religious action, ritual
3.2 Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality Download Topic
Word : Nafs al-Mut’mainnah
Meaning : The self which has attained peace and tranquility, and does not need to struggle as much against desires as they have been pacified.
Word : Nafs al-Lawwāma
Meaning : The self which struggles against immorality and evil
Word : Nafs al-Ammāra
Meaning : The ego or self that commands to evil
Word : Jihad al-Asghar
Meaning : Minor or Lesser Jihad, struggle and self-defense against hostile powers
Word : Jihad al-Akbar
Meaning : Greater Jihad, struggle against the evil self
Word : Jihad
Meaning : Struggle against Evil
3.3 Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam Download Topic
Word : Salāt al-Mayyit
Meaning : Funeral prayers
Word : Duʿā
Meaning : Supplication
Word : Salāt al-Ayāt
Meaning : Prayers performed when special (awesome) natural events happen
Word : Nāfila
Meaning : Supererogatory prayers offered after one’s daily obligatory salāt
Word : Mustahab
Meaning : Recommended
3.4 Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa Download Topic
Word : Tahāra
Meaning : Ritual purity
Word : Najāsa
Meaning : Ritual impurity
Word : Janāba
Meaning : State of major ritual impurity which requires ghusl
Word : Tāhir
Meaning : A person or object that is ritually pure
Word : Najis
Meaning : A person or object that is ritually impure
Word : Ghusl
Meaning : Major ablution
Word : Wudū
Meaning : Minor ablution
Word : Ghusl Irtimāsī
Meaning : Major ablution by way of completely submerging oneself under water.
Word : Tayamum
Meaning : A method of ritual purification by using earth or dust.
3.5 The Five Categories of Islamic Law Download Topic
Word : Wājib
Meaning : Obligatory
Word : Fard
Meaning : Quranic obligation
Word : Mustahab
Meaning : Recommended act
Word : Mubah
Meaning : Neutral act
Word : Makruh
Meaning : Disliked act (but not forbidden)
Word : Haram
Meaning : Forbidden act
Word : Wajib Kifaya
Meaning : Obligatory on society until a sufficient number of people act on it.
Word : Wajib Ayn
Meaning : Obligatory on everyone
Word : Niyya
Meaning : Intention behind a religious act
3.6 Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose Download Topic
Word : Tawalla
Meaning : Love for the Prophet (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as).
Word : Tabarra
Meaning : Disassociating from the enemies of the Prophet and his Ahl al-Bayt (as).
Word : Wala
Meaning : To befriend
Word : Baraa
Meaning : To be free from, to disassociate
Word : Umbrella term
Meaning : A term that covers a broad selection of words that fall under the same category.
3.7 The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law Download Topic
Word : Khums
Meaning : 1/5th tax one pays on one’s sitting income
Word : Zakat
Meaning : 2.5% tax on one’s sitting tangible income
Word : Marja
Meaning : A high ranking scholar of law that is a source of legal emulation
3.8 The Hajj Pilgrimage Download Topic
Word : Muzdalifa
Meaning : A plain where Muslims must lead prayer vigils during the Hajj pilgrimage.
Word : Safa and Marwa
Meaning : Hills Muslims must pace between during Hajj rituals.
Word : Umrah
Meaning : The lesser pilgrimage. Similar to Hajj, but performed outside the Hajj season. It is not obligatory.
Word : Day of Arafah
Meaning : Most important day of the Hajj pilgrimage, 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhū al-Hijjah.
Word : Zamzam
Meaning : Spring of water in Mecca, appeared miraculously when the Prophet Ismāʿīl (as) was dying of thirst.
Word : Hajj
Meaning : Pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime.
Word : Kaʿba
Meaning : Cube shaped building which is the direction for Muslim prayers. It is also the building around which Muslims circumambulate during the Hajj pilgrimage.
Word : Tawāf
Meaning : Circumambulation around the Kaʿba seven times in counter-clock wise fashion.
