adab A word of many meanings usually connoting courtesy, etiquette, rules and manners, civilisation, culture and literature....
Aga Khan A title granted by the Shah of Persia to the then Ismaili Imam in 1818 and inherited by each of his successors to the Imamate....
Aga Khan Development Network The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a contemporary endeavour of the Ismaili Imamat to realise the ethics and social conscience of Islam through institutional…...
ahl al-bayt Lit. the people of the house, meaning the Prophet Muhammad and members of his household including especially his cousin and soninlaw Ali b. Abi Talib,…...
ahl al-餃硃尪滄硃 Lit. the people of the 餃硃尪滄硃, or summons; a term used by the Ismailis to describe themselves....
ahl al-kitb From Arabic, lit. People of the Book also referred to as ahl al-dhimma (people under protection) a 紮喝娶a紳ic term used to designate Jews and Christians…...
al-Azhar A major mosque and institution of learning founded in Cairo by the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mu尪izz (d. 975)....
al-balad al-am蘋n A term used in the 紮喝娶a紳 for Mecca, translated as the city of security, serenity or salvation....
al-餃櫻尪蘋 al-ma廎卡贖d Also al-餃櫻尪蘋 alma廎丟馳贖r. A rank in the Fatimid Ismaili 餃硃尪滄硃 for the chief assistant to al-餃櫻尪蘋 almu廜衍aq....
al-餃硃尪滄硃 al-hdiya The rightly guiding mission, an expression used by the early Shia and earliest Ismailis, who felt that the caliphate had been wrongfully taken from the…...
al-Frb蘋, Ab贖 Na廜ψ A preeminent Muslim philosopher born in the region known as Turkestan. In Medieval Latin texts, al-Frb蘋 was referred to as Alfarabius or Avennasar. Being an…...
硃梭-款喝娶梁櫻紳 Lit. The Proof or The Distinguisher between Good and Evil, a name applied to the 紮喝娶a紳 and also the title of its 25th chapter....
al-Ghazl蘋, Ab贖 廎勾mid Mu廎仟mmad (d. 1111 CE) A noted theologian, jurist and mystic, (1058-1111 CE), whose thoughts and writings had a major influence on the development of Sunni Islam. He was born…...
al-廎兀llj, 廎工sayn b. Man廜贖r A Sufi poet and mystic born in Fars (in present-day southern Iran). He is mainly remembered for his proclamation an 硃梭-廎仟梁梁 (I am the truth),…...
al-廎兀san b. 尪Al蘋 The elder of 尪Al蘋s two sons (d. c. 669) by Fatima, and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad....
硃梭-廎勾咬硃 A mountain near Mecca where the Prophet Muhammad used to withdraw for prayer and where the first verses of the 紮喝娶a紳 were said to have…...
硃梭-鳥硃尨餃堯贖紳 Lit. licentiate,; a rank in the Fatimid Ismaili 餃硃尪滄硃 structure; an assistant to the regional 餃櫻尪蘋; originally divided into two ranks: 硃梭-鳥硃尨餃堯贖紳 al-mu廜衍aq and 硃梭-鳥硃尨餃堯贖紳…...
al-Ma尨m贖n, Ab贖 al-尪Abbs 尪Abd-Allh (d. 833 CE) The seventh Abbasid caliph (786833 CE), who succeeded his father Hr贖n al-Rash蘋d and ruled from 813 to 833 CE. He is known for his support…...
硃梭-鳥喝域櫻莽勳娶 Lit. ‘breaker’ a junior rank in the Fatimid Ismaili 餃硃尪滄硃 mainly responsible for attracting prospective converts and ‘breaking’ their attachments to other religions....
硃梭-梁勳聆櫻鳥硃 Arabic term for the Last Day, the Day of Resurrection. A concept which features prominently in the 紮喝娶a紳. Belief in the Last Day features as…...
硃梭-莽堯硃堯櫻餃硃 From the Arabic root sh-h-d, lit. the act of bearing witness or the public declaration of belief. It is among the key principles of Islam.…...
al-廜ξrt al-mustaq蘋m From Arabic; lit. the straight path; a 紮喝娶a紳ic phrase meaning the straight path. It appears 33 times in the Holy 紮喝娶a紳. Conventionally, the phrase has…...
al-尪ibadat al-尪amaliyya A term in classical Islamic jurisprudence denoting religious practice or acts of worship, i.e., worship performed by bodily actions or good deeds. In most classical…...
Alamut Fortress of the Nizari Ismailis in northern Iran, which fell to the Mongols in 654 AH/1256 CE....
Amazigh A member of the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa. The term ‘Berber’ today is often seen as derogatory and the term by which the group…...
插鳥蘋娶 (pl. umar尨) Arabic lit. a prince, a commander, or a leader. In early Muslim history, the word am蘋r referred to an army commander. During the…...
am蘋r al-mu尨min蘋n Commander of the Faithful. A title used for Ali b. Abi Talib and adopted more widely by Sunni caliphs....
硃紳廜r Lit. ‘helpers,’ it refers to the Medinans who supported the Prophet Muhammad and his followers after the hijra (migration) from Mecca to Medina in 622…...
硃莽櫻莽 Lit. ‘foundation’. Early Ismaili authors, like Ibn 廎兀wshab (d. 914) and his son Ja尪far (d. 2nd half of 10th century) divided history into seven eras,…...
插莽堯尪硃娶勳莽鳥 A theological school founded in the 10th century CE by the Sunni theologian and heresiographer 尪Al蘋 b. Ism尪蘋l al-Ash尪ar蘋 (d. 935-936 CE)....
插莽堯尪硃娶勳聆聆硃 A theological school founded in the 10th century CE by the Sunni theologian and heresiographer 尪Al蘋 b. Ism尪蘋l al-Ash尪ar蘋 (d. 935-936 CE)....
