GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS

T E R M T R A N S ­ E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N IN L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

al-kitdb The Book T h i s con t a in s t h e tota l c o n t e n t of Al lah ' s reve la t ion to M u h a m m a d (s).

•I Ji>UI al-tanzil The authoritative revelation al-hakim T h i s compr i se s all r evea led topics w h i c h the Book

con ta ins f rom the first to its last p a g e ; it is verbatim r evea led in fo rm a n d c o n t e n t — i t is n o t j u s t divinely insp i red k n o w l e d g e (see s imilar ly al-kitdb).

kitab al-nubuwa The book of prophethood ( con ta ined in the Book a n d , h e n c e , in t h e tanzil al-hakim) T h i s a p p r o v e s a n d conf i rms the ' b o o k of m e s s e n g e r h o o d ' .

al-nubuwa The prophethood T h i s con t a in s all the subjects t h a t fall in to the ca t egory of h is tor ical a n d cosmologica l k n o w l e d g e .

kitdb al-risala The book of messengerhood ( con ta ined in the Book a n d , h e n c e , in t h e tanzil al-hakim) I t is a p p r o v e d a n d c o n f i r m e d by t h e ' b o o k of p r o p h e t h o o d ' .

al-risala The messengerhood T h e total i ty of ins t ruc t ions w h i c h h u m a n be ings a re ob l iged to follow a n d w h i c h fall in to the ca tegor ies of rel igious w o r s h i p , social e t ique t t e , mora l s , a n d legal rules .

al-kitdb al-muhkam

The book that contains definite verses T h e s e a r e rules of h u m a n b e h a v i o u r ; it s epa ra t e s th ings t h a t a r e a l lowed f rom th ings t h a t a re abso lu te t a b o o s .

umm al-kitdb Mother of the book T h i s is o n e p a r t of the Book; it con t a in s the definite verses w h i c h p resc r ibe the dut ies a n d pr inc ip les of h u m a n b e h a v i o u r in t e rms of w h a t is abso lu te ly p e r m i t t e d o r abso lu te ly t a b o o a n d w h a t is con t in ­gent ly a l lowed a n d con t ingen t ly p r o h i b i t e d , i.e., e th ica l a n d legal ru les ; it be longs to M u h a m m a d ' s (s) m e s s e n g e r h o o d ; (it falls in to t h e s a m e ca tegory as al-kitab al-muhkam a n d al-risala).

T E R M I N A R A B I C

T R A N S ­L I T E R A T I O N

E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N

olai al-qur'dn The prophetical revelation T h i s is o n e p a r t of the Book; it be longs to M u h a m m a d ' s (s) p r o p h e t h o o d .

al-kitdb al-mutashabih

The book that contains ambiguous verses T h i s is o n e p a r t of the Book; it con ta ins the a m b i g u ­ous verses a n d deals w i th the real i t ies of t r u t h w h i c h Al lah gave M u h a m m a d ' s (s) p r o p h e t h o o d ; it s epa ra te s t r u t h f rom fa lsehood; it is d iv ided in to two ca tegor ies : sab' al-mathani a n d al-qur'an al-azim.

al-ayat al-mutashdbihdt

Ambiguous verses T h e s e b e l o n g to t h e prophetical revelation (which is c o n t a i n e d in al-qur'an a n d sab' al-mathani).

±Jr\ jlj2l al-qur'an The glorious qur'dn al-majid T h i s is t h e fixed p a r t of al-qur'an; it o r ig ina t ed in the

Tablet Preserved; it con t a in s the g e n e r a l a n d universa l laws of all ex is tence , e.g., of the c r e a t i o n (first explosion) , t h e laws of d e v e l o p m e n t , c h a n g e , a l t e ra t ion , a n d des t ruc t ion , i n c l u d i n g the e s c h a t o -logical t each ings of life after d e a t h , He l l a n d P a r a d i s e , e tc . ; these laws a re un iversa l a n d u n c h a n g e a b l e .

al-imam al-mubin

The clear record T h i s is the c h a n g e a b l e p a r t of al-qur'an; it con t a in s two sides: the Clear Book a n d t h e stories of p r o p h e t s a n d messenge r s such as M o s e s a n d J e s u s .

al-qasas —al-kitab al-mubin

The stories and the clear book T h e s e a r e th ings t h a t c a n c h a n g e wi th in h u m a n h is tory a n d w h i c h a r e to ld in the qur'an as stories; such h is tor ica l na r r a t ives a re s to red in t h e Clear Record, n o t in the Tablet Preserved; the i r r e c o r d i n g takes p l a c e after t he i r h is tor ical o c c u r r e n c e .

al-sab' al-mathdni

The seven oft-recited t h a t i n t r o d u c e c h a p t e r s of the Book T h e s e a re p a r t of the Book, a n d p a r t of t h e p r o p h e t -h o o d ; they a re in q u a n t i t y a n d qua l i ty o n t h e s a m e level as the qur'an a n d as equal ly abs t r ac t in i n f o r m a t i o n b u t n o t expressed in c lear A r a b i c , r a t h e r in t h e fo rm of i n c o m p r e h e n s i b l e u t t e r a n c e s , e.g., in the fo rm of the seven open ings of s o m e suras, (such as alif-ldm-mim, etc.).