3.9 The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam Download Topic
Word : Furūʿ al-Dīn
Meaning : The 10 fundamental obligatory practices of Islam
Word : Salāt
Meaning : five obligatory daily prayers
Word : Siyām
Meaning : Fasting during the month of Ramadan
Word : Hajj
Meaning : Pilgrimage to Mecca
Word : Zakat
Meaning : obligatory tax for the poor
Word : Jihad
Meaning : Struggling for the sake of God
Word : Amr bi al-Maʿrūf
Meaning : Commanding the Good
Word : Nahī ʿan al-Munkar
Meaning : Forbidding Evil
Word : Tawalla
Meaning : Loving the Prophet (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Word : Tabarra
Meaning : Disassociating from the enemies of the Prophet and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Word : Wājib
Meaning : Obligatory act
Word : Farḍ
Meaning : Obligatory act that is in the Qur’an
Word : Tazkīyah
Meaning : spiritual purification
Word : Khums
Meaning : 1/5th tax on one’s sitting or special-sourced income
3.10 Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts Download Topic
Word : Siyām
Meaning : Fasting
Word : Ramadan
Meaning : Month in which one has to fast for 30 days
Word : Eid al-Fitr
Meaning : Festival marking the end of the 30 day long fast in Ramadan
Word : Suhūr
Meaning : predawn breakfast before a fasting day
Word : Iftār
Meaning : breaking one’s fast at sundown or sunset.
3.11 Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam Download Topic
Word : Zina
Meaning : illicit intercourse
Word : Ghība
Meaning : gossiping, backbiting
Word : Nafaqa
Meaning : sustenance to one’s wife and children
Word : Ribā
Meaning : usury and shark loans
Word : Kabā’ir (sing. Kabīra)
Meaning : major sin
3.12 Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice Download Topic
Word : Niyya
Meaning : Intention
Word : Good Niyya
Meaning : Doing something with the intention of getting closer to God
Word : Bad Niyya
Meaning : Performing a religious action for the sake of something or someone other than God
Word : Qurbatan ila-Allah
Meaning : Wanting to reach closeness to Allah
3.13 Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam Download Topic
Word : Amr bi al-Maʿrūf
Meaning : Commanding the Good
Word : Nahī ʿan al-Munkar
Meaning : Forbidding Evil
Word : Marjaʿ
Meaning : Highest source of legal authority and emulation in Shia Islam
Word : Jihad
Meaning : Struggle, either against external aggressing forces or struggling against one’s evil desires.
Word : Ummah
Meaning : Muslim community
4.1 A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III) Download Topic
Word : Banu Hāshim
Meaning : Clan of the Prophet
Word : Quraysh
Meaning : Tribe of the Prophet
Word : Cave of Hira
Meaning : Cave the Prophet meditated and prayed in
Word : Hanīf
Meaning : An Arab who followed the monotheistic message of Abraham
Word : Mecca
Meaning : City the Prophet was born in
Word : Medina
Meaning : City the Prophet migrated to and found as his permanent base.
Word : Hijrah
Meaning : The Prophet’s migration to Medina in the year 622.
Word : Khadījah
Meaning : The first wife of the Prophet
Word : Abū Ṭālib
Meaning : The uncle of the Prophet
Word : ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib
Meaning : The Prophet’s grandfather
Word : Qutb
Meaning : literally means pole. It is that perfect human being who is the cosmic and universal leader of all of God’s saints and the mediator between the divine and human realms. His presence is necessary for the continued existence of the world.
4.2 Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III) Download Topic
Word : Banu Hāshim
Meaning : Clan of the Prophet
Word : Quraysh
Meaning : Tribe of the Prophet
Word : Cave of Hira
Meaning : Cave the Prophet meditated and prayed in
Word : Hanīf
Meaning : An Arab who followed the monotheistic message of Abraham
Word : Mecca
Meaning : City the Prophet was born in
Word : Medina
Meaning : City the Prophet migrated to and found as his permanent base.
Word : Hijrah
Meaning : the Prophet’s migration to Medina in the year 622.
Word : Khadījah
Meaning : The first wife of the Prophet
Word : Abū Ṭālib
Meaning : The uncle of the Prophet
Word : ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib
Meaning : The Prophet’s grandfather
Word : Qutb
Meaning : literally means pole. It is that perfect human being who is the cosmic and universal leader of all of God’s saints and the mediator between the divine and human realms. His presence is necessary for the continued existence of the world.
