Glossary of Islamic Terms
Brief explanations of commonly used Islamic concepts
- Ayah (Verse)
- The smallest numbered textual unit within the chapters that make up the Holy Qur'an.
- Surah (Chapter)
- A chapter of the Qur'an composed of verses. The Qur'an consists of 114 surahs.
- Hadith
- Transmitted records of the sayings, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
- Sunnah
- The way of life exemplified by the Prophet's words and conduct; the second primary source after the Qur'an.
- Fatwa
- A scholarly opinion or answer to a religious question given by a qualified scholar (mufti) based on Islamic law.
- Translation (Meal)
- An approximate, meaning-based rendering of Qur'anic verses into another language.
- Mushaf
- The written copy of the Qur'an gathered between two covers.
- Narrator (Rawi)
- A transmitter who receives a hadith and conveys it to the next generation.
- Sahih
- A hadith that fully meets the conditions of authenticity, at the highest level of reliability.
- Hasan
- A hadith considered reliable and close to sahih, but one degree below it.
- Da'if (Weak)
- A hadith that fails to meet one or more conditions of authenticity, whose evidentiary value is debated.
- Kutub al-Sittah
- The six core hadith books regarded as most reliable in Sunni tradition (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah).
- Makki (Meccan)
- Describes surahs and verses revealed during the Prophet's Meccan period (before the migration).
- Madani (Medinan)
- Describes surahs and verses revealed during the Prophet's Medinan period (after the migration).