Islam Vocabulary

The Arabic word for God

• Elohim

• Allah

• Father

• Yahweh

A term meaning "migration"; recalls the establishment of Islam in 622 CE, when Muhammad and his followers escaped from his enemies and left Mecca for Medina; marks the start of the Islamic calendar

• Hijrah

• Shahada

• Salah

• Hajj

In Muslim belief, this is God's final revelation, superseding the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. The word means "recite" or "recitation," and it is the holiest book for adherents of Islam.

• Sunnah

• Hadith

• Qur'an

• Caliph

A leader for prayer at a mosque who is chosen for his knowledge of Islam and his personal holiness

• Caliph

• Hafiz

• Sunni

• Imam

The revealed and canonical law of Islam based on the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Hadith that prescribes religious and temporal duties

• shari'ah

• caliphate

• Hajj

• Salah

Building for personal and communal Islamic prayer and worship

• Wudu

• Mosque

• Sawm

• Shahadah

Chapters or sections in the Qur'an; each is a separate revelation received by Muhammad

• Surahs
• Books
• Chapters
• Verses

A Muslim who has memorized the Qur'an

• Imam
• Sheikh
• Mullah
• Hafiz

A word meaning "tradition"; the sayings and stories of Muhammad that are meant to form guidance for living out Islam

• Qur'an

• Fiqh
• Sunnah
• Hadith

The body of traditional customs and practices of Muhammad that are models for observant Muslims and shared through oral tradition

• Fiqh
• Sunnah
• Sharia
• Hadith