4.3 A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III) Download Topic
Word : Banu Hāshim
Meaning : Clan of the Prophet
Word : Quraysh
Meaning : Tribe of the Prophet
Word : Cave of Hira
Meaning : Cave the Prophet meditated and prayed in
Word : Hanīf
Meaning : An Arab who followed the monotheistic message of Abraham
Word : Mecca
Meaning : City the Prophet was born in
Word : Medina
Meaning : City the Prophet migrated to and found as his permanent base.
Word : Hijrah
Meaning : the Prophet’s migration to Medina in the year 622.
Word : Khadījah
Meaning : The first wife of the Prophet
Word : Abū Ṭālib
Meaning : The uncle of the Prophet
Word : ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib
Meaning : The Prophet’s grandfather
Word : Qutb
Meaning : literally means pole. It is that perfect human being who is the cosmic and universal leader of all of God’s saints and the mediator between the divine and human realms. His presence is necessary for the continued existence of the world.
4.4 The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher Download Topic
Word : Al-Amīn
Meaning : the truthful
Word : Al-Muʿallim
Meaning : the teacher
Word : Rasūl
Meaning : messenger of Allah
Word : Seal of the Prophets
Meaning : the last of the prophets
Word : Al-Tabīb
Meaning : doctor for people’s souls and hearts
4.5 The Prophet and his Relationships Download Topic
Word : No new vocabulary to add
Meaning : No new vocabulary to add
4.6 The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith Download Topic
Word : Sanad
Meaning : Chain of oral transmission
Word : Sunnah
Meaning : Sunnah are the sayings and actions of the Prophet
Word : Chain of oral transmission
Meaning : Relating a word or sentence to another person by word of mouth, and then that person relating it to someone else.
Word : Hadith
Meaning : A report concerning the saying or action of the Prophet that has been orally transmitted to later generations.
4.7 Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet Download Topic
Word : Ghadīr
Meaning : Pond which the Prophet (s) delivered his last sermon in
Word : Arafa
Meaning : Location where the Prophet (s) delivered his sermon concerning the crisis of human relationships
Word : Mawla
Meaning : Master of the Muslim Ummah
Word : Taqwa
Meaning : Piety and consciousness of God
4.8 Jesus and Mary in Islam Download Topic
Word : Isa
Meaning : Jesus
Word : Maryam
Meaning : Mary
Word : Injīl
Meaning : Gospel
Word : Akhlaq
Meaning : Good moral character
Word : Straight Path
Meaning : Correct path towards God
5.1 Islam and Other Religions Download Topic
Word : Ahl al-Kitāb
Meaning : People of the book
Word : Mushrik/Mushrikīm
Meaning : polytheist or idol worshiper
5.2 What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book Download Topic
Word : Al-Lawh al-Mahfūz
Meaning : The divine tablet
Word : Day of Arafah
Meaning : One of the last days of the Prophet where he delivered a sermon about following the Qur’an and his Ahl al-Bayt (as) sources of divine guidance and salvation.
