Table of Contents

  • Ahl al-Bayt: the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad
  • Awqaf (singular: waqf): Islamic endowments, such as financial or property assets, which are typically maintained by a ministry (wizara), administration (idara), or authority (haiya) that is sometimes responsible for regulating mosques and overseeing religious charity
  • Dar al-Ifta: a government institution responsible for issuing fatwas in a given country
  • Dawa: Islamic proselytization
  • Fatwa (plural: ifta): a legal opinion on a point of Islamic law issued by a qualified jurist
  • Fiqh: human attempts to understand and apply jurisprudence of sharia
  • Hadith: the narrative record of the sayings and customs of the Prophet Muhammed
  • Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca, which is a religious duty for all able Muslims
  • Ijtihad: the practice of independent reasoning in jurisprudence
  • Khatib: the person who leads Friday and holiday prayers and who typically delivers a sermon
  • Mawlid: in Sunni Islam, a minor holiday marking the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad or a saint
  • Mufti: a jurist who interprets Islamic law
  • Sharia: Islamic law based on the Quran
  • Sunna: the words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, which are used as a source of law
  • Tafsir: the critical explanation or interpretation of scripture
  • Ulema: community of religious scholars
  • Umma: the collective global community of Muslims
  • Wali al-amr: the ruler or leader of a community
  • Zakat: the mandatory annual charitable donations made by Muslims
  • Zawaya (singular: zawiya): religious schools, lodges, or orders, which are most common in North Africa and play an important social role in their surrounding communities