Re-send of Glossary: (Terms, Places, and People)

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

i am resending the Glossary for terms, places, and people with reference to

'Muhammad (Prophet For Our Time)'. This time i have put in 3 dashes between the

words and their meaning, to make it easier to read. If you like, you can C & P

this into MS Word and print it out for a ready reference at your fingertips.

 

regards to all,

 

violet

 

 

Glossary: (Terms, Places, and People)

 

 

1./ Terms

 

 

'abd---Slave

 

ahl al-beit---People of the household. Muhammad's immediate family.

 

ahl al-kitab---People of the Book. Usually Jews and Christians.

 

Allahu akhbar--- " God is greater. " A phrase that reminds Muslims of the

transcendence and supremacy of God.

 

al-Rahim---The Merciful. One of the names of God.

 

al-Rahman---The Compassionate. One of the names of God.

 

Ansar---The Helpers. The Medinese Muslims.

 

'asibiyyah---Tribal solidarity.

 

ayah---(Plural: 'ayat') Sign, parable, symbol, a verse of the Qur'an.

 

badawah---Nomadic; hence Bedouin.

 

banat Allah---Daughters of Allah. See 'gharaniq'.

 

dahr---Time, fate.

 

dhikr---Reminder, remembrance.

 

din---Religion, way of life, moral law, reckoning.

 

fatah---Literally " opening. " Victory.

 

gharaniq---The three goddesses Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat. " Daughters of Allah, "

who were compared to beautiful " cranes " .

 

ghazu---Acquisition raid, essential to the Bedouin economy. 'Ghazi': Warrior,

raider, man of war.

 

hadarah---Settled life, as opposed to 'badawah'.

 

hadith---(plural: 'ahadith') Report, a maxim or saying attributed to the

Prophet.

 

hajj---The pilgrimage to Mecca. 'Hajji': pilgrim.

 

hakam---Arbitrator. Muhammad's political role in Medina.

 

hanif---Originally a pre-Islamic monotheist. In the Qur'an, the word refers to a

person who followed the 'hanifiyyah', the pure religion of Abraham, before this

split into rival sects.

 

haram---Sacred; forbidden--hence " sanctuary, " especially the sanctuary

surrounding the Kabah where all violence was prohibited.

 

hasab---Ancestral honor; the particular virtues of a tribe that tribesmen had

inherited from their forefathers.

 

hijab---Curtain, veil, a covering for something precious or sacred.

 

hijrah---Migration, especially the Muslims' migrations to Medina.

 

hilm---A traditional Arab virtue which became central to Islam; forbearance,

patience, mercy, tranquillity.

 

islam---Surrender, submission, the name eventually applied to the religion of

the Qur'an.

 

'isra---A night journey, especially that of Muhammad of Jerusalem.

 

istighna'---Haughty self-reliance, aggressive independence and self-sufficiency.

 

jahiliyyah---Traditionally translated " Time of Ignorance, " and used to apply to

the pre-Islamic period in Arabia, but in the Muslim sources its primary meaning

is violent and explosive irascibility, arrogance, tribal chauvinism.

 

jahim---An obscure word, usually translated " raging fire. " Hell.

 

jihad---Struggle, effort, endeavour.

 

jilbab---A garment, cloak, or covering.

 

jinni---(plural: 'jinn') " Unseen being, " usually one of the sprites who haunted

the Arabian desert, inspired poets, and led people astray; also stranger, a

person hitherto " unseen. "

 

Kabah---Literally, cube. The granite shrine in the Haram, dedicated to Allah.

 

kafir---(Plural: 'kafirun') Traditionally translated " unbeliever. " More

accurately it refers to somebody who ungratefully and aggressively rejects Allah

and refuses to acknowledge his dependence on the Creator.

 

kalifa---The successor of Muhammad, the caliph.

 

karim---Generous hero; the Bedouin ideal.

 

kufr---Ingratitude; insolence.

 

kunya---Honorary title assumed by a man after the birth of his first son; e.g.

Abu Bakr, the father of Bakr.

 

layla---Night; also, a woman's name.

 

layla al-qadr---Night of destiny; the night when Muhammad received the first

revelation from God.