5.3 The Structure of the Holy Qur’an Download Topic
Word : Shān al-Nuzūl
Meaning : Occasion of revelation for the Qur’an’s verses
Word : Laylat al-Qadr
Meaning : Night of Power, night in which the Qur’an was revealed
5.4 The Quran and Islamic law Download Topic
Word : Ijmā
Meaning : consensus of the muslim community or scholars
Word : ʿAql
Meaning : intellect, used to derive laws from Islamic law
Word : Istinbāt
Meaning : formal inference from Islamic law
5.5 The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind Download Topic
Word : N/A
Meaning : N/A
5.6 Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations Download Topic
Word : Hadith Qudsi
Meaning : Saying of Allah as related by the Prophet but not in the Qur’an
Word : Sunnah
Meaning : The practice and tradition of the Prophet (s)
Word : Sunnah
Meaning : Mustahabba: A recommended practice of the Prophet
Word : Siwāk
Meaning : toothbrush
5.7 The Reliability of Hadiths Download Topic
Word : Sahih
Meaning : authentic hadith
Word : Daʿīf
Meaning : Weak hadith
Word : Tawātur/mutawātir
Meaning : Hadith that has many independent chains of transmission
Word : Chain of transmission
Meaning : A chain of narrators who relate a hadith from the Prophet or the Ahl al-Bayt (as)
5.8 A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an Download Topic
Word : N/A
Meaning : N/A
5.9 Hadith al-Thaqalayn Download Topic
Word : Thaqalayn
Meaning : Two Weighty Things
Word : Mubahala
Meaning : Imprecation
5.10 Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha. Download Topic
Word : N/A
Meaning : N/A
5.11 Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature Download Topic
Word : Marja
Meaning : scholar whom one uses as a source of reference for Islamic law
Word : Taqlid
Meaning : process of following the rulings of a scholar whom one thinks is the most knowledgeable scholar
Word : Tawzīh al-Masā’il
Meaning : It is a book that contains all the major answers to legal issues in almost all the major areas of Islamic practice and ritual by a Marja.
Word : Minhāj al-Ṣaliḥīn
Meaning : Arabic version of Tawzīh al-Masā’il
6.1 The Effects of Our Actions in this World Download Topic
Word : Khattā
Meaning : sin
Word : Waswasa
Meaning : the devil’s whispers
Word : Riyā
Meaning : showing-off
6.2 The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality Download Topic
Word : Mubah
Meaning : neutral, permissible
Word : Makruh
Meaning : disliked by God, but not forbidden
Word : Mustahab
Meaning : Encouraged by God, but not obligatory
6.3 Heaven and Hell in Islam Download Topic
Word : Jannah
Meaning : Heaven
Word : Jahannam
Meaning : Hell
Word : Ghayb
Meaning : Unseen
6.4 Life and Death in Islam Download Topic
Word : Subjective or relative morality
Meaning : morality that is produced by the human mind and is limited to human experience in this world only.
Word : Nihilism
Meaning : Worldview that nothing has ultimate meaning or purpose
6.5 Guidance According to Islam Download Topic
Word : Sirāt al-Mustaqīm
Meaning : Straight Path
Word : Hidāya
Meaning : Guidance
6.6 Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam Download Topic
Word : Qadar
Meaning : predestination
6.7 The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices Download Topic
Word : Istiqāma
Meaning : striving towards God
6.8 Major Sins in Islam Download Topic
Word : Shirk
Meaning : Polytheism
Word : Yas
Meaning : Despair
Word : Āq al-Wālidayn
Meaning : Disobedience to Parents
Word : ʿIbādah
Meaning : worship
Word : Kabā’ir
Meaning : major sins
6.9 Why Allah Allows People to Sin Download Topic
Word : N/A
Meaning : N/A
6.10 Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam Download Topic
Word : Tawbah
Meaning : repentance
Word : Shafa’ah
Meaning : intercession on the Day of Judgment
Word : Astaghfurallah
Meaning : “May God Forgive Me”
6.11 The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam Download Topic
Word : Haqq
Meaning : right
Word : Haqq al-nafs
Meaning : rights of the self
Word : Haqq al-nās
Meaning : rights of others
Word : Haqq Allah
Meaning : rights of God
Word : Shirk
Meaning : Associating Partners with God
6.12 Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment Download Topic
Word : Ghībah
Meaning : Ghībah: Backbiting
Word : Zina
Meaning : Fornication
6.13 Kufr in Islam Download Topic
Word : Kafir
Meaning : Someone who commits kufr, that is, rejects the truth.
Word : Kufr:
Meaning : Rejecting the truth
6.14 Trivializing the Harām Download Topic
Word : Tāghūt
Meaning : powers of evil, head of which is Satan
6.15 Benefits of Islamic Law in this World Download Topic
Word : N/A
Meaning : N/A
6.16 Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices Download Topic
Word : Redemptive Suffering
Meaning : Suffering that either forgives us of our sins and helps us turn back to God to ask for His help. It is a suffering that helps us grow spiritually.