聆硃 A verse of the 紮喝娶a紳, (pl. yt). It is the smallest semantically independent 紮喝娶a紳ic speech. Cognates of the word ya occur also in Hebrew and…...
Ayatollah From Arabic (yat Ullh), lit. Sign of God; a title used by the Imami Twelver Shiis. The rank of Ayatollah is believed to have been…...
尪硃餃梭 (Arabic; derived from the root 尪a-d-l; 尪硃餃梭 and 尪adla meaning justice, fairness). The word is current in the vocabulary of religion, theology, philosophy, and law.…...
尪插轍硃娶勳餃硃 A branch of the Kharijites (Kharijiyya) founded by Ibn Ajarrad in the 8th century CE, whose adherents lived mainly in eastern Iran....
尪硃梭硃鳥 A flag or sign post. 尪Alams are ornate religious standards seen in Shii spaces of worship and during 紼喝廎仟娶娶硃鳥 processions. They are often made of…...
尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib Cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and his son-in-law by marriage to his daughter Fatima; the first Shii Imam and fourth caliph (d. 661)....
尪硃梁梭 Reason, intellect, mind. This noun does not appear as such in the 紮喝娶a紳, although the verb 尪aqala is used (as in Q. 2:44, Do you…...
尪硃梁梭-i kull (Ar. al-尪硃梁梭 al-kull蘋) Universal Intellect or Reason. It is the corresponding term to the concept of nous as used in the Greek Neoplatonism of Plotinus (d. 270). It…...
尪硃梁梭蘋 As a noun, it refers to a proponent of 尪硃梁梭, a rationalist, an intellectual. As an adjective it means related to 尪硃梁梭, i.e. mental, intellective,…...
尪櫻娶勳款 Lit. one who knows. Used by Sufi authors like Ab贖 尪Abd al-Ra廎叮n alSulam蘋 (d. 1021), 尪櫻娶勳款 is one of several technical terms meaning gnostic, mystic,…...
尪硃娶莽堯 Throne. The 紮喝娶a紳 describes God as the Lord of the Throne (Q. 17:42, etc.), on which He sat himself (Q. 10:3, etc.) and which is…...
尪莽堯贖娶櫻尨 An event which is commemorated by many Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam al-廎工sayn b. 尪Al蘋, the grandson of…...
尪A廜凍僮r, Far蘋d al-D蘋n Mu廎仟mmad b. Ibrh蘋m (d. 1220 CE) A Persian Sufi poet and author born in Nishapur (d. 1220 CE). He is well known for many of his works, including Man廜虹q al-廜苔yr (The…...
尪硃滄硃鳥鳥 A term used in classical philosophical literature for the ‘common folk’ or ‘masses,’ who in this usage were contrasted with the ‘elect’ or ‘elite’ (khaww廜)....
尪硃聆聆櫻娶 Lit. ‘rascal, tramp, vagabond’. A term used for the members of an organisation grouped under the concept of futuwwa (chivalry), especially the highway warriors active…...
莉櫻莉 Lit. gate or door. In the vocabulary of Fatimid Ismailism, the term was used for the administrative head of the 餃硃尪滄硃 figures in Islamic history....
莉硃梁櫻尨 Lit. ‘subsistence, survival’. Together with the concept of fana, the idea of baqa’ was developed by Sufis such as al-Sarraj (d. 988) and Abu’l Hasan…...
Basmala The standard Islamic invocation, Bismi’llh蘋 al-Ra廎叮n al-Ra廎汁匍 derived from the Qur’an, meaning ‘In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.’...
莉櫻廜虹紳 The inner or esoteric meaning of a sacred text, ritual or religious prescription, often contrasted with 廕h勳娶. See also 莉櫻廜虹紳蘋 喧硃尨滄蘋梭 and 詁櫻廜虹紳勳聆聆硃....
莉櫻廜虹紳蘋 喧硃尨滄蘋梭 Symbolic exegesis of the 紮喝娶a紳 based on the claim that there is an inner (莉櫻廜虹紳蘋) meaning behind the external (廕h勳娶蘋) text. By extension, it can…...
詁櫻廜虹紳勳聆聆硃 Lit. supporters of the 莉櫻廜虹紳. A perjorative term used by Sunni authors such as al-Ghazl蘋 (d. 1111) to refer to those, especially the Ismailis, who…...
Bayt al-廎夕kma From Arabic; lit. house of wisdom; best characterised as a research and teaching centre with a library and translation facilities. Located in Baghdad, it was…...
莉硃聆尪硃 (Arabic; derived from b-y-尪, meaning to sell or clasp hands). A practice rooted in Arab tradition and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad. It is…...
Berber A member of the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa. The term ‘Berber’ today is often seen as derogatory and the term the group refers to…...
Bibi A word of East Turkish origin which means old mother or a grandmother. It is also used in Persian and Urdu in the sense of…...
Bohra Indian community of Musta尪li Ismailis, now found primarily in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, Yemen, Egypt and other parts of the world....
Bukhara A city in modern-day Uzbekistan, Central Asia, known for its Islamic artistic and architectural heritage....
Buwayhids Muslim dynasty of Shi’i persuasion that ruled in Baghdad (945-1062), and was succeeded by the Saljuqs....
Byzantine The late medieval Roman Empire which ruled large parts of Southern Europe and the Middle East from its capital Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), conquered by the…...
caliphate The Muslim political institution or state centred around the caliph, which came to an end, historically, in 1924 with the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire....
Crusaders A term applied to Christian invaders who carried out numerous campaigns to capture Jerusalem and Palestine from the Muslims in the 11th and 14th centuries…...
嗨硃u餃勳莽 Adherents of a sub-branch of the Tayyibi Ismailis. The Tayyibis are one of the two branches of the Musta尪li Ismailis, the other branch being the…...
Dr al-廎夕kma Lit. House of wisdom. A scholarly institution founded in Cairo by the Fatimid Caliph-Imam alHakim in 1005 CE. Its building housed a large library containing…...