Jiji i- l^li l al-lawh The tablet preserved al-mahfuz T h i s con t a in s laws t h a t con t ro l the un ive rse a n d

object ive exis tence; it h a s p r o g r a m m e d t h e Glorious Qur'an f rom wi th in .

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

al-kitdb la T h i s is the book t h a t con t a in s n e i t h e r definite n o r muhkam wa-la a m b i g u o u s verses a n d n e i t h e r legal rules (ahkdm) n o r mutashdbih h is tor ical i n fo rma t ion (anba7).

J C S J I J.,<?«i tafsil al-kitab Explanation of the Book T h i s is o n e p a r t of the Book; it con t a in s those verses t h a t a r e n e i t h e r defini te n o r a m b i g u o u s ; t h e y a r e di rect ly r evea l ed f rom G o d ; they b e l o n g to M u h a m m a d ' s (s) p r o p h e t h o o d ; (the s a m e as al-kitab la muhkam wa-la mutashdbih).

al-dhikr The remembrance T h i s is t h e tex tua l , i.e., l inguist ic a n d acous t ic , f o r m a t of the Book in the A r a b i c l a n g u a g e ; A l l ah h a s o r d e r e d us to v e n e r a t e a n d p r e se rve this r e m e m ­b r a n c e forever .

^ j^s_jLl al-mawdu'i ^IJJ l j wa'l-dhdtl

I£k*H\ al-islam I j^L-Al al-muslimun

Objective and subjective Objective refers to t h e exis tence of t h e laws of exis tence t h a t exist ou ts ide h u m a n consciousness (e.g., t h e exis tence of t h e sun); subjective refers to t h e exis tence of th ings t h a t d o n o t exist i n d e p e n d e n t l y f rom h u m a n consc iousness ; t he i r a c c e p t a n c e d e p e n d s o n h u m a n b e h a v i o u r ; h e n c e , t h e prophetical revelation {al-qur'dn, i.e., t he p r o p h e t h o o d ) is the object ive p a r t of the Book, a n d t h e Mother of the Book (umm al-kitdb, i.e., t he m e s s e n g e r h o o d ) is the subject ive p a r t of the Book.

^ a l - k u r s i The chair T h e to ta l of all k n o w l e d g e of the L o r d of H e a v e n s ; it has n o spat ia l m e a n i n g a n d n o c o n n o t a t i o n of ' seat ' ; t h e ' t h r o n e ' (al-'arsh) is super io r to the Chair insofar as the la t ter ' s c o m m a n d s a n d p roh ib i t i ons a r e on ly app l i cab le to th ings t h a t t h e ' O n e w h o c o m m a n d s a n d p r o h i b i t s ' h a s prev ious ly m a d e k n o w n .

Islam / Muslim-Assenters T h e s e a r e those w h o bel ieve in the exis tence of G o d a n d in the Las t D a y (and the Resu r r ec t i on ) , those w h o d o g o o d d e e d s a n d a d h e r e to the Straight Path; they witness tha t : ' t he re is n o g o d b u t G o d ' . T h i s c a n n o t b e r e a s o n e d n o r scientifically p r o v e n .

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

Interruption of the relationship with God T h i s is t h e oppos i t e of al-isldm, i.e., disbelief in the exis tence of G o d , t h e Las t D a y , R e s u r r e c t i o n , a n d the D a y of J u d g e m e n t ; the m o d e r n t e r m for it is ' a t h e i s m ' .

jj^yMj al-mujrimun God-dissenters, i.e., those who sever their ties with God T h i s is t h e oppos i t e t e r m for al-muslimun.

jjLyail al-musallun God-connected people T h o s e w h o h a v e n o t severed the i r c o n n e c t i o n w i th G o d , like the dissenters o r a theis ts , a n d w h o bel ieve in H i m a n d r e m e m b e r H i m ; they a r e t h e M u s l i m -Assenters w h o , as the Book s tates, fight t h e dissenters o r atheis ts .

Faith I Muslim-Believers T h e s e a r e those w h o bel ieve in the p r o p h e c y a n d m e s s e n g e r h o o d of M u h a m m a d (s): t he re a r e two types of fai th: a) t h e ca t ego ry of al-islam (see above) ; b) the specific faith in fol lowing M u h a m m a d (s); those w h o follow M u h a m m a d a n d h a v e faith in his message a r e the 'Mus l im-Bel ievers w h o h a v e faith in M u h a m m a d (s)' (al-mu'minun); they wi tness tha t : ' M u h a m m a d is the M e s s e n g e r of G o d ' .