 

[Note from Jagbir in Post #11146: " i consider this correction crucial for

Muslims understanding that the present Al Qadr (Night of Power Destiny) is

rooted in meditation. Only in meditation can one feel the Winds of Qiyamah

issuing from within themselves, and know for a surety that the body is daily

undergoing a very subtle resurrection. Those surrendering to His Call are

empowered to resurrect themselves, and that is why the Night of Power is better

than a thousand months wherein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's

permission, on every errand. " ]

 

masjid---A place for prostration; later, mosque.

 

mirbad---A place for drying dates.

 

mu'min---Those who faithfully live up to the Muslim ideal.

 

munafiq---(Plural: 'munafiqun') Waverer; hypocrite; the term applied to an

uncommitted Muslim who followed Ibn Ubbay.

 

muruwah---The chivalric code of the Bedouin, comprising loyalty to the tribe,

courage, endurance, generosity, and reverence for the tribal ancestors.

 

muslim---A person who has surrendered his or her entire being to God; who has

made the act of 'islam'.

 

nadhir---A messenger who brings a warning to his people.

 

nasr---Help, including military support.

 

qiblah---The direction of prayer.

 

Qur'an--- " Recitation. " The scripture that was revealed to Muhammad by God.

 

rashidun---The " rightly guided " ones; the first four caliphs.

 

ruh---Spirit. In the Qur'an, the divine spirit of revelation.

 

sakinah---The spirit of peace and serenity.

 

salam---Peace; often used by Muslims as a greeting.

 

salat---The ritual worship performed five times a day by Muslims.

 

salihat---The works of justice prescribed by the Qur'an.

 

saraya---A wife with slave status, but whose children are free.

 

sayyid---Chief of a clan or tribe.

 

shahadah---The Muslim declaration of faith: " I bear witness that there is no god

but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet. "

 

shari'ah---Originally, the path to the watering hole. The lifeline of a nomadic

tribe; later applied to the body of Muslim law.

 

shaytan---A " satan. " A tempter who could be a human being or one of the 'jinn',

who leads people astray and inspires facile, empty desires.

 

shirk---Idolatry, associating other beings with God, putting other deities or

purely human values on the same level as Allah. The cardinal Muslim sin.

 

sunnah---A path, a way of life.

 

suq---Market, trade fair.

 

surah---A chapter of the Qur'an.

 

taqarrush---Acquisition, gaining. Perhaps the origin of " Quraysh. "

 

taqwa'---Mindfulness; an attitude of sensitivity to and consciousness of God.

 

tawaf---The seven ritual circumambulations around the Kabah.

 

tawhid--- " Making one " , the unity of God, realized in the integration of the

human person.

 

tazakka---Purification, refinement. An early name for the religion of Islam.

 

ummah---Community.

 

umrah---The Lesser Pilgrimage. The rites of the 'hajj' that were performed

within the city of Mecca, excluding those performed in the surrounding

countryside.

 

yawm ad-din---Day of reckoning; moment of truth.

 

zakat---Literally " purification " Alms; a charitable donation to the needy. One

of the essential practices of Islam.

 

zalim---Outsider; a person who is abhorred because he does not belong to the

tribe.

 

 

2./ Places

 

'Abd Shams---The neighborhood of the Qurayshan clan of 'Abd Shams in Mecca.

 

'Aqabah---The gully outside Mecca where Muhammad first met with pilgrims from

Yathrib.

 

'Arafat---A mountain sixteen miles east of Mecca; one of the stations of the

'hajj', where pilgrims made an all-night vigil.

 

Badr---A watering hole on the Red Sea coast, where the Muslims achieved their

first victory over the Meccan army.

 

Hijaz---A region in the northern Arabian steppes.

 

Hira'---A mountain outside Mecca, where Muhammad received the first revelation

in about 610.

 

Hudaybiyyah---A well within the confines of the Meccan sanctuary, where Muhammad

made a peace treaty with the Quraysh in 628.

 

Khaybar---An agricultural settlement of Jewish tribes, north of Medina.

 

Marwah---A hill to the east of the Kabah; during the 'hajj', pilgrims would run

seven times between Marwah and Safe.