7.1 Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education Download Topic
Word : ʿilm
Meaning : knowledge
Word : taʿlīm
Meaning : to teach, to convey or instill knowledge
Word : tarbīyah
Meaning : to rear, to nurture someone spiritually and morally
Word : mu’min
Meaning : someone who has deep faith in God
7.2 The Ahl al-Kisa Download Topic
Word : Ahl al-Kisa
Meaning : The People of the Cloak, referring to the Prophet Muhammad(s), Imam Ali (as), Fatima al-Zahra (as), Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Husayn (as).
7.3 Imamah in the Qur’an Download Topic
Word : Imamah
Meaning : Divine leadership
7.4 Fatima al-Zahrah (as) Download Topic
Word : Tasbih of Fatima al-Zahra
Meaning : Tasbih of Fatima al-Zahra
Word : Fadak
Meaning : Fatima’s garden which was gifted to her by her father (s).
7.5 A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir) Download Topic
Word : N/A
Meaning : N/A
7.6 A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari) Download Topic
Word : Sayyid
Meaning : Descendent of the Prophet
7.7 A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj) Download Topic
Word : Ghaybat al-Sughra
Meaning : The 12th Imam’s lesser or minor occultation
Word : Ghaybat al-Kubra
Meaning : The 12th Imam’s greater or major occultation
Word : Akhir al-Zaman
Meaning : End of Days
Word : Zuhur
Meaning : The 12th Imam’s reappearance at the End of Days
7.8 Salawat and Atonement in Islam Download Topic
Word : Salawat
Meaning : conveying blessings upon the Prophet and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)
Word : Sahaba
Meaning : companions of the Prophet
Word : Allahumma Sallī ʿAlā Muhammad wa Āli Muhammad
Meaning : “O Allah, send your blessings upon Muhammad and upon the progeny of Muhammad”
Word : Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
Meaning : may the peace of God be upon you as well as His mercy and blessings
7.9 The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an Download Topic
Word : Sahabi
Meaning : companion of the prophet (s)
Word : Sahaba
Meaning : companions of the prophet (s)
Word : Muttabi
Meaning : obedient and faithful follower of the Prophet (s)
7.10 Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities Download Topic
Word : Alim
Meaning : Someone who possesses knowledge, i.e. cleric.
Word : Maulana
Meaning : “Our master,” in reference to a cleric of any rank, it is a term usually used by South Asians
Word : Ayatollah
Meaning : “Sign of God,” a highly trained cleric who is a mujtahid
Word : Ayatollah al-Udhma
Meaning : “greater Ayatollah (Sign of God),” another name for a Marja
Word : Hawza
Meaning : Islamic seminary where Muslim clerics are trained in Law
7.11 Mosques in Islam Download Topic
Word : iʿtikaf
Meaning : practice of confining oneself to the Mosque for a number of days in order to perform religious rituals and activities.
Word : layat al-qadr
Meaning : Night of Power, the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s)
Word : masjid al-haram
Meaning : The Kaba, it means the Sacred Mosque.
Word : Hawza
Meaning : Islamic seminary where clergy are trained
Word : Husayniyah
Meaning : A Husayniyah is a center of multiple purposes. It is primarily designed to be a place of mourning for the Ahl al-Bayt (as) as well as celebrating their birthdays. It is also used as a place for prayer.
7.12 The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis Download Topic
Word : Fakhr
Meaning : Haughtiness
Word : Akhlaq
Meaning : spiritual ethics, Godly and moral disposition
Word : Majalis (sing. Majlis)
Meaning : gatherings that commemorate the various tragedies that befell the Ahl al-Bayt (as), especially Imam al-Husayn (as).
7.13 A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) Download Topic
Word : Abū Tālib
Meaning : Imam Ali’s father
Word : Imam
Meaning : Divinely appointed leader to guide humankind
Word : Ghadeer
Meaning : Where Imam Ali (as) was declared the successor of the Prophet
Word : Fatimah al-Zahrah
Meaning : Wife of Imam Ali (as) and daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (s)
Word : Qutb
Meaning : Literally “pole,” it refers to a perfect human being who is the cosmic and universal leader of all of God’s saints and the mediator between the divine and human realms.