Ijjju muqimu al-salawa or Those who perform the ritual prayer of ablution, prostration, S Xd\ al-salat and rak'a-positions

T h e s e a r e by necessi ty G o d - c o n n e c t e d p e o p l e (and h e n c e also al-muslimun) b u t n o t all G o d - c o n n e c t e d p e o p l e n e e d to p e r f o r m the r i tua l p r a y e r b e c a u s e it is p a r t of al-imdn, n o t al-isldm.

The merciful T h i s is a n a t t r i bu te of G o d a n d o n e of His n ine ty -n ine beaut i ful n a m e s ; t o g e t h e r w i th t h e n a m e " A l l a h " it is t h e m o s t d is t inguished; it con t a in s a n o t i o n of G o d t h a t expresses dialect ical ly oppos i t e a t t r ibu tes , such as merciful a n d m i g h t y o r m i l d - t e m p e r e d a n d qu ick in p u n i s h m e n t , etc .

al-ijram

al-iman I ^ , , ^ 1 al-mu'minun

jf~jll al-rahman

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

^jdl al-'adam Nothingness Expres sed in l inguistic t e rms , this refers to a signifiant (signifying) t ha t has n o signifie (signified), o r in ph i losoph ica l t e r m s it refers to k n o w l e d g e t h a t is n o t (yet) k n o w n (malum); in cosmolog ica l t e r m s it refers to t h e exis tence of the w o r l d w h e n it was n o t ye t c r ea t ed , i.e., it was only in G o d ' s k n o w l e d g e b u t no t ye t k n o w n (i.e., n o t visible), it was a signifiant w i t h o u t a signifie; w h e n it b e c a m e k n o w n , c r ea t ion b e c a m e t h e signifie insofar as Al lah ' s w o r d s (kalimat) a r e the source of all ex is tence w h i c h a r e t h e significant; cu r r en t ly ' n o t h i n g n e s s ' refers to all abs t r ac t ( theore t i ca l -ma themat ica l ) re la t ionships in n a t u r e a n d t h e cosmos t h a t a p p e a r to b e a t r a n d o m b u t a r e s tud ied logically by theore t i ca l m a t h e m a t i c i a n s .

i y ~ a l - w u f u d Existence T h e t e r m refers to Al lah ' s w o r d s w h i c h a re the t ru th ; it refers to t h e exis tence of c r ea t ion w h i c h b e c a m e t h e signifie of Al lah ' s w o r d s (kalimdt) w h i c h a re t h e source of all exis tence a n d the significant; such exis tence is subject to t ime a n d p lace in t h a t it is 'Be ing ' (kaynuna) w h i c h is subject t o 'P rogress ing ' (sayrura) a n d ' B e c o m i n g ' (sayrura), w h e r e a s Al lah ' s 'Be ing ' ( and only this) is n o t subject to 'P rogress ing ' a n d ' B e c o m i n g ' , b e c a u s e H e is t h e First a n d t h e Last , t he O u t w a r d a n d the I n w a r d .

Taboo T h i s is a n abso lu te p r o h i b i t i o n issued b y G o d a lone ; t h e r e a r e t h i r t e en t a b o o s in the Book; t hey b e l o n g to al-isldm, n o t al-iman a n d c a n n o t b e e x t e n d e d or r e d u c e d , e.g., b y p a r l i a m e n t o r a muft i .

al-muharramdt Taboos T h e s e a r e abso lu te , un iversa l , e t e rna l , a n d c o m p r e ­hens ive p roh ib i t i ons t h a t a r e to b e enforced in all cu l tures a n d t i m e pe r iods ; t hey a r e idola t ry ; r eca lc i t r ance ; infant ic ide; acts of indecency ; t o r m e n t of t h e soul; m i s a p p r o p r i a t i o n of the possession of o r p h a n s ; c o r r u p t i o n a n d t a m p e r i n g w i th weigh ts a n d m e a s u r e s ; false wi tness (perjury); r e d e m p t i o n by c o m m i t t i n g Al lah ; m a r r i a g e wi th mahdrim re la t ives; c o n s u m p t i o n of d e a d an ima l s , b lood , po rk , a n d eve ry th ing t h a t does no t suit Al lah ; u su ry of a lms ; to speak aga ins t A l l ah or say i l l - informed th ings a b o u t Al lah .

al-haram

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

al-sunna Muhammad's (s) law T h i s con t a in s M u h a m m a d ' s app l i ca t ion of al-risala a n d , h e n c e , the umm al-kitdb d u r i n g the seven th c e n t u r y o n the A r a b i a n Pen insu la ; his i n t e r p r e t a ­t ions a re on ly app l i cab le for the p e r i o d in w h i c h h e l ived, w i th the excep t i on of the r i tuals t h a t fo rm the ( transhistorical) f o u n d a t i o n of the 'pi l lars of fai th ' (arkdn al-imdn).