Dr al-Islm The ‘realm of Islam,’ a term used in classical Islamic jurisprudence to denote regions or countries subject to Islamic law. Often contrasted with the dr…...
Dr al-尪Ilm Lit. House of Knowledge, an institution of learning established in Cairo by the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-廎勾kim (d. 1021). See also Dar al-廎夕kma....
dawr (pl. 硃餃滄櫻娶) Cycle, revolution, period. Together with kawr a great age or aeon. It is a division of the cyclical religious history developed by some early…...
dawr al-satr Lit. period of concealment. Al-Q廎蘋 al-Nu尪mn (d. 974) uses the term dawr al-satr to refer to the period of around 150 years in which the…...
餃櫻尪蘋 Lit. ‘summoner,’ a term for missionary amongst various Muslim communities, especially used among the Ismailis before and during the Fatimid period as well as in…...
餃硃尪滄硃 Lit. ‘summons’, ‘mission’ or invitation to Islam. Amongst Shi’i Muslims, it was the invitation to adopt the cause of the Imamat. It also refers more…...
餃硃尪滄硃t 硃梭-廎仟梁梁 The true mission’ or ‘the true summons.’ A term used by the Ismailis of the pre-Fatimid and Fatimid periods to refer to their 餃硃尪滄硃 activities....
dhikr Lit. the act of reminding; remembrance. The 紮喝娶a紳 exhorts individuals to remember God: Oh ye who believe! Remember (udhkur贖) God with much remembrance (dhikran kath蘋ran)…...
din In the Qur’an it means a) retribution, judgment (as in yawm al-d蘋n, the day of judgement); b) religion in a broad sense. The pair d蘋n-餃喝紳聆櫻…...
Druze A religious community that arose as an offshoot of the Fatimid Ismailis around 408 AH/1017 CE....
falsifa (sing. faylas贖f) Practitioners of falsafa (Arabic word derived from the Greek philosophia). Falsafa was sometimes identified with the Arabic 廎可域鳥硃 (wisdom), a term found in the Qur’an.…...
款硃梁蘋堯 (pl. fuqah尨, from Arabic root f-q-h meaning to have a correct understanding of matters). A 款硃梁蘋堯 is an expert in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Early in…...
Farman From Persian lit. command, authority, will, permission. At the time of the Ottomans, the word farmn was used in Ottoman Turkish to denote any order…...
Fatima Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and his first wife, Khad蘋ja bint Khuwaylid. Also wife of 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib and mother of al-廎兀san and al-廎工sayn....
Fatimids Major Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (9731171), who claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad through Ali…...
款勳餃櫻尨蘋 Also fidw蘋. Young devotee who volunteers to sacrifice his life for a cause. Between the 11th and the 13th centuries, 款勳餃櫻尨蘋s are known to have…...
勞硃莉娶勳梗梭/斑勳莉娶櫻尪勳梭 The name of the angel that appears in the Bible as sent by God to Daniel and in the Qur’an as bringing the message down…...
Ghad蘋r Khumm (Arabic; lit.: the pond of Khumm): Name of a pool (or marsh) located in an area called Khumm between Mecca and Medina, in present-day Saudi…...
Ghaznavids/Ghaznawids Muslim dynasty which ruled lands from Khurasan in Persia to Northern India (977-1186)....
眶堯喝梭櫻喧 Exaggerators’ or ‘extremists.’ A term of disapproval in classical Muslim sources against what they regarded as ‘heretical’ exaggeration in matters of doctrine....
眶勳紳櫻紳 A Sanskrit word meaning knowledge. In particular, a poetic composition in an Indian language (Sindhi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi or Multani), ascribed to one of the…...
Gospels The Gospel (Ar. al-Inj蘋l) is the message transmitted by Jesus. The word literally means good news of Christs appearance in history. In the plural, it…...
廎仟餃餃 Lit. ‘edge,’ ‘boundary,’ ‘limit,’; a technical term in Islamic law denoting God’s ‘limits’ or punishments for various crimes mentioned in the Qur’an. Also a technical…...
廎仟餃蘋喧堯 Lit. report or narrative, used for the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and in Shii Islam also for those of the Imams....
Hafizis A branch of Musta尪li Ismailis. Upon the death of the 20th Imam of the Musta尪li Ismailis, the Fatimid Caliph al-mir bi-A廎右m Allh, the official Musta尪li…...
Hafiziyya A branch of Mustali Ismailis. Upon the death of the twentieth Imam of the Mustali Ismailis, Fatimid Caliph al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah, the official Mustali dawa…...
Hajj (Arabic; derived from the root 廎-j-j), meaning to betake oneself to, also, occurs in other Semitic languages. The word Hajj usually refers to the annual…...
廎仟梁櫻尨勳梁 Pl. of 廎仟q蘋qa. A system originating in 9th-century Ismaili texts, and later modified and developed in a Neoplatonic framework by al-Nasaf蘋 (d. 943), Ab贖 廎勾tim…...
廎仟q蘋qa (Persian: 廎仟q蘋qat) The reality. In the writing of philosophers such as Ibn Sina (d. 1037), it means the true nature of something, its essential reality; for Sufis…...
Hashimiyya A Shi’i revolutionary group which emerged in the 8th century CE; also used generally to designate the Abbasids and others who claimed descent from Hshim,…...
haykal n贖rn蘋 Lit. temple of light. According to the Tayyibi author Ibrahim al-廎勾mid蘋 (d. 1162), it is the spiritual body formed by the gathering of the individual…...
堯硃聆贖梭櫻 A technical term in philosophy derived from the Greek hyle (matter), opposed to 廜贖ra (form). Usually used in the sense of prime matter, being the…...
Hijaz (Arabic; lit. the barrier). A region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea which includes some of the holiest sites and…...