7.14 The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History Download Topic
Word : Yazid
Meaning : Son of Muawiyah, Caliph responsible for the murder of Imam al-Husayn (as).
Word : Karbala
Meaning : Town where Imam al-Husayn, his family and his close companions were massacred in.
Word : Kufa
Meaning : City which Imam al-Husayn (as) headed to in order to to avoid bloodshed in Mecca and Medina.
Word : Ashura
Meaning : Tenth day of Muharram, the day the battle of Karbala took place and Imam al-Husayn (as) was killed.
Word : Muharram
Meaning : First month of the Islamic calendar, the month in which Imam al-Husayn (as) was killed.
8.1 Misconceptions about Shi’ism Download Topic
Word : Takfeer
Meaning : accusing a Muslim of being a non-Muslim
Word : Turba
Meaning : baked clay that Shia Muslims prostrate on during their prayers
Word : Tahreef
Meaning : Distortion of the Qur’an
8.2 Major Sects of Islam Download Topic
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8.3 Islam and Religious Conflicts Download Topic
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8.4 Islam and Rights Download Topic
Word : Haqq
Meaning : Right or Responsibility
Word : Huquq
Meaning : Plural of haqq
Word : Jizya
Meaning : Tax for Non-Muslims
8.5 Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments. Download Topic
Word : Twelver or Imami Shias
Meaning : Shias who believe in the 12 Imams
Word : Ismaili Shias
Meaning : people who believed in the first 6 Imams, but follow a different line of Imams after Imam Jafar al-Sadiq
Word : Proto-Sunnism
Meaning : The initial phases and building blocks of what we know as Sunnism today. Proto-Sunnism was a movement with many disparate groups that had contradicting views on law, theology and overall Islamic creed and doctrine. They were united only to the extent that they thought that the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, were righteous
9.1 Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam! Download Topic
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9.2 Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim Download Topic
Word : Zabiha
Meaning : where an animal is ritually slaughtered in accordance with the rules of Islamic law and thus permissible to eat afterwards.
Word : Tawzeeh al-Masa’il
Meaning : legal treatise by a marja where answers to queries for Islamic law can be found.
Word : Ghusl
Meaning : Major ablution one must do, among other things, after sexual relations and when one’s monthly period. One can do it in the shower or in a pool of water.
9.3 Halal Food and Zabiha Download Topic
Word : Zabiha
Meaning : Where an animal is ritually slaughtered in accordance with the rules of Islamic law and thus permissible to eat afterwards.
Word : Hand Slaughtered Zabiha
Meaning : Animal slaughtered around the neck by hand with a knife, as opposed to a robot/machine.
9.4 Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam Download Topic
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9.5 Marriage in Islam Download Topic
Word : Zina
Meaning : Fornication or illicit sex
Word : Nafaqa
Meaning : Maintenance that the husband provides his wife with
9.6 Islam and Sex Download Topic
Word : Zina
Meaning : Sexual intercourse through fornication or adultery
Word : Liwat
Meaning : Homosexual acts, more specifically, the act of sodomy.
9.7 Modesty in Islam Download Topic
Word : Niqab
Meaning : refers to a piece of clothing that covers the face.
Word : Burqa
Meaning : enveloping outer garment that also covers the entire body, including the face.
Word : Chador
Meaning : A large piece of cloth that covers the head, upper and lower body.
Word : Khimar
Meaning : Head covering, the Qur’anic term for hijab.
Word : Hijab
Meaning : Culturally speaking, it refers to the regular hijab where only the head is covered with a piece of cloth. The rest of the body is covered with regular loose fitting clothes.
9.8 Women’s Menstruation in Islam Download Topic
Word : Qada
Meaning : Making up for missed prayers or fasting
Word : Istihada
Meaning : Irregular bleeding, as in irregular bleeding during menopause
Word : Had
Meaning : Menstruation
9.9 Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam Download Topic
Word : Aql
Meaning : intellect, mind
9.10 Islam and Science Download Topic
Word : Scientific Method
Meaning : "a method or procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses"
Word : Epistemology
Meaning : Epistemology has to do with “knowledge” and “how you know things”
Word : Materialism
Meaning : Materialism, also sometimes called naturalism or physicalism, is a worldview that assumes that all that exists is ultimately material. Only matter is real, anything beyond that is untrue and not real.