d-kaldm wa'l-qawl Speech act and meaningful speech A speech ac t consists of p h o n e t i c u t t e r a n c e s by a h u m a n vo ice t h r o u g h t h e m o u t h , in o rde r ly s equence a n d c o m p r e h e n s i b l e fo rm; mean ing fu l speech m e a n s t h a t t h e u t t e r e d w o r d s h a v e a c h i e v e d mean ingfu lness in the m i n d of the l is tener w h o has t hus u n d e r s t o o d t h e m .

illoUS' kalimat Allah Words of God T h e s e a r e t h e source of object ive , m a t e r i a l ex is tence a n d its g e n e r a l laws as well as of exist­ence ' s p a r t i c u l a r events a t t h e t ime of the i r o c c u r r e n c e s ; h u m a n be ings h a v e n o p o w e r to a l ter t h e m or p r e v e n t t h e m from h a p p e n i n g ; t hey cons t i tu te w h a t is t e r m e d 'd iv ine p r e o r d a i n m e n t ' (al-qadaf), wi th in w h o s e l imits , h o w e v e r , h u m a n be ings c a n exercise choice .

al-rububiyya wa'l-uluhiyya

God's sovereignty and God's t G o d ' s sovere ign ty refers to t h e object ive real i ty of exis tence outs ide h u m a n consciousness ; it is a r e l a t ionsh ip of Al lah to all of H i s c r ea t i on , w h i c h is a r e l a t ionsh ip of d o m i n a n c e , p o w e r , a n d p r e p o ­tency; this r e l a t ionsh ip is u n t o u c h a b l e a n d una l t e r ­ab le ; G o d ' s divini ty, h o w e v e r , c a n be a c k n o w l e d g e d by m e n of r e a s o n a n d this entai ls consc ious a n d v o l u n t a r y acts of devo t i on a n d submiss ion ; G o d ' s sovere ign ty a lways p r e c e d e s G o d ' s divini ty, the re fore t h e umm al-kitdb is a b o o k of G o d ' s divini ty, whi l e t h e qur'dn is a b o o k of G o d ' s sovere ign ty as it con t a in s e t e rna l cosmologica l laws.

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

jj2\ al-qadar wa'l-qada' Divine preordainment and human will ^\^2\ D iv ine p r e o r d a i n m e n t refers to the abso lu te

exis tence of th ings a n d events ou ts ide h u m a n consc iousness , whi le h u m a n will refers to t h e consc ious h u m a n m o v e m e n t wi th in t h e l imits of this exis tence as it m o v e s b e t w e e n assent a n d dissent ; k n o w l e d g e (al-ma'rifa) forms t h e b r idge b e t w e e n divine p r e o r d a i n m e n t a n d h u m a n will in the sense t ha t if k n o w l e d g e g rows so does h u m a n will a n d h u m a n f reedom, a n d in the sense t h a t A l l ah m e a n s the m a x i m u m of k n o w l e d g e a n d f r eedom, a n d the m o r e h u m a n s k n o w the closer t hey get to Al lah; accord ing ly , before a n even t occur s in h u m a n h is tory it is p a r t of h u m a n will b u t p a r t of the d iv ine p r e o r d a i n m e n t after it has o c c u r r e d , s ince t h e r e is n o regress poss ible .

Objective revelation, transfer to the human mind, and transformation Al-tanzil refers to the p rocess of a n object ive t r a n s p o r t (of revela t ion) ou ts ide h u m a n consc ious­ness; al-inzdl refers to t h e t r a n s p o r t (of t h e reve la­tion) w h i c h en te r s h u m a n consc iousness a n d knowledge ; alja'l refers to t h e p rocess of c h a n g e in "P rog re s s ing" (sayrura): this cou ld b e a t r a n s f o r m a ­t ion f rom a n o n p e r c e p t i b l e f o r m a t in to a n o t h e r n o n p e r c e p t i b l e fo rma t , o r f rom a n o n p e r c e p t i b l e f o r m a t in to a p e r c e p t i b l e fo rma t (al-ja'l + al-inzdl); the Book i n sepa rab ly c o m b i n e s b o t h al-ja'l a n d al-inzal, w h e r e a s w i th the ahkam (legal rules) t h e r e is on ly a c o m b i n a t i o n of al-tanzil a n d al-inzdl, b u t n o t r a n s f o r m a t i o n .

