Ahadith: plural of Hadith; traditions attributed to Muhammad.

Al-Masih: the Messiah; the Christ

Allah: the Arabic name for God; His personal name in Islam.

Allama: a learned person

Awliya: Plural of wali; Saints

Ayah: verses of the Qur’an; also means signs and miracles.

Bahagavad Gita: an important and popular religious book of the Hindus

Brahmo Samajist: monotheistic Vedic Movement

Dajjal: the anti-Christ

Fidyah: ransom

Hazrat: title of respect used for religious leaders.

Hijrah: migration; date of Muhammad’s flight from Mecca in 622 A.D. to Madina. The Islamic calendar commences from this year.

Hindu: a term used to identify the Vedantic religion of India and its followers.

Iblis: Satan

Ibn: son

Ibn-e-Maryam: the son of Mary

Imam: leader of a Muslim community or of a congregation of worshipers; spiritual guide of Shia Muslims.

Imam-e-Zaman: the spiritual leader of his age.

Iman: faith; in the sense of a formal declaration of belief in the six articles.

Injil: Gospel

Isa: The name of Jesus in the Qur’an.

Jagirdar: Landowners

Jehad: Striving; Holy War.

Jin: demons but not necessarily evils.

Jizyah: tax enjoined on non-Muslims, a kind of community charge.

Ka’aba: the sacred shrine of Islam where Muslim converge.

Kaffâra: atonement

Kalimah: the creed

Khalifa: successor, vice-regent

Kitab: book

Kitab-e-Muqaddas: the holy book, the Bible.

Krishna: the most popular avatar of Vishnu and hero of the Mahabharta.

Lakshmi: the goddess of fortune, wife of Vishnu

Mahabharta: the great Hindu epic.

Maharaja: great king

Mahdi: the directed one; a ruler to appear on earth in the last days.

Malika: angels

Mansukh: abrogated

Marhame Isa: ointment of Jesus

Masih Maw’ud: the promised Messiah.

Masjid: mosque

Minaret: tower of a mosque

Mir’ag: Muhammad’s ascension to heaven.

Muffasel: detailed

Mufti: Muslim Jurist; expounder or doctor of Islamic

Mujaddid: revivalist; Renewer; Reformer,

Mullah: priest

Nabi: Prophet

Nar: fire

Naskh: abrogation

Nubawat: prophethood

Nur: light

Nuzul: the descent

Nuzul-i-Isa: the descent of Jesus

Qadi: Muslim Jurist

Qira: recitation

Qurra: Qur’an reciters

Rafa: to ascend

Raise: chief

Rasul: apostle

Sahih Bukhari: name of the most respected collection of traditions.

Sharia: Islamic law

Shia: Shi’ite. sect regarding Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad as direct lawful successor to Muhammad.

Sikh: a follower of Sikhism.

Sunni: those who accept the sunna, the custom and practice of Muhammad.

Surah: chapter of the Qur’an

Tafsir: commentary

Tahrif: alteration

Tawhid: unity; the oneness of God.

Vishnu: one of the two great gods of Hinduism

Wahy: revelation, inspiration

Yahya: John the Baptist

Yawamal-Akhira: the Last Day; the day of judgement.

Yawmal-Qiyamah: the Day of resurrection, Judgement.

Zabih-ullah: the sacrifice offered by Allah

Zabur: psalms

Zakat: Charity enjoined upon Muslims