Hijra (Arabic; derived from the root h-j-r, meaning to emigrate ). Technically, the term hijra designates the migration of Prophet Muhammad and his early Muslim community…...
廎可域鳥硃 A term which in the Qur’an means ‘wisdom’, and later acquired various technical meanings referring to religious, gnostic or esoteric philosophy....
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV The 49th imam of the Nizari Ismailis, Shah Karim al-Husayni, who succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III, in 1957. He led…...
廎只jja (Persian: 廎只jjat) A 紮喝娶a紳ic term meaning both proof and presentation of proof. In Shii Islam it designates Prophets and Imams as proofs of Gods presence on earth.…...
廎只q贖q al-damiyy蘋n (sing. 廎仟qq dam or 廎仟qq dam蘋) Rights of humans, i.e. private, essentially civil, legal rights or claims. A translation of the modern concept of ‘human rights’....
Hurufis/Hurufiyya A religious order founded by Fa廎l Allh Astarabd蘋 in the second half of the 14th century CE in Persia and Anatolia....
廎工sayn b. 尪Al蘋 The younger of the two sons of 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib (d. 680) by Fatima, and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad....
Ibadis/Ibadiyya Adherents of a branch of the Kharijis , named after their leader ‘Abd Allah b. Ibad in the 7th century CE....
勳莉餃櫻尪 Lit. ‘origination’. Since the Qur’an describes God as ‘Originator’ (bad蘋尪, see Q. 2:117), Ismaili Neoplatonists such as al-Nasaf蘋 (d. 661/1262-1263), al-Sijistn蘋 (d. after 971) and…...
梆莉梭蘋莽 The name given in the 紮喝娶a紳 to the Devil, mostly when he is said to have refused to bow down before Adam (Q. 2:34, etc,).…...
Ifriqiya Mediaeval Muslim name for modern-day Tunisia; also the area where the Fatimids founded their state in the early tenth century....
勳轍喧勳堯櫻餃 (derived from the Arabic root j-h-d, meaning to make an effort, exertion, or endeavour.) In Muslim law, the term 勳轍喧勳堯櫻餃 refers to an independent mode…...
Ikhwn al-廜糎f尨 From Arabic, lit. Brethren of Purity, a group of learned scholars who were based in Basra and Baghdad around the last quarter of the t10th…...
勳梭廎汁d Arabic word found in polemical Muslim sources, meaning ‘deviation from the straight path,’ but may connote ‘apostasy’ or ‘heresy’. (See 鳥喝梭廎可餃.)...
imam In general usage, a leader of prayers or religious leader. The Shi’i restrict the term to their spiritual leaders descended from 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib…...
Imama/Imamat/Imamate An noun derived from the term Imam, referring to the institution of hereditary spiritual leadership in Shi’i Islam....
Imamis/Imamiyya Adherents of a branch of early Shi’ism which followed the Husaynid line of Imams, which later divided into the Ismailis and Ithna’asharis ....
Ismailis Adherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja尪far al-廜〢diq (d. 765), as his successor....
Ispahbadiyya Refers to the Bawanids (1074-1210 CE), a local dynasty in Tabaristan and Gilan, who used the title of Ispahbadh蘋, meaning ‘army chief.’...
Ithna’asharis Lit. Twelvers, the majority branch of the Shii Muslims who acknowledge twelve Imams in lineal succession from 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib, after the Prophet Muhammad.…...
尪勳梭鳥 Knowledge, science, learning; also, more specifically religious knowledge. In 釦堯勳i莽鳥 this term also refers to the special knowledge of the Imams....
尪勳娶款櫻紳 Cognition, knowledge, gnosis. In one strand of modern Islamic discourse, the term is used for an amalgamated category which includes the mystical experience, sufism, esoteric…...
Jabal Bahr尨 A mountainous region in central Syria between Hama and the mediterranean coastline southwest of Jabal al-Summq....
Jabriya Name applied to those alleged to hold the doctrine of jabr (compulsion), according to which it is not man who actually acts, but only God.…...
Jalayrids A Muslim dynasty which ruled Iraq, Kurdistan and Azerbaijan (1336-1432 CE), and were succeeded by the Qara Qoyunlu....
斑硃鳥硃a喧 Assembly or religious congregation; also a term used by the Nizari Ismailis for their individual communities....
斑硃鳥硃a喧 Khana Jam尪a is from Arabic which means group or community, and khna is from Persian meaning house, lit., the house of the community. It means a…...
Jamat Assembly or religious congregation; also a term used by the Nizari Ismailis for their individual communities....
Janahiyya Adherents of an early Shii group which recognised Ibn Mu尪wiya, a descendant of Ja尪far b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib, the brother of 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib ,…...
jaz尨ir al-ar廎 Lit. islands of the earth, this phrase was used by the Fatimid Ismaili 餃硃尪滄硃 for the twelve geographical regions in which its mission was active....
轍硃堝蘋娶硃 Lit. island, peninsula or a territory situated between large rivers. Applied to each of the 12 territories in which the pre-Fatimid Ismaili organisation is reported…...
轍勳堯櫻餃 Mostly used in Muslim writing to denote ‘holy war.’ However, in mystical literature, this term was interpreted in its root sense of ‘exertion’ and came…...
Justanid A local Muslim dynasty of Daylam in northern Persia which ruled over Rudbar, Daylam and other surrounding regions at the turn of the 8th/9th century…...
Kairouan A Tunisian city, often transliterated in English as Kairouan, which became the capital city of the Aghlabids and later of the Fatimids ....
域硃梭櫻鳥 From Arabic, lit. Speech, discussion, argument, translated as philosophical theology, refers to theological reflection using rational philosophical argumentation to study and express the content of…...
kalima Lit. ‘word.’ Used in the Qur’an with several meanings, chief among which is the ‘Divine Word’. It also refers to the formula for the declaration…...