The abrogating and the abrogated A b r o g a t i o n refers to the r e p l a c e m e n t of a ru le as s ta ted in a p r e c e d i n g message (risdla) by a l ighter ru le in t h e succeed ing message (e.g., t he p u n i s h ­m e n t of adu l t e ry b y s ton ing in M u s a ' s message w i th flogging a n d chas t i s emen t in M u h a m m a d ' s (s) message) ; it takes p l ace on ly wi th r e g a r d to the legal rules (ahkdm) a n d only b e t w e e n messages (a l tera t ions , a n n u l l m e n t , s u p p l e m e n t s a r e possible) , b u t n e v e r w i th in o n e a n d the s a m e message .

JjJCJl al-tanzil wa'l-inzal

j^\y% Wa'l-Ja'1

al-ndsikh . 1 1 wa'l-mansukh

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

The positions of the asterisks Asterisks s e p a r a t e t h e verses of the Book a n d dec ide w h e t h e r a s top is a l lowed o r not ; t h e r e is n o re la t ionsh ip to t h e ga lac t ic stars wha t soeve r .

mawaqi al-nujum

il al-qalam The pen or axis of human knowledge see be low; n o t e t h a t in the Book it does n o t refer to ' r e e d p e n ' , ' penc i l ' , o r ' c r a y o n ' as it h a s often b e e n too l i teral ly t r ans l a t ed ; i n s t ead t h e t e r m qalam refers to t h e cogni t ive p rocess of ' ident i f ica t ion ' .

Identification T h i s refers to t h e process of d i s t inguish ing th ings , w h i c h is the v e r t e b r a l c o l u m n of h u m a n k n o w l e d g e t h a t e x p a n d s cons tan t ly a n d w h i c h circles t h e axis t h a t is ca l led al-qalam.

Classification T h i s refers to t h e process of classifying th ings in h u m a n k n o w l e d g e ; it is the process of h u m a n th ink ing t h a t is b a s e d o n ident i f icat ion; this is w h y ident i f icat ion, t h e basis of h u m a n th ink ing , p r e c e d e s classification.

j al-taqlim

j.W.."U al-tastir

JyCll al-ta'wil wa'l-ijtihad Interpretation and legal deduction ^\-_ ^| Interpretation is poss ible for the book of ambiguous verses

a n d those th ings t ha t a r e c h a n g e a b l e ; i n t e r p r e t a ­t ions a r e ca r r i ed ou t f rom t h e pe rspec t ive of a ra t iona l ly de r i ved theo re t i ca l law or on the basis of insights in to object ive real i ty; it is a n i n t e r ac t i on b e t w e e n t h e text (al-nass) a n d h u m a n p e r c e p t i o n ; i n t e rp r e t a t i ons a r e re la t ive , subject to c h a n g e a n d d e b a t e a m o n g p e o p l e ; legal deduction takes p lace in t h e r e a l m of rules , a d m o n i t i o n s , a n d c o m m a n d ­m e n t s ; these c a r r y the dis t inct ive charac te r i s t ics of t h e h is tor ica l p e r i o d in w h i c h t h e y a re m a d e ; t hey a r e m a d e con t inuous ly ; ou ts ide the r e a l m of rules , a d m o n i t i o n s , a n d c o m m a n d m e n t s n o legal d e d u c t i o n takes p l ace , b e c a u s e these o t h e r th ings a re subject to gene ra l h u m a n interests u p o n w h i c h h u m a n be ings c o m e to a m u t u a l a g r e e m e n t (for w h i c h they d o n o t n e e d legal rules).

al-tartil Well-ordered arrangement T h i s is one of t h e tasks of interpretation: t he a r r a n g e ­m e n t of t hema t i ca l l y c o n n e c t e d verses in a sensible a n d sys temat ic o r d e r ; it is app l i cab le for the u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e qur'an w h e r e t h e r e l evan t passages a r e sca t t e red a r o u n d in different c h a p t e r s .

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al-turdth The Islamic heritage T h i s is n o t c o n g r u e n t w i t h the Book b ecause t h e l a t t e r h a s n o h u m a n agency , w h e r e a s those w h o c o n t r i b u t e d to I s lamic he r i t age , i nc lud ing the salqf forefa thers , a r e all h u m a n s .

al-tasbih 'jadal halak Glorification and 'the dialectics of negation/destructiori \j^_n al-shay' T h i s is a n i n t e rna l dialect ical m o v e m e n t t h a t

con t a in s a ba t t l e b e t w e e n two an tagon i s t i c e l e m e n t s f̂e*-* in e v e r y t h i n g w h i c h c rea t e c o n s t a n t c h a n g e a n d

• ^ i H " d e v e l o p m e n t , as o n e t h i n g m a y b e de s t royed a n d r e a p p e a r in a n o t h e r th ing ; such dialect ics of a c o n s t a n t ba t t l e b e t w e e n an tagonis t i c e l emen t s g u a r a n t e e s p rogress ; whi le we say ' G l o r y b e to G o d ' w e acknowledge t h a t H e is b e y o n d n e g a t i o n a n d c h a n g e whi le eve ryone else in exis tence c h a n g e s a n d , thus , pra ises G o d . I n o t h e r w o r d s : this is the dialect ics of the i n t e r p e n e t r a t i o n of oppos i tes a n d t h e n e g a t i o n of t h e nega t i on .

