abu — Father of
Ali — Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad
Allah — Arabic word for God, the same worshiped by Christians and Jews
ayatollah — Title used by a high-ranking Shiite leader
baraka — Blessing
caliph — A successor to Muhammad who has temporal, not spiritual, authority over Muslims; supreme ruler of the early Islamic empires
fatwa — A nonbinding legal opinion; pronouncement or ruling
hadith — The sayings and experiences of the Prophet; a source of doctrine that supplements the Koran
hajj — The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam
hegira — Muhammad's migration to Medina, marking the beginning of the Muslim calendar
houri — One of the beautiful dark-haired virgins who will wait on the faithful in paradise
ibn — Son of
imam — The religious leader of a community
Islam — Arabic for "submission to the will of God"
jihad — Arabic for "striving in the way of God"; a struggle in defense of Islam
Kaaba — Square structure in Mecca believed by Muslims to have been erected by Abraham; the most sacred shrine in Islam
Koran — The holy book of Islam, from the Arabic for "recitation"; God's literal word as revealed to Muhammad
madrasah — A school for teaching Islamic law
Maghreb — Western Islamic lands, including Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco
masjid — Mosque; a place of Muslim worship
mihrab — A niche in the wall of a mosque that faces Mecca
minbar — Elevated pulpit
Miraj — Muhammad's mystical journey to heaven
muezzin — One who calls the faithful to prayer
mufti — A scholar who issues fatwas
mujahid — One who engages in jihad
mujtahid — One who interprets the application of Islamic law
qadi — Judge of a religious court
qibla — Direction of prayer, toward Mecca
Ramadan — The ninth month of the Muslim year, dedicated to fasting during daylight hours
shah — Persian title for a ruler
shahada — The declaration of faith, made by all Muslims, that there is "no god but God"
sharia — Islamic law; the set of rules that govern the daily lives of Muslims
Shiite — One of two major Islamic sects, making up about 15 percent of Muslims. Shiites believe that spiritual authority was passed from Muhammad to his descendants.
Sufism — A spiritual, mystical movement in Islam
sultan — A political leader of a Muslim state
Sunna — The path or the way of the Prophet, a procedure for living a virtuous life
Sunni — The largest sect of Islam, making up about 85 percent of Muslims. Sunnis believe that spiritual authority was passed down from the consensus of the whole community.
ulema — Learned men; elders of a Muslim community
umma — The worldwide community of Muslims
zakat — Alms tax; the donation to charity that is one of the five pillars of Islam