鬼硃娶莉硃梭櫻 A city southeast of Baghdad, it is the site of the martyrdom of Imam al-廎工sayn b. 尪Al蘋, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in 61 AH/…...
KaysanisKaysaniyya Adherents of an early Shii group originally led by al-Mukhtr (d. 687) who recognised Mu廎仟mmad b. al-廎兀nafiyya (d. 322/934) as their Imam and 鳥硃堯餃蘋....
鬼硃尪莉硃 In pre-Islamic times, a temple for the worship of traditional gods. After the conquest of and re-entry into Mecca by the Prophet Muhammad, he re-dedicated…...
Khalafiyya A sub-sect of the Ibadiyya branch of the Kharijis, founded at the beginning of 9th century CE....
Khaniqa/khaniqah (pl. Khaniqahh) from Persian, lit. residence. Khaniqa is a term for a Sufi meetinghouse which serves as a residential teaching centre for Sufi disciples. It…...
域堯硃娶櫻轍 Land tax established by Caliph 尪mar II to be paid by the dhimm蘋s on the earliest conquered lands by the Muslims. As more and more…...
Kharijis/Khawarij An early Muslim community, meaning ‘seceders’, who withdrew their allegiance from 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib....
khawass The intellectual elite or elect, often contrasted in classical philosophical literature with the masses (awamm)....
域堯勳梭櫻款硃/域堯勳梭櫻款硃喧 The Muslim political institution or state centred around the caliph, which came to an end, historically, in 1924 with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire....
Khojas A term probably derived from the Persian khwja (lord, master). The Khojas are one of the Ismaili communities originating from the Indian subcontinent and now…...
Khojki A script historically developed among the Khojas of the Indian subcontinent to record their literature....
Khorasan The northeastern region of early Islamic Persia, immediately south of Transoxania and west of Badakhshan....
khudvand-i qiymat Lord of the resurrection. Epithet of the Nizari Imam 廎兀san (d. 1166), after whose name his followers added the formula 尪al dhikrihil-莽硃梭櫻鳥 (on his mention…...
Khurasan The northeastern region of early Islamic Persia, immediately south of Transoxania and west of Badakhshan....
Khurramiyya A collective term for several early Shii groups in Persia and Transoxania, also known as the Khurramdiniyya....
Khuzistan A province in southwestern mediaeval Persia and Iraq bordering the Persian Gulf in the south....
kun In the 紮喝娶a紳, the divine imperative (amr), meaning Be, (as in Q. 2:117: when He decrees a thing, He but says to it: be and…...
kuni-qadar Key terms in early Ismaili cosmology derived from the Qur’anic creative imperative ‘ kun ‘ meaning ‘Be’, and ‘qadar’, which means ‘determinations’....
Kutama A Berber tribe in North Africa who became key supporters of the Fatimids in the 10th century....
madhhab Arabic word with a range of meanings including ‘doctrine’, ‘movement’ and ‘creed’; a system or school of religious law in Islam....
Maghreb/Maghrib Lit. ‘the place of sunset.’ In mediaeval Muslim geography it referred to the western part of North Africa (present-day Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia)....
Magian Adjective from Magi (sing. magus) referring to a member of the Zoroastrian priestly caste in Ancient Persia....
鳥硃堯餃蘋 Lit., the ‘rightly guided one,’ a name applied in Muslim eschatology to the restorer of true religion and justice expected at the end of time.…...
鳥硃轍櫻梭勳莽 Pl. of majlis; a term which literally means ‘a place to sit’ and refers to any formal gathering or assembly of peoples....
Mamluks (1250-1517 CE), the word Mamluk is derived from Arabic, and literally means owned or possessed. The Mamluks were slave soldiers, mostly of Turkish origin, who…...
marja尪/marja尪-i taql蘋d (Arabic and Persian; lit. source to follow or religious reference). It is a term usually used for a Shii Ithna’ashari religious scholar, also called 聆硃tullh…...
masjid (mosque; pl. masajid) Arabic derived from the root s-j-d, meaning to prostrate. In the early Islamic era, the word masjid meant a place of prayer…...
鳥硃喧堯紳硃滄蘋 Persian term for poems differing greatly in genre and length, normally composed in rhyming couplets....
鳥硃滄梭櫻 Lord’ or ‘master,’; often used as an honorary epithet, though in early Islam it also meant ‘client’....
Mawlana Hazar Imam (Ar. Mawln al-Imm al-廎勾廎ir) Lit. our lord/master the present Imam. Designation used by Nizari Ismailis for their contemporary Imam, who is His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan....
鳥硃尪廜贖m Arabic word meaning ‘infallible’ and ‘immaculate’; these qualities are attributed to the Prophet Muhammad by many Muslims and by the Shi’a to their Imams....
Mina A small town three miles from Mecca, which is the site of special ceremonies performed by Muslim pilgrims to the 鬼硃尪莉硃 ....
鳥蘋喧堯櫻梁 A covenant, promise or oath. The notion of such a pledge is rooted in the 紮喝娶a紳 and was first given to the Prophet Muhammad. In…...
鳥勳尪娶櫻轍 (Arabic; derived from the root a-ra-ja, meaning to ascend or to mount). The term Miraj has been associated with the Isra. In some sources, they…...
mo尪allem-e 廜deq (Ar. al-mu尪allim al-廜diq) The truthful teacher. A concept based on the Shii idea that the Imams are the only authoritative teachers after the Prophet. In the reformulation of…...
Mubarakiyya Adherents of an early Shii group who upheld the Imamate of Mu廎仟mmad b. Ism尪蘋l after the death of Ism尪蘋l b. Ja尪far al-廜〢diq, representing the nascent…...
鳥喝款喧蘋 (pl. 鳥喝款喧蘋n) An Arabic word derived from the root f-t-y; a jurisconsult who is authorized to give a fatwa. The mufti should have a sound…...