 

Mecca---The commercial city ruled by the Quraysh; the birthplace of Muhammad.

 

Medina---The name given by the Muslims to the settlement of Yathrib; the city of

the Prophet.

 

Mina---A valley about five miles east of Mecca; one of the stations of the

'hajj'.

 

Mu'tah---A town near the Syrian border, where the Muslim army suffered a severe

military defeat.

 

Muzdalifah---One of the stations of the 'hajj'; a valley between Mina and

'Arafat, thought originally to have been the home of the thunder god.

 

Nakhlah---An oasis to the south-east of Mecca, where the goddess Al-Uzzah had

her shrine and sanctuary.

 

Qudhayd---A city on the Red Sea coast, where the goddess Manat had her shrine

and sanctuary.

 

Safa---A hill to the east of the Kabah; during the 'hajj', pilgrims would run

between Safa and Marwah.

 

Sana'a---A city in southern Arabia; now the capital of Yemen.

 

Ta'if---An agricultural colony to the south-east of Mecca; the site of the

sanctuary of the goddess Al-lat and home of the tribe of Thaqif. Ta'if supplied

Mecca with most of its food, and many of the Quraysh had summer homes there.

 

Uhud---A mountain to the north of Medina; the Meccans inflicted a severe defeat

over the Muslim army on the adjoining plain.

 

'Ukaz---The site of one of the great trade fairs, where a poetry contest was

held each year.

 

Yathrib---An agricultural settlement, some 250 miles north of Mecca, populated

by Arabs and Jewish tribes. After the 'hijrah', it became known as Medina, the

city of the Prophet.

 

Zamzam---The sacred spring in the Meccan Haram.

 

 

3./ People

 

'Abdullah ibn Ubayy---A chief of the Khazraj clan in Medina, who led the

opposition to Muhammad.

 

'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib---The father of Muhammad, who died before he was

born.

 

Abdullah ibn Jahsh---The cousin of Muhammad; brother of his wife Zaynab, and

Ubaydallah, the 'hanif'.

 

'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib---The uncle of Muhammad.

 

'Abd al-Muttalib---Muhammad's grandfather.

 

Abu l-'As ar-Rabi---The husband of Muhammad's daughter, Zaynab, who resisted

conversion to Islam for many years.

 

Abu Ja'rir at-Tabari---Historian and biographer of Muhammad.

 

Abu l-Hakam ibn Hisham---See Abu Jahl.

 

Abu Bakr---A close and trusted friend of Muhammad; one of the first converts to

Islam; the father of 'A'isha, the beloved wife of the Prophet.

 

Abu Bara'---Chief of the Bedouin tribe of 'Amir; Muhammad married his daughter

Zaynab bint Khuzaymah after the battle of Uhud.

 

Abu Jahl--- " Father of Insolence, " the nickname given by the Muslims to Abu

l-Hakam; the most virulent of Muhammad's early opponents.

 

Abu Lahab ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib---The half-brother of Abu Talib; an early

opponent of Muhammad. After Abu Talib's death, he became the chief of the clan

of Hashim.

 

Abu Sufyan ibn Harb---Chief of the Qurayshan clan of 'Abd Shams; a leading

opponent of Islam.

 

Abu Talib ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib---Muhammad's uncle, guardian, and protector.

 

'A'isha bint Abi Bakr---Daughter of Abu Bakr; Muhammad's beloved young wife.

 

Al-Muttalib---One of the Meccan clans, closely related to Hashim, Muhammad's

clan.

 

'Ali ibn Abi Talib---Abu Talib's son; the ward of Muhammad and Khadijah. He

married Fatimah, the Prophet's daughter.

 

Aminah bint Wahb---Muhammad's mother; she died during his infancy.

 

Amir---A Meccan clan.

 

'Asad---The Meccan clan to which Khadijah belonged.

 

Aslam---A Bedouin tribe.

 

'Amr ibn al-'As---A leading warrior in the Meccan army and an opponent of Islam.

 

Anas ibn Malik---A friend of Muhammad; present when the Verses of the Hijab were

revealed.