Word : Scientism
Meaning : Scientism holds that the scientific method is the only way to understand existence, or at the very least, that the empirical sciences are he most “authoritative” worldview and have the most legitimate claim on truth and knowledge.
Word : Is faith incompatible with science?
Meaning : It is incompatible if one assumes that faith means to “believe in something without evidence,” but that is not the Islamic definition of faith.
9.11 A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge Download Topic
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9.13 Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam Download Topic
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9.14 Death & Burial Rituals in Islam Download Topic
Word : Salat al-Mayyit
Meaning : prayer for the dead
Word : Ghusl al-Mayyit
Meaning : ritual washing of the dead
Word : Kafan
Meaning : burial shroud
Word : Salat al-wahsha
Meaning : a two rakat prayer for the departed soul on the first night of the funeral between Maghrib and Isha prayers.
Word : Barzakh
Meaning : purgatory
Word : Tahnit
Meaning : applying camphor on the seven areas of the body that touches the ground during prayers
Word : Munkir and Nakir
Meaning : the two angels that interrogate you in the grave
9.15 The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View Download Topic
Word : Dajjal
Meaning : The Anti-Christ
Word : Sufyani
Meaning : Descendent of Abu Sufyan (Muawiyah’s father), he will kill many followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) towards the end of times.
Word : Israfil
Meaning : Angel who will blow the horn and end life on earth. He will then blow it again and resurrect humankind again.
9.16 The Muslim Calendar Download Topic
Word : Hijri
Meaning : The word hijri comes from the word Hijrah, which means migration. More specifically, it refers to the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) migration from Mecca to Medina when he was fleeing his assassins.
Word : Muharram
Meaning : First month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Safar
Meaning : Safar the second month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Rabi al-Awwal
Meaning : Rabi al-Awwal means “the first spring” and is the third month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Rabi al-Thani
Meaning : Rabi al-Thani means “the second spring” and is the fourth month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Jumada al-Awwal
Meaning : Jumada al-Awwal is the fifth month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Jumada al-Thani
Meaning : Jumada al-Thani is the sixth month.
Word : Rajab
Meaning : Rajab is the 7th month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Sha'ban
Meaning : The month of Sha'ban is the 8th month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Ramadan
Meaning : The month of Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Shawwal
Meaning : The month of Shawwal is the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Dhu al-Qa'dah or al-Qi'dah
Meaning : This is the 11th month of the Islamic calendar.
Word : Dhu al-Hijjah
Meaning : Dhu al-Hijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar.
9.17 Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah Download Topic
Word : izyah
Meaning : Poll tax for non-Muslims living under Islamic government
Word : Dhimmi
Meaning : Protected non-Muslim living under Islamic government
Word : Sharīʿah
Meaning : God’s revealed law
9.18 A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History Download Topic
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9.19 Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is Download Topic
Word : Surah
Meaning : Chapter of the Qur’an
Word : Ayah (pl. Ayaat)
Meaning : Verse of the Qur’an
Word : Juz
Meaning : Section of the Qur’an, there are 30 Juz in the Qur’an.
Word : Uthmanic Codex
Meaning : Imam Ali’s (as) compilation of the Qur’an which the Caliph Uthman spread to the Islamic world.
9.20 The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq Download Topic
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9.21 Major Fields in Islamic Studies Download Topic
Word : Ilm al-kalam
Meaning : theology
Word : Falsafah
Meaning : philosophy
Word : Fiqh
Meaning : Islamic law
Word : Mantiq
Meaning : logic
Word : Akhlaq
Meaning : Spiritual ethics
Word : Irfan
Meaning : Islamic mysticism
Word : Usul al-Fiqh
Meaning : the study and critical analysis of the origins, sources, and principles upon which fiqh or Islamic law is based on.