Mughals An Indo-Muslim dynasty (15261858 CE), founded by the Timurid Prince Bbur, a descendent of Genghis Khan and Timur Lang. At their peak, the Mughals ruled…...
紼喝廎仟娶娶硃鳥 First month of the Islamic lunar calendar, often referred to as the ‘month of mourning’ because of the death of Imam Husayn b. ‘Ali at…...
mujtahid From Arabic; derived from the root j-h-d, to make an effort. Mujtahid literally means one who strives for a higher position, usually in scholarship and…...
鳥喝梭廎可餃 In Muslim heresiographical literature, a term of abuse for individuals regarded as religious deviants or heretics (pl. mal廎可da)....
Multan A major city in the province of Sind (today in Pakistan) where the seat of a Fatimid principality was founded in around 958....
鳥喝紳櫻款勳梁贖紳 (derived from the Arabic root n-f-q, meaning to dissent, disagree or oppose). The term is used in the Holy 紮喝娶a紳 for those professing Islam outwardly…...
鳥喝娶蘋餃 Lit. one who seeks. Sufi 廜苔r蘋qas developed around the relationship between the 鳥喝娶蘋餃s and a spiritual master (called murshid, pir, shaykh or 梁喝廜苑). The first…...
murshid Lit. guide. Spiritual master (see 鳥喝娶蘋餃). It is the word used for Imam in the Pandiyt-i Jawnmard蘋, authored by Imam Mustan廜ξr billh II (d. 1480)....
Musafirids A Muslim dynasty which ruled Daylam, Azerbaijan, Arran and Armenia in the 10th and 11th centuries CE, succeeded in Daylam by the Ismailis....
紼喝莽堯硃尪硃堯硃尨 A local Shi’i Arab dynasty which ruled the town of Hawiza or Huwayza in Khuzistan, Persia, in the 15th century CE....
鳥喝莽喧硃轍蘋莉 Lit. ‘respondent’; a term denoting an initiate to the lowest rank in the Fatimid religious hierarchy....
紼喝莽喧硃尪梭勳莽/紼喝莽喧硃尪梭勳聆聆硃 Adherents of a branch of the Ismailis who supported al-Musta尪l蘋, the younger son of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mustan廜ξr (d. 1094) as his successor....
紼喝尪喧硃堝勳梭硃 A term referring to diverse scholars in early Islam who belonged to a rationally orientated school of thought that emphasized precepts such as Divine Unity…...
紼喝尪喧硃堝勳梭硃/Mutaziliyya A term referring to diverse scholars in early Islam who belonged to a rationally orientated school of thought that emphasized precepts such as Divine Unity…...
nafs Used in the Quran more than 300 times, where its primary meaning is the human self or person. In post-Qur’anic religious literature it came to…...
nafs-i kull A term used in medieval Ismaili and other cosmological doctrines for the Universal Soul. See 尪硃梁梭-i kull....
Nahj al-Balgha Lit. the way of eloquence. A well-known collection of letters, sermons and sayings attributed to Imam 尪Al蘋 b. Ab蘋 廜珀lib (d. 661 CE), compiled in…...
najwa A 紮喝娶a紳ic term referring to a voluntary contribution to the Prophet Muhammad. Among Ismailis, it was a due offered by converts to Ismailism to the…...
naq蘋b (pl. nuqab尨) Lit. chief, leader. In the Fatimid Ismaili 餃硃尪滄硃, the person in charge of each jazra. Also called 廎只jja, 梭櫻廎可梁 or yad....
紳硃廜廜 Lit. text. In 釦堯勳i莽鳥 , it refers to Muhammads declaration of Ali as his successor, and by extension, to the requirement that each imam should…...
nisba Arabic word for ‘adjective,’ which can also mean link, relationship, ancestry, lineage or origin....
Nizam al-Mulk (d. 1092 CE) Persian vizier (r. 1064-1092 CE) of the Seljuk Empire who served under sultans Alp Arsalan and Malik Shah I. After the assassination of Alp Arsalan…...
Nizaris Adherents of a branch of the Ismailis who gave allegiance to Nizar, the eldest son of the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mustansir (d. 1094) as his successor....
Nizariyya Adherents of a branch of the Ismailis who gave allegiance to Nizar, the eldest son of the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mustan廜ξr (d. 1094) as his successor....
捧勳尪鳥硃喧喝l梭櫻堯勳聆聆硃 A Sufi order named after its founder Shh Ni尪matullh Wal蘋 (d. 1431 CE), which gained popularity in Iran and India....
nubuwwa (Arabic, derived from the root n-b-尨 meaning to utter or to inform), also in the fifth form as tanabba尨a, to claim for oneself the gift…...
紳贖娶/紳棗棗娶 Lit. light, a term used for God, defined as light in the 紮喝娶a紳 in the so-called ‘verse of light’ (yat al-n贖r) Q. 24:35: God is…...
occultation/ghayba (Arabic; means absence); this term is associated with the Ithnaashari Shii Muslim tradition in reference to the hidden state of their twelfth Imam, Mu廎仟mmad al-Mahd蘋.…...
Ottomans/Osmanlis The name of a Turkish dynasty (from late 13th century until 1924 CE). At the height of its power in the 16th century, the empire…...
pir Lit. elder. (like the Arabic shaykh). Spiritual director (=murshid), who may be the founder of a Sufi 廜苔r蘋qa. The earliest Qasim Shahi Imams were referred…...
qadar Derived from Q. 33:38, etc and often translated as ‘destiny,’ ‘fate,’ or predestination. See 梁硃廎尨....
Qadarites/Qadariyya Followers of a theological school in early Islam who advocated the doctrine of free will; also the name of a Sufi order founded by 尪Abd…...
梁硃廎尨 Divine decree. In the Qur’an, it does not appear as a noun, but as a verb meaning ‘to decree, determine.’ Together with qadar this concept…...
qalam Reed-pen. The first verse of Q. 68 says: ‘By the pen and what they write’ and Q. 96:4 states that God taught man ‘by the…...