I J - J J I al-ha'th The resurrection T h i s refers t o the r e su r r ec t i on of m e n after the i r d e a t h a n d the i r en t ry in to a n e w ma te r i a l 'Be ing ' (kaynuna), b u t w i t h o u t c h a n g i n g thei r 'P rogress ing ' (sayrura); r e s u r r e c t i o n is the final s tep a n d the last p rog res s of this un ive rse as it t r a n s c e n d s in to a n o t h e r un iverse ; b u t b e c a u s e in t ha t w o r l d t h e dialect ics of an tagon i s t i c ba t t les does n o t exist, t h e r e is n o d e a t h or b i r t h , b u t r a t h e r e t e rna l immor ta l i t y .

Life after death T h i s refers to ex is tence in t h e N e x t W o r l d after t h e D a y of R e s u r r e c t i o n ; the dialect ics of an tagon i s t i c ba t t les is r e p l a c e d by the l aw of ' e t e rna l i m m o r t a l ­i ty ' ; h o w e v e r , the l a w of ' dua l i ty ' a n d the law of in te r re la t ionsh ips (cause a n d effect) b e t w e e n th ings d o n o t d i s a p p e a r b u t r a t h e r o p e r a t e in a different way ; t h e r e will b e oppos i t iona l pa i r s in He l l a n d Pa rad i s e , b u t the i r essential qua l i ty is different f rom this wor ld .

Truth and falsehood Truth refers to the ma te r i a l , object ive exis tence outs ide h u m a n consciousness ; Al lah is t h e t ru th , a n d exis tence w h i c h is Al lah ' s words (kalimat) is t rue ; falsehood is il lusion a n d decep t ive i m a g i n a t i o n or idealis t ic ph i losophica l th ink ing .

S a l - a k h i r a

j i - l al-haqq wa'l-bdtil

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

al-ghayb wa'l-shahada

The unknown world and the visible world Unknown m e a n s n o t ye t identif ied, it refers to those ma te r i a l th ings a n d h u m a n a n d n a t u r a l events t h a t a r e par t i a l ly o r whol ly invisible o r n o t yet p r e s e n t in h u m a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d k n o w l e d g e ; visible refers to those th ings a n d events t h a t a r e k n o w n or p r e s e n t in h u m a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g , e i the r t h r o u g h physical a w a r e n e s s of the h u m a n senses or t h r o u g h abs t rac t , t heore t i ca l th ink ing .

al-sarri Hearing, seeing, and perceptual understanding wa'l-basar W h e r e a s hearing a n d seeing a re b o u n d to a n o r g a n of wa'l-fu'ad t h e h u m a n b o d y (eye o r ear) a n d fo rm t h e m a t e r i a l

basis of h u m a n th ink ing , perceptual understanding is l inked to t h e b r a i n a n d is the result of t h e p e r c e p t u a l p rocess of h e a r i n g a n d seeing; it impl ies t h a t t h e r e is n o h u m a n t h i n k i n g a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g w i t h o u t p r i o r p e r c e p t i o n s t h r o u g h t h e senses.

r ^ 1 al-bashar Human race, human being, and becoming human wa'l-insan Human race refers to the ma te r i a l , phys io logica l wa'l-ansana for exis tence of t h e h u m a n b o d y as a l iving c r e a t u r e al-unsana) (the Homo erectus); human being refers to m a n k i n d as

social a n d r a t i ona l be ings t h a t fo rm re la t ionships a n d a re ab l e to th ink; becoming human is the p rocess of t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e h u m a n r ace in to r a t i ona l be ings by b r e a t h i n g the spirit of G o d (al-ruh) in to t h e m .

L Jik^il^il ddam al-mustafa Adam, the chosen man H e is the fa ther of m a n k i n d ; h e was not a l o n e in this w o r l d b u t a lways w i th o t h e r peop le ; A l l ah chose h i m a n d t a u g h t h i m h o w to th ink in abs t r ac t t e rms ; A d a m ' s task was t h e n to t e a c h this to o t h e r peop le ; h u m a n beings a re 'his d e s c e n d a n t s ' (not genealogica l ly his ch i ldren) in t h e f igurative sense of fol lowing h i m in t h e p rocess of b e c o m i n g h u m a n .