9.22 The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam Download Topic
Word : Caliph
Meaning : Successor of the Prophet (s)
Word : Caliphate
Meaning : Successorship, as in the office of successorship of the Prophet Muhammad (s)
Word : Khalifah
Meaning : Caliph
Word : Nass
Meaning : Designation of a Caliph or Imam by God through the intermediary of the Prophet Muhammad (s) or a living Imam.
9.24 Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism Download Topic
Word : Misogyny
Meaning : prejudice or dislike of women
10.1 Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree Download Topic
Word : Tawhīd
Meaning : Unity and oneness of God.
Word : Contingent being
Meaning : A being who depends on something outside of it to exist, like other beings, or space, time and matter.
Word : Gods of mythology
Meaning : The gods in the stories of myths, like Zeus.
10.2 Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as) Download Topic
Word : Contingent being
Meaning : A being that exists dependently, does not exist in and of itself
Word : Necessary being
Meaning : A being that exists independently, exists in and of itself
Word : Objective
Meaning : Pure fact, does not depend on human opinion.
Word : Subjective
Meaning : Depends on human senses, perceptions and opinion. Difficult to know for certain if it is 100% true.
10.3 God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd) Download Topic
Word : Māhiyah
Meaning : Whatness of things, makeup of things
Word : Wujūd
Meaning : Existence, being
Word : Contingent being
Meaning : exists dependently, does not exist in and of itself
Word : Necessary being
Meaning : exists independently, exists in and of itself
Word : Logical priority
Meaning : Priority in the chain of cause and effect, may be simultaneous or not
Word : Temporal priority
Meaning : Priority in time
Word : Infinite regress
Meaning : Going back in the chain of cause-effect ad infinitum
Word : Logical absurdity
Meaning : Pure impossibility
Word : Objective
Meaning : A pure fact, it does not depend on human opinion.
Word : Subjective
Meaning : Depends on human senses, perceptions and opinion. Difficult to know for certain if it is 100% true.
10.4 God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument Download Topic
Word : Virtual particles:
Meaning : a disturbance in a quantum field
Word : Quantum mechanics:
Meaning : the branch of mechanics that deals with the mathematical description of the motion and interaction of subatomic particles, incorporating the concepts of quantization of energy, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, and the correspondence principle.
10.5 God’s Existence: The Argument From Design Download Topic
Word : Multiverse
Meaning : The multiverse is the hypothetical set of finite and infinite possible universes, including the universe in which we live.
Word : Fine-tuning of the universe
Meaning : The idea that the conditions that allow life in the universe can only occur when certain universal fundamental physical constants lie within a very narrow range, so that if any of several fundamental constants were only slightly different, life would not be possible in the universe.
Word : Cosmology
Meaning : The science of the origin and development of the universe.
Word : Teleological Argument
Meaning : Another term for the argument from design
10.6 The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain Download Topic
Word : The emotional problem of evil
Meaning : People’s dislike or even hatred of God who permits suffering in the world. They are angry that God doesn’t do anything about it.
Word : The intellectual problem of evil
Meaning : This problem sees God and evil as mutually incompatible from a logical perspective.
10.7 Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation Download Topic
Word : Al-Wadud
Meaning : God’s characteristic, all-loving
Word : Al-Rahman
Meaning : God’s characteristic, all-merciful
Word : Ibadah
Meaning : Worship, servitude to God
10.8 Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam Download Topic
Word : Deen
Meaning : Religion
Word : Dā’ina
Meaning : Old Persian word for religion, meaning way of life
Word : Īmān
Meaning : faith and trusting relationship with God
10.9 Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam Download Topic
Word : Aql
Meaning : intellect
Word : Jahl
Meaning : foolishness
Word : foolishness
Meaning : fool
Word : Safaaha
Meaning : foolishness
Word : Hikmah
Meaning : wisdom
10.11 Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell? Download Topic
Word : Al-Jāhil al-Muqassir
Meaning : A person who rejects Islam while knowing it is the truth.
Word : Al-Jāhil al-Qāsir
Meaning : A person rejects Islam while not knowing it is the truth.
Word : Mustaʿḍaf
Meaning : In the Qur’anic sense, it sometimes refers to someone who is in a weakened position who cannot make proper decisions about the truth.