بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِِ

Al Islam

The Official Website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Muslims who believe in the Messiah,
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian(as)Muslims who believe in the Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani (as), Love for All, Hatred for None.
Table of Contents

Glossary

Ahl-e-Bait A term which refers to the household members of the Holy Prophet(sa) and literally means, ‘people of the house.’

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at The Community of Muslims who have accepted the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. The Community was established by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) in 1889, and is now under the leadership of his fifth Khalifah — Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his help). The Community is also known as Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya. A member of the Community is called an Ahmadi Muslim or simply an Ahmadi.

Allah — Allah is the personal name of God in Islam. To show proper reverence to Him, Muslims often add Ta‘ala, translated here as ‘the Exalted’, when saying His Holy name.

Amin — May Allah make it so.

Ansar — Literally means ‘the Helpers’ and was a title of veneration given to the Muslims of Madinah on account of their giving protection to the Holy Prophet(sa) and his companions when they migrated from Makkah to Madinah due to persecution.

‘Asharah Mubashsharah — This is a term which means, ‘the ten who have been given glad tidings’. In actuality, ‘asharah mubashsharah has become a renowned term to refer to ten people about whom the Holy Prophet(sa) had prophecied entrance into paradise. However, there were many more such companions who were also granted this glad tiding. Therefore, in actuality, the term specifically refers to those ten muhajirin, who were a part of the majlis-e-shura [consultative body] of the Holy Prophet(sa) and who he especially trusted.

As-Sabiqunal-Awwalun — A term used in the Holy Quran, in Surah At-Taubah (9:100), which means, ‘the foremost among the believers.’

Azwaj-e-Mutahharat — A title of honour for the noble wives of the Holy Prophet(sa) and literally means, ‘spouses who have been purified.’

Bai‘at — An oath of allegience to a religious leader; initiation at the hands of a Prophet or his Khalifah. Literally means ‘to be sold.’

Baitul-Mal — The National Treasury of the Islamic State.

Ghazwah — A military expedition in which the Holy Prophet(sa) participated himself.

Hajjatul-Wada‘ — The last hajj performed by the Holy Prophet(sa) prior to his demise and literally means, ‘the farewell hajj.’

Hazrat — A term of respect used for a person of established righteousness and piety.

Hadith — A saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa). The plural is ahadith.

Hijrah — The migration of the Holy Prophet(sa) to Madinah, due to persecution in his homeland, Makkah.

Holy Prophet(sa) — A term used exclusively for the Founder of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

Holy Quran — The Book sent by Allah for the guidance of mankind. It was revealed word by word to the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) over a period of twenty-three years.

‘Iddat — A fixed time period specified by the Islamic shariah, which must elapse before a widow or divorced lady can marry again.

Jahiliyyah — Refers to the pre-Islamic era prior to the advent of the Holy Prophet(sa) and literally means, ‘ignorance.’

Jama‘at Jama‘at means community. Although the word jama‘at itself may refer to any community, in this book, Jama‘at specifically refers to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.

Jihad — The literal meaning of this word is ‘striving’. The term is used to mean self-purification as well as religious wars in some instances.

Khalifah and Khilafat — Caliph is derived from the Arabic word Khalifah, which herein means the successor. Khulafa’ is the plural of Khalifah. In Islamic terminology, the title ‘Khalifa-e- Rashid’ [Rightly Guided Khalifah] is applied to one of the first four khulafa’ who continued the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa). Ahmadi Muslims refer to each successor of the Promised Messiah(as) as Khalifatul-Masih. The institution of successorship is called Khilafat.

Khalifatul-Masih II — Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad(ra) (1889–1965), was the second successor of the Promised Messiah(as). He is also called Muslih-e-Mau‘ud because he was born in accordance with the prophecy made by the Promised Messiah(as) in 1886 concerning the birth of a righteous son who would be endowed with unique abilities and attributes.

Khalifatul-Masih V — Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aa), is the fifth successor of the Promised Messiah(as) and the current Imam of Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya. He is the great grandson of the Promised Messiah(as).

Khilafat — The institution of successorship in Islam. See also Khalifah.

Khatamul-Anbiya’ — A title of the Holy Prophet(sa), which means, ‘Seal of the Prophets’ due to his unparalleled status.

Khatamul-Ausiya’ — A title of Hazrat ‘Ali(ra) given to him by those who believe him to be the wasi of the Holy Prophet(sa). See also wasi.

Madinah Munawwarah — Literally means ‘Madinah, the Enlightened’ and is a title of honour used to lovingly refer to the city of Madinah. When the Holy Prophet(sa) migrated from Makkah due to persecution he settled in Madinah.

Majlis-e-Shura — A consultative body, which offers suggestions in matters of importance.

Makkah Mukarramah — Literally means ‘Makkah, the Honoured’ and is a title of reverence used to lovingly refer to the city of Makkah. This is the blessed city where the Holy Prophet(sa) was born and where he made his claim to prophethood after receiving revelation from Allah the Exalted.

Manzil — A distance equivalent to 19 miles or 25 kilometers.

Masjid-e-Nabawi — The famous mosque built by the Holy Prophet(sa) when he migrated to Madīnah, and literally means ‘The Prophet’s Mosque’.

Muhammad — Proper name of the Prophet of Islam.

The Promised Messiah — This term refers to the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian. He claimed that he had been sent by Allah in accordance with the prophecies of the Holy Prophet(sa) about the coming of al-Imam al-Mahdi (the Guided Leader) and Messiah.

Qasr — A shortened version of the obligatory prayer [salat], which is offered as such in certain circumstances.

Raj‘at — The belief that those who have passed away among the Prophets would return to the world again with their physical bodies.

Rajaz — A specific meter in Arabic poetry, which contains a discourse in rhyme. This word also denotes the recitation of poetic verse in general.

Rak‘at — A cycle in the formal Muslim prayer and the plural of this word is rak‘at.

Sadaqah — Almsgiving in Islam to assist the poor and needy. However, the Holy Prophet(sa) has mentioned that sadaqah can be given in various forms, even by meeting another person with a cheerful face. The term, therefore, is very broad in meaning, and has many inferences. In this lecture, the word has also been used in the context of ‘forgiveness.’

Surah — A term in Arabic referring to a chapter of the Holy Quran.

Sunnah — Practice of the Holy Prophet(sa)

Takbir — To proclaim the greatness of Allah, saying Allahu Akbar, which means, ‘Allah is the Greatest.’

Ummahatul-Mu’minin — A term of respect and reverence for the wives of the Holy Prophet(sa) and literally means, ‘the mothers of the believers.’

‘Umrah — A lesser Pilgrimage to the Holy Ka‘bah in which some of the rites of the hajj are left out. ‘umrah can be performed at any time during the year.

Wasi — Literally this word has many meanings, which include, ‘a testator, guardian, custodian, keeper, or administrator’ However, in the context of the subject discussed in this book, it is a title given to Hazrat ‘Ali(ra) by a group of Muslims who believe that he was meant to be the first Khalifah after the demise of the Holy Prophet(sa) and that the Holy Prophet(sa) had bequethed him this office prior to his demise.