 

Aws---One of the Arab tribes in Medina.

 

Bani Qaylah--- " The Sons of Qaylah. " The Arab tribe that migrated from southern

Arabia to Yathrib during the sixth century and later split into the Aws and

Khazraj.

 

Bara' ibn Mar'ar---A chief of Khazraj; the patron of Muhammad during the Pledge

of War (622).

 

Bilal---An Abyssinian slave who converted to Islam; he became the first

'muezzin' to call the Muslims to prayer.

 

Budayl ibn Warqa---Chief of the Bedouin tribe of Khuza'ah.

 

Fatimah bint Muhammad---The youngest daughter of Muhammad and Khadijah; the wife

of 'Ali.

 

Gabriel---The angel or spirit of the divine revelation.

 

Ghassan---An Arab tribe on the Byzantine border that had converted to

Christianity and become an ally of Byzantium.

 

Ghatafan---A Bedouin tribe, based in the desert region east of Medina, allied to

Ibn Ubayy and the opponents of Muhammad.

 

Hafsah bint 'Umar---The daughter of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab; the wife of Muhammad;

a special friend of 'A'isha.

 

Hamzah ibn al-Muttalib---One of Muhammad's uncles; a warrior of prodigious

strength, who converted to Islam and died at the battle of Uhud.

 

Hasan ibn 'Ali---The Prophet's grandson, the older son of 'Ali and Fatimah.

 

Hashim---The Meccan clan to which Muhammad belonged.

 

Hind bint Abi Umayyah---See Umm Salamah.

 

Hind bint 'Utbah---The wife of Abu Sufyan; an implacable enemy of Muhammad.

 

Hubal---A god probably imported from the Nabatean region and venerated in Mecca;

his stone effigy stood beside the Kabah.

 

Hulays ibn 'Alaqamah---Chief of the Bedouin tribe of al-Harith.

 

Husayn ibn 'Ali---The younger son of 'Ali and Fatimah.

 

Huyay ibn Akhtab---Chief of the Jewish tribe of Nadir.

 

Ibn Dughunnah---A Bedouin chieftain confederated to the Quraysh; he became the

protector of Abu Bakr.

 

Ibn Ishaq---Muhammad ibn Ishaq; the first biographer of Muhammad.

 

Ibn Sa'd---Muhammad ibn Sa'd; Muslim historian and biographer of the Prophet.

 

Ibn Ubayy---See 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy.

 

'Ikrimah---Son of Abu Jahl; one of the leaders of the Meccan opposition to

Muhammad.

 

Ja'far ibn Abi Talib---Cousin of Muhammad.

 

Jumah---A Meccan clan of Quraysh.

 

Jurham---A Bedouin tribe.

 

Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith---Daughter of a Bedouin chieftain; wife of Muhammad.

 

Khadijah bint al-Khuwaylid---Muhammad's first wife.

 

Khalid ibn al-Walid---One of Mecca's outstanding warriors; opponent of Muhammad

for many years.

 

Khazraj---One of the Arab tribes in Medina.

 

Khuza'ah---One of the Bedouin tribes that had controlled the Meccan sanctuary

before the arrival of the Quraysh.

 

Kilab---An Arab tribe allied to the Jewish tribe of Quraysh.

 

Makhzum---A Meccan clan of Quraysh.

 

Maryam---An Egyptian Christian; 'saraya' wife of Muhammad.

 

Maymunah bint al-Harith---Sister of 'Abbas; married to Muhammad during the

Lesser Pilgrimage of 629.

 

Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr---The Muslim sent to instruct the Medinese before the

'hijrah'.

 

Mu'tim ibn 'Adi---Muhammad's protector during his last years in Mecca before the

'hijrah'.

 

Nadir---A powerful Jewish tribe of Medina opposed to Muhammad; exiled from

Medina after an assassination attempt; took refuge in Khaybar. Nadiri: a member

of Nadir.

 

Qaswa'---Muhammad's favorite camel.

 

Qaynuqa'---A Jewish tribe in Medina that controlled the market; they rebelled

against Muhammad and were expelled from Medina.