Qarmatis/Qarmatiyya A number of revolutionary movements in early Islam which, while adhering with the Ismailis to the Imamate of Ism尪蘋l b. Ja尪far, were generally opposed to…...
qasida A polythematic poem originating in pre-Islamic Arabia. It has come to refer to any poem of a certain length in Arabic, Persian and Turkish literatures,…...
Qasim Shahis Adherents of one of the main branches of Nizari Ismailis who followed Qsim Shh as the successor to the Imam Shams al-D蘋n Mu廎仟mmad (d. 1310…...
梁櫻尨勳鳥 Lit. riser or resurrector. Used in early Shii thought for a member of the family of the Prophet Muhammad who was expected to restore justice…...
qibla The direction of Muslim prayer towards the 鬼硃尪莉硃, indicated in a mosque by a niche called a mi廎叵b....
qila尪 al-餃硃尪滄硃 The collective name for several Nizari fortresses in Syrias Jabal Bahr尨 after their capture around 535/11401, including al-Khwabi, Rusafa, Maniqa and Qulay尪a....
Qizilbash Lit. ‘Red-heads,’ name of Turkish tribesmen and followers of the Safawiyya Sufi order who founded the the Safawid dynasty in Persia in 1501 CE....
Qum A historic city in Iran to the south of Tehran. It is considered by many Shii Muslims as Irans second holiest city after Mashhad. Qum…...
紮喝娶a紳 (also Koran. Arabic term meaning, recitation or scripture): Muslims believe that the Holy 紮喝娶a紳 contains divine revelations to the Prophet Muhammed received in Mecca and…...
梁喝廜苑 Lit. ‘pole’ or ‘pivot’. In mystical literature, such as the writings of al-Tirmidh蘋, 尪Abd al-Razzq and Ibn 尪Arab蘋 (d. 1240), it refers to the most…...
娶硃莽贖梭 Lit. ‘messenger.’ A term used in the Qur’an for the apostles of God, including the Prophet Muhammad who is called Ras贖l Allh, the Messenger of…...
娶勳莉櫻廜 (pl. rubu廜) An Arabic word derived from the root r-b-廜 meaning to attach or to link; and for in certain Sufi traditions it means strengthening…...
娶贖廎汁n蘋/娶贖廎汁n勳聆聆硃 As an adjective (r贖廎汁n蘋), it means spiritual. As a noun (r贖廎汁niyya, pl. r贖廎汁niyyt or r贖廎汁niyy贖n), it means spiritual beings. In texts such as the Epistles…...
娶喝域贖尪 A posture in the Muslim ritual prayer, involving an inclination of the head with the hands resting upon the knees....
R贖m蘋, Jall al-D蘋n One of the greatest mystical poets of all time, known by the sobriquet Mawln (1207-1273 CE). He was born in Balkh, Afghanistan, and died in…...
sabab (pl. as莉櫻莉) Lit. ‘rope.’ It can also denote anything that binds or connects, ‘anything by means of which one gains an end or an object sought.’...
釦硃莉尪勳聆聆硃 A term used in modern scholarship to designate proto-Ismaili groups, especially the so-called Qarmatis, who restricted the number of imams to seven (ending with Mu廎仟mmad…...
Safavids A major Shi’i dynasty which ruled Persia (1501-1732 CE), and was succeeded by the Afsharids. (See also Qizilbash, Safawiyya.)...
Safaviyya A Sufi order founded by Shaykh Sayf al-Dn in 1252-53 CE, which later became the Safawid dynasty. (See Safawid, Qizilbash.)...
莽硃梭櫻鳥 A term derived from the same root as that in ‘Islam,’ which conveys several meanings such as peace, safety and salvation. It is a standard…...
Salamiyya A city in central Syria, which was the residence of several early Ismaili imams in the pre-Fatimid period....
廜ζlt (pl. 廜ζlawt) A Qur’anic term referring to prayer in general, which later came to be used more specifically for the daily ritual prayer....
Sanhaja A confederation of Berber tribes in North Africa who supported the Fatimids in the tenth century....
Sasanians/Sasanids A Persian dynasty (224651 CE) which ruled over territories that included, at various times, present-day Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Afghanistan, eastern parts of Turkey and parts…...
Sayyid (pl. sda/asyd) Arabic term for lord or master. It is a pre-Islamic term and refers to a person who possesses dignity or enjoys an exalted…...
釦堯櫻款勳尪蘋 Followers of one of the legal schools of Islam founded by Ab贖 尪Abd Allh Mu廎仟mmad al-釦堯櫻款勳尪蘋 (d. 974 CE)....
莽堯櫻堯硃紳莽堯櫻堯 Lit. ‘king of kings,’ one of the royal titles in Persia and Mughal India. Also the name of a fortress near Nih, a town in…...
Shamiran A castle in Tarum in Persia ruled by the Musafirids during the 10th and 11th centuries CE....
莽堯硃娶蘋款 (pl. ashrf, shuraf尨) Arabic term meaning noble or honourable. Shar蘋f is a pre-Islamic title that was used to denote a free man who would maintain…...
莽堯硃娶蘋尪硃 Lit. ‘the path to be followed’; the standard term used for Muslim law; the totality of the Islamic way of life....
shaykh/sheikh Arabic term for old man, elder or tribal chief; also used as an honorific title for any religious dignitary; in particular a Sufi master or…...
釦堯勳a/釦堯勳’勳喧梗 Adherents of 釦堯勳i莽鳥, the second largest denomination of Islam, after Sunnism; those who, in addition to following the sunna of Prophet Muhammad, believe in the…...
silsila Lit. chain. A line of spiritual descent linking masters of a Sufi group, going back to the founder of the order and eventually to Prophet…...
Sind/Sindh A province in presentday Pakistan. In mediaeval times, part of the Indus Valley where, in 958, a Fatimid Ismaili principality was established with its seat…...
Sira From Arabic, lit. way of life, way of acting, conduct; as a literary genre, sira means a biography and times of an individual. In the…...
sitr Lit. veil or curtain. The ceremonial curtain behind which the Fatimid imam-caliphs were seated at the opening of an audience and which was then unveiled....
sitr/satr (Arabic; derived from the root s-t-r, meaning to veil, conceal or hide). In Shii, particularly Ismaili history, the word is used in the phrase dawr…...
sufism From ‘sufi,’; an exponent of sufism (in Arabic 喧硃廜ζ滄滄喝款); the most common term used for the mystical approach to Islam....
sultanate (sal廜苔na, pl. sal廜苔nt) An Arabic word derived from the root s-l-廜; it is a political office created by the Seljuk dynasty (10381194 CE), somewhat parallel…...
Sumras An Ismaili dynasty in Sind based in the city of Thatta that ruled from 1051 for about three centuries....
sunna Custom or practice; particularly that associated with the exemplary life of the Prophet Muhammad, comprising his deeds and utterances as recorded in the 廎仟餃蘋喧堯....
Sunnis Adherents of the majority branch of Islam, Sunnism; from the term sunn蘋 which means a follower of the sunna of the Prophet Muhammad....
Sura (Ar. s贖ra) A chapter of the 紮喝娶a紳, (pl. suwar). Etymologically it is difficult to trace the term s贖ra, but is probably derived from the Arabic root s-w-r,…...
tadhkira A memoir; a genre of Arabic and Persian literature pertaining to the lives of poets, saints and learned people....
Tahirids A Muslim dynasty which ruled Yemen (145401501517); the same name is also applied to unrelated minor dynasties of rulers in Spain, Khurasan and Iraq....
喧硃域莉蘋娶 Praise or glorification of God (as in Q. 74:3, etc.). The declaration of the formula Allhu Akbar (God is Most Great)....
喧硃紳堝蘋梭 Lit. ‘sending down.’ A Qur’anic term (Q. 3:22, etc.). It refers to the revelation of ‘the Book’ as transmitted by the Prophets....
taqiyya Precautionary dissimulation of one’s religious beliefs, especially in time of persecution or danger, a practice especially adopted by the Shi’i Muslims....
廜苔娶蘋梁硃/廜苔娶蘋梁硃喧/廜苔娶勳梁硃堯 Way or path; the path followed by mystical schools of interpretation in Islam....
Tarum A region of Persia along the middle course of the river Safidrud before its confluence with the river Shahrud....
tashahhud Lit. ‘testimony.’ The recitation of the shahda, a formal declaration of the Muslim faith, normally recited during the ritual prayers....
喧硃莽堯莉蘋堯 Lit. ‘comparison,’ hence, anthropomorphism. A term used by classical theologians to accuse those who described God by analogy with man’s physical existence, and who understood…...
喧硃尨滄蘋梭 The elucidation of the inner or esoteric meaning, 莉櫻廜虹紳 , from the literal wording or apparent meaning of a text, ritual or religious prescription....
喧硃尨滄蘋梭-i 莉櫻廜虹紳 The esoteric interpretation of a religious text, ritual or prescription. See 莉櫻廜虹紳蘋 喧硃尨滄蘋梭....
喧硃尪廜俸勁 Lit. ‘stripping’ or ‘denudation.’ A term used mainly by Ash尪ari theologians from the 9th century onwards in criticism, especially, of the Mu’tazila and also the…...
The Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Boards (ITREBs) More precisely the Shia Imami Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Boards. A contemporary term for local and international boards within the Ismaili community, ultimately accountable…...
Timurids A Muslim dynasty founded by Timur Lang (Tamerlane) which ruled Persia and Transoxiana (13701507 CE)....
Transoxania The region between the Oxus and the Jaxartes Rivers situated in the present-day Republic of Uzbekistan....
ummah Community; people who are followers of a particular religion or prophet. It refers in particular to the Muslims as a religious community....
滄硃梭櫻聆硃 Friendship or assistance. In Sufism the term is used for qualities that can be translated roughly as sainthood; in Islam, it is used specifically for…...
滄硃梭蘋 Saint, friend of God, or patron. In a political context the terms can also mean administrator or ruler (pl. awliy尨)....
滄勳梭櫻聆硃 Authority. In Shii Islam, this refers to the authority that the Imam has over his believers....
滄喝轍贖餃 A metaphysical term meaning ‘existence’, employed by philosophically-inclined thinkers such as al-Frb蘋 (d. ca. 950), Ibn Rushd (d. 1198), al-Suhraward蘋 and Mull 廜糎dr (d. 1050/1640).…...
廕h勳娶 The outward, apparent or exoteric meaning of a sacred text, ritual or religious prescriptions, from which the 莉櫻廜虹紳 is educed....
Zanata A confederation of Berber tribes in North Africa who were, in general, opposed to the Fatimids....
Zands A local Iranian dynasty (17511794 CE), founded by Kar蘋m Khn Zand who ruled over Isfahan in 1751 CE, and briefly had Shiraz (in present-day Iran)…...
Zanj African slaves who carried out a series of revolts against the Abbasids in Iraq in the second half of the 9th century CE....
堝櫻滄勳聆硃/堝櫻滄勳聆硃堯 (pl. zawy) from Arabic, lit. a corner. It is a Sufi place of worship which might also coincide with a mausoleum of a saint or…...
Zaydis/Zaydiyya Third major branch of Shi’i Islam, after the Ithna’ashari and the Ismailis. The Zaydis are named after Zayd, a grandson of Imam usayn b. 尪Al蘋…...
廕牷堯贖娶 Manifestation. In Shii Islam, the term can refer to the manifestation of the Imam after a period of concealment....
