Glossary

The Arabic word for God. Used by Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews to refer to the one Creator.

Does not automatically mean: A separate or different god from the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Submission and peace through devotion to the one God. A faith rooted in the teachings of the Qur'an and the example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

A person who follows Islam. Muslims are found across every continent and speak many languages.

Does not automatically mean: A person of a specific ethnicity or nationality.

Faith or belief.

Excellence in worship and character; to worship as though one sees God.

The oneness of God — the central belief of Islam.

The scripture of Islam, believed by Muslims to be the word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

A verse of the Qur'an. Literally means 'a sign'.

A chapter of the Qur'an. There are 114 in total.

A recorded saying, action or approval of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The example and practice of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The biography of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Scholarly interpretation of the Qur'an.

The five daily prayers performed by Muslims.

The ritual washing before prayer.

The obligatory annual charity, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Voluntary charity, given at any time in any amount.

A gift a groom gives to his bride that belongs to her alone.

A practice of modesty in dress and behaviour observed by many Muslim women.

Does not automatically mean: A single required style of head covering across all cultures.

The moral and legal framework derived from Islamic sources. Scholars have interpreted and applied it in many different ways across history and geography.

Does not automatically mean: One uniform legal code enforced identically everywhere.

Struggle or striving — primarily the inner struggle against wrongdoing, and secondarily just defence within strict ethical limits.

Does not automatically mean: Unrestricted or aggressive war.

The global community of Muslims.

A leader of prayer or a religious teacher.

A school of Islamic legal thought (for example Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali).

A non-binding scholarly legal opinion on a specific question.

The remembrance of God through phrases repeated with intention.

A personal prayer or supplication to God.

Permitted in Islamic teaching.

Prohibited in Islamic teaching.