 

Quraysh---Muhammad's tribe, rulers of Mecca; 'Adj.' Qurayshan; Qurayshi; a

member of the tribe.

 

Qurayzah---A Jewish tribe that collaborated with Mecca during the Battle of

Trench; the men were executed, the women and children sold into slavery.

 

Qusayy ibn Kilab---The founder of the tribe of Quraysh.

 

Ruqayyah bint Muhammad---Daughter of Khadijah and Muhammad; married to 'Uthman

ibn' Affan.

 

Sa'd ibn Mu'adh---A chieftain of the Aws tribe in Medina.

 

Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah---A chieftain of Khazraj tribe in Medina.

 

Safiyyah bint Huyay---Muhammad's Jewish wife, married to him after the conquest

of Khaybar.

 

Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal---A friend of 'A'isha; Muhammad's Medinese opponents

spread slanderous rumors about their relationship.

 

Safwan ibn Umayyah---One of the leading members of the opposition to Muhammad in

Mecca.

 

Sawdah bint Zam'ah---Wife of Muhammad; the cousin and sister-in-law of Suhayl

ibn 'Amr.

 

Suhayl ibn 'Amr---Chief of the clan of Amir in Mecca; a devout pagan; a leading

member of the opposition to Muhammad.

 

Thalabah---One of the twenty Jewish tribes of Yathrib/Medina.

 

Thaqif---An Arab tribe, settled in Ta'if; the allies of the Quraysh; opponents

of Muhammad.

 

'Ubaydallah ibn al-Harith---An experienced Qurayshan warrior who converted to

Islam.

 

'Ubaydallah ibn Jahsh---Cousin of Muhammad; a 'hanif' who converted to

Christianity.

 

Umamah bint 'Abu l-'As---The granddaughter of Muhammad; the daughter of Zaynab

bint Muhammad.

 

'Umar ibn al-Khattab---The nephew of Abu Jahl; at first passionately opposed to

Muhammad, but later became one of his closest companions.

 

Umayyah---A powerful Meccan clan of Quraysh.

 

Ummayah ibn Khalaf---Chief of the Meccan clan of Jumah; an inveterate opponent

of Muhammad.

 

Umm Habibah---Daughter of Abu Sufyan; one of the emigres to Abyssinia; married

to Muhammad on her return.

 

Umm Han' bint Abi Talib---Muhammad's cousin.

 

Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad---Daughter of Muhammad and Khadijah; married 'Uthman

ibn 'Affan after the death of Ruqayyah.

 

Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah---One of the most sophisticated and intelligent of

Muhammad's wives.

 

'Urwah ibn Mas'ud---A member of Thaqif; an ally of the Quraysh and an opponent

of Muhammad.

 

'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah---A leading member of the Meccan clan of 'Abd Shams, with a

summer home in Ta'if; an opponent of Muhammad.

 

'Uthman ibn 'Affan---One of the earliest converts, with family connections to

some of the most powerful clans in Mecca; he became Muhammad's son-in-law.

 

Waraqah Ibn Nawfal---Cousin of Khadijah; a 'hanif' who had converted to

Christianity.

 

Zayd ibn al-Harith---The adopted son of Muhammad and Khadijah; married to Zayab

bint Jahsh, Muhammad's cousin.

 

Zayd ibn 'Amr---One of the early 'hanifs', who was driven out of Mecca because

of his stinging criticism of the traditional pagan religion; the uncle of 'Umar

ibn al-Khattab.

 

Zaynab bint Jahsh---Muhammad's cousin; married first to Zayd ibn al-Harith;

after their divorce, she married Muhammad.

 

Zaynab bint Khuzaymah---Muhammad's wife; the daughter of the chief of the

Bedouin tribe of 'Amir; she died eight months after her marriage to the Prophet.

 

Zaynab bint Muhammad---The daughter of Muhammad and Khadijah; the wife of 'Abu

al-'As; a devout pagan who for many years resisted conversion to Islam.

 

Muhammad (Prophet For Our Time)

Glossary, pg. 215-229

Karen Armstrong

Harper Perennial - London, New York, Toronto and Sydney

ISBN-13 978-0-00-723248-2

ISBN-10 0-00-723248-9