GLOSSARY

Abd Allah Abd al-Mulib's youngest son. Father of the

Prophet

Abd Allah Ibn One of the rulers of Yathrib before the

Ubayy Hijrah. He became a Muslim but secretly

plotted with the Meccans against the

Prophet.

Abd Al- Son of Hashim. He took the place of his

Muttalib father as the head of Quraysh. He dug the

well of Zamzam.

Abd Allah Ibn : Was sent with Amr Ibn al-'Ass to

Abu Rabiah Abyssinia.

Abdu Manaf Son of Qusayy; took over as leader of the

Quraysh after his father's death.

Abrahah King of Yemen who came to Mecca with a

big army to destroy the Kabbah.

Abraham The founding father of the three

(Ibrahtm) monotheistic (worshipping one God only)

religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The descendants of his son Ish maci

(fsma'ii) formed the tribe of Quraysh,

which is the tribe of the Prophet

Muhammad

Abo Bakr A rich and much respected merchant of

Mecca. The first man to believe in the Prophet

and embrace Islam. He was the Prophet's

closest friend and companion.

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Abu Dujanah One of the great Ansar warriors. lt was he

who died Shielding the Prophet with his

ownbody during the battle of Uhud

Abujahl One of the important men of Quraysh.

Violently opposed to

Islam, he did many things to harm the

Prophet. He was killed at Badr. ABU

LAHAB: One of the Prophet Mohammed’s

uncles, who was a great enemy of Islam.

He is referred to in the Koran in Surah cxi.

Abu Sufyan One of the leaders of Quraysh who led the

unbelievers in their fight against the

Prophet. He finally became a Muslim. His

wife was Hind.

Abo Talib The Prophet's uncle, father of 'Ali, one of the

respected men of Quraysh He took care of the

Prophet after his grandfather died and

continued to protect him until his own death.

'Addas A Christian servant of one of the big tribes

of Ta'if and the only person from this town

to believe in the Prophet ~ at the time of

his first visit there.

Adhan Call to prayer.

'Aisah The Prophet's wife and daughter of Abu

Bakr.

Al-'Abbas One of the uncles of the Prophet ~.

Converted to Islam and joined the Muslims

just as they were about to enter Mecca.

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Ali Son of Abu Tilib. First cousin of the

Prophet. 'Ali later married Fatimah, the

youngest daughter of the Prophet.

Allahu Akar Phrase meaning 'God Allah is Great'.

Alms Money, clothes or food given to the poor.

Aminah Aminah bint Wahb. The motherof the Prophet.

'Amro Ibun An important and clever man from

Al'ass Quraysh; was sent to Abyssinia to bring

back the first Muslim emigrants. Later

became one of the great Warriors of Islam.

Ansar The inhabitants of Medinah who became

Muslims and asked the Prophet to come

and live with them.

Apostle Person sent to teach men about God.

Wa Aleikum Phrase used by the Muslims in greeting,

Assalamu meaning: 'May the Peace, Mercy and Grace

Rahmatullah of Allah be upon you.

Wa

Barakatuiiu

Bah1ira A monk who lived in the desert on the

Quraysh caravan route to Syria.

Bani Hashim The branch of Quraysh to which the Prophet belonged.

Bani Qurayzah A Jewish tribe who were living in Yathrib

at the time the Prophet arrived there. Several

times they betrayed their Covenant with

the Prophet, forcing him to fight them.

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Bedouin Nomadic Arabs of the desert, usually shepherds.

Bilal The Slave of Umayyah ibn Khalaf. He

became a Muslim against the will of his

master and was persecuted cruelly but

never lost his faith. Later he became the

first mu'adhdhin (the person who calls the

adhan).

Bismillah The phrase meaning 'In the Name of Allah

the Merciful, The Compassionate'.

Booty Things captured from an enemy in war.

Buraq Animal ridden by the Prophet Muliammad ~

on his ascent to heaven (the Isra' and Mi'raj).

Caravan A group of travellers, usually merchants

with their goods.

Clan Large family or tribe.

Congregation Gathering of people for prayer.

Convert To change from one state into another,

usually said of religion.

Copt An Egyptian Christian.

Descendants People originating from a certain person

(children,

grandchildren, etc.).

Destined Fated, already decided by God.

Famine Scarcity of food.

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Fast To go without food and water, e.g. the

month of Ramadan.

Fitrah The pure original nature God gave to man.

Gabriel (Jibril) The Archangel who conveyed the

Revelation of the Quran to the Prophet from

Allah.

Graze To feed on grass, as sheep do.

Guardian One who is responsible for someone (e.g. a

child)? A place, or thing.

Hadith An account of what the Prophet ~ said or

did, or his silent approval of something said

or done in his presence

Hagar Abraham's second wife and mother of his

(Haajar) first son Ishmael.

Halimah A Bedouin woman from Bani Sa'd, who

cared for the Prophet during his early

childhood.

Hamzah The Prophet's uncle; one of the bravest

and strongest of the Muslims. Fought at

Badr and was killed in Uhud.

Has Him Son of Abdu Manif. Organized the caravan

journeys of Quraysh to Syria and Yemen.

As a result Mecca grew rich and became a

large and important centre of trade.

Heraclius Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Hermit A holy man who lives far away from

people. 100

Hiurah The flight from Mecca to Medinah;

emigration

Hind Abu Sufyin's wife.

Imam A man who leads the Muslims in prayer.

Ishmael The first son of Abraham from his wife

(Isma'il) Hagar. Settled in Mecca where he helped

his father rebuild the Kabah. From his

descendants came Quraysh.

Islam Religion revealed to the Prophet

Muhammad.

Ja'far Ibn Abu A cousin of the Prophet and brother of

Ali,

Tallb he was the spokesman of the Muslims who

emigrated to Abyssinia.

Khadijah The Prophet Mohammed’s first and only

wife until her death. She was the first to

believe in the Prophet and to accept as true

the Message he brought from Allah.

Khalid Ibn Al- A great warrior, very skilled at warfare. He

Walid planned the defeat of the Muslims at Uhud,

but later converted to Islam and fought

even more strongly for his new faith.

Martyr One who dies in the cause of God.

Maysarah Khadijah's slave. Accompanied the Prophet

on his journey with Khadijah's caravans.

Minaret Tower from which the call to prayer is

made.

Mosque Building in which Muslims pray.

Muslim One who submits to God, usually referring

to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad.

Oasis A small area in the desert where water and

trees are to be found.

Paradise Place to which the souls of good people go

after death

Pilgrimage Journey to a holy place, e.g. Hajj 102