£jjS\_)j»iJI al-nafs wa'l-ruh

ojlijsM. wa'l-waf&t

wa l-mawt

The soul, the spirit, the death of the spirit, and the death of the soul T h e t e r m soul has t w o m e a n i n g s : first, t he ' b o d y ' a n d s e c o n d the ' soul ' . I n the first sense, it is like a n o r m a l h u m a n o r g a n t h a t can die; in the second sense it e m b o d i e s the h u m a n feelings a n d e m o t i o n s , such as love a n d h a t r e d , h a p p i n e s s a n d p a i n . I n this sense , t h e soul is t h e resul t of t h e spirit (al-ruh) a n d t h r o u g h t h e spirit h u m a n p e r c e p t i o n s of th ings take p l ace . T h e spirit itself is n o t a bodi ly o r g a n ; it is the h u m a n secre t t h a t t r ans fo rms t h e h u m a n r a c e in to h u m a n beings ; as a resul t of possess ing 'spir i t ' , h u m a n be ings possess k n o w l e d g e a n d legislate w h a t is r ight a n d w r o n g , w h i c h is p a r t of the i r respons i ­bil i ty g iven to t h e m by G o d (al-takllf).

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» l a l - i k r a h Force and compulsion \ laJai\ wa'l-idtirar Force refers to the r e d u c t i o n of possible op t ions wi th

J J r e g a r d to t h e cho ice a n d free will of a p e r s o n , a r e d u c t i o n ca r r i ed ou t b y o t h e r p e o p l e ; ' k n o w l e d g e of G o d ' is b e y o n d such a force f rom ou t s ide as this w o u l d m a k e Hi s k n o w l e d g e deficient . Compulsion is t h e r e d u c t i o n of possible op t ions wi th r e g a r d s to the cho ice a n d free will of a p e r s o n b e c a u s e of t h e (objective) c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n d social con t ex t in w h i c h t h e p e r s o n lives, i.e., it is n o t i n d u c e d (subjectively) b y o t h e r p e o p l e .

JjiUUsi qada'Allah Allah's will and Allah's desire i sUi l 1 wa-iradat Allah Allah's will refers to t h e o m n i p o t e n t , u b i q u i t o u s

~><^ d iv ine will t h a t or ig ina tes in the w o r d s of G o d , i.e., all exis tence a n d its object ive laws, w h i c h m e a n s t h a t Al lah ' s will is f i rm, i r r evocab le , a n d p r e o r ­d a i n e d ( encapsu la t ed in km fa-yakun; yaqul; naqut). Allah's desire is of t w o kinds : a) p re sc r ip t ions a n d p rosc r ip t ions , as s ta ted in the ' M o t h e r of t h e Book ' , g iven in t h e fo rm of m o r a l laws a n d ' subjec t ive ' legislat ion; a n d b) c o n d i t i o n e d o r d e r s (to b e i m p l e m e n t e d in n a t u r e , the cosmos , a n d history) as s ta ted in t h e qur'an, w h i c h a re n o t e te rna l ly fixed b u t c i r cums tan t i a l a n d c o n t e x t - b o u n d .

iLjLiljjiVl al-idhn God's authority and God's intent wa'-mashi'a God's authority will inev i tab ly b e m a n i f e s t e d — i n the

fo rm of t h e object ive , m a t e r i a l laws of exis tence; t h e r e is n o w a y to in terfere or c h a n g e t h e w a y these laws a re i m p l e m e n t e d . H o w e v e r , God's intent is c h a n g e a b l e a n d c a p a b l e of b e c o m i n g e i the r posi t ive or nega t ive ; it is a c i r cums tan t i a l in t en t a n d l inked wi th h u m a n b e h a v i o u r a n d his tor ical con tex t .

f~i\ al-ajr Reward A r e w a r d is g iven b y the L o r d to a h u m a n b e i n g as a resul t of his acts; it is the u l t i m a t e o u t c o m e of h u m a n acquis i t ion (kasab).

al-khulq Creation (design) T h i s refers to the p l a n n i n g of a n ac t before its execu t ion ; in m o d e r n usage it w o u l d b e cal led 'des ign ' ; Al lah c rea tes a n d h u m a n be ings c r ea t e , b u t A l l ah is the supe r io r c rea to r . C r e a t i o n does n o t m e a n c r e a t i n g s o m e t h i n g ex nihilio as s o m e bel ieve .

sawa I taswiyya Implementation T h i s refers to the c o m p l e t e execu t ion of the design w i t h o u t a n y omiss ion or fault; this , na tu ra l ly , h a p p e n s after t h e stage of p l a n n i n g .

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T R A N S ­L I T E R A T I O N

E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N

'i*>\LJ^\ al-istiqama Straightness T h i s is a n a t t r i bu t e of al-isldm a n d the oppos i t e t e r m to ' C u r v a t u r e ' w i th w h i c h it s t ands in a dia lect ical r e l a t ionsh ip ; it con ta ins the fixed e l e m e n t s ( ' the S t r a igh t Pa th ' ) a r o u n d or w i th in w h i c h t h e m o r e flexible e l ements m o v e ; these a re on ly to b e found in the ' M o t h e r of the Book ' .

2JuJ-l al-hanlfiyya Curvature T h i s is a n a t t r i bu t e of al-isldm a n d the oppos i t e t e r m to 'S t r a igh tnes s ' w i th w h i c h it s t ands in a dia lect ical r e l a t ionsh ip ; it is the m o r e d y n a m i c p a r t t h a t con t a in s c h a n g e s a n d a l t e ra t ions (of legislat ion a n d h u m a n b e h a v i o u r in genera l ) wi th in the l imits of t h e fixed p a r t s of 'S t r a igh tness ' .

_ hudud Allah God's limits

T h e s e refer to t h e 'S t r a igh tnes s ' in al-isldm; t hey a r e t h e o u t w a r d b o u n d a r i e s of h u m a n b e h a v i o u r w h i c h Al lah has set d o w n in the Book a n d w h i c h h u m a n s a re no t a l lowed to s tep over b u t a r e p e r m i t t e d to m o v e b e t w e e n .

Jii\ J J - I al-hadd al-adna Lower limit T h i s defines t h e lowest d e n o m i n a t o r of a c c e p t a b l e (legitimate) h u m a n b e h a v i o u r (or of legal p u n i s h ­m e n t ) t h a t n o o n e is a l lowed to s tep u n d e r .

^fH\ j i - l al-hadd al-a'la Upper limit T h i s defines t h e m o s t e x t r e m e poss ible a m o u n t of legal i ty in h u m a n b e h a v i o u r (or of legal p u n i s h ­men t ) tha t n o o n e is a l lowed to s tep over .

al-zakah wa'l-sadaqat wa'l-ribd

Duty of alms tax, general charity; and usury Duty of alms is a n act of cha r i ty t ha t con ta ins n o ob l iga t ion for a r e t u r n of the a m o u n t given ( m o n e y or o therwise) ; it forms t h e lower l imit of g e n e r a l cha r i t y a n d be longs to the pil lars of al-lmdn. General charity is a m u c h b r o a d e r t e rm. D u t y of a lms is p e r f o r m e d b y a n d for followers of M u h a m m a d ' s (s) m e s s e n g e r h o o d , whi le gene ra l cha r i ty c a n b e given b y a n d to a n y p e r s o n of w h a t e v e r bel ief or rel igious c o m m u n i t y . Usury is the a b u s e or misuse of t h e cha r i ty sys tem, h o w e v e r smal l the a m o u n t is. I t is also to w r o n g l y give interest-free loans to p e o p l e w h o d o n o t n e e d t h e m (bus inessmen, f a rmers , t r a d e r s , etc.). Final ly, it is also to falsely r e d u c e or increase the a m o u n t of d e b t a p e r s o n has a c c u m u l a t e d .

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j j U - U I al-sha'a'ir Rituals T h e s e define the c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n h u m a n be ings a n d G o d ; t h e y a re firmly fixed a n d u n c h a n g e a b l e b u t differ f rom o n e rel igious c o m m u n i t y to the nex t ; p r a y e r is the mos t c o m m o n fo rm of a r i tua l as it is the m o s t d i rec t f o rm of c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n a w o r s h i p p e r a n d the L o r d . T y p i c a l of r i tuals is t h a t they a re n o t subject to object ive , r a t i ona l r e sea r ch ref lect ing the l imits of legislat ion a n d c o m m a n d m e n t s , b e c a u s e t h e y a r e fixed a n d b e c a u s e t h e y express loyalty to a specific messenger . T h i s is also t h e case wi th t h e r i tuals of al-iman (e.g., p r a y e r , fasting, p i l g r image , a n d alms) t ha t a r e p e r f o r m e d whi le a d h e r i n g to M u h a m m a d ' s (s) m e s s e n g e r h o o d ; they a r e w r o n g l y cal led pil lars of al-isldm s ince they a r e only pillars of al-iman.

Poor people and handicapped people Poor people a r e those wi th little o r n o i n c o m e ; they a re n o t necessar i ly h a n d i c a p p e d peop le ; w h a t cons t i tu tes p o v e r t y differs f rom o n e his tor ical p e r i o d to t h e o t h e r a n d f rom o n e c o u n t r y to t h e next ; handicapped people a r e those w h o a r e men ta l l y a n d physical ly d i sab led . T h i s t e r m is often used in the Book b u t n o t m e n t i o n e d in I s lamic fiqh w h i c h reflects a der i sory a t t i t ude t o w a r d s h a n d i c a p p e d p e o p l e as they w e r e t h o u g h t of as n o t fully h u m a n .

Moral guidance or the ten commandments (ethics) T h e t e r m al-furqan refers to t h e c o m m o n m o r a l g r o u n d of t h e t h r e e mono the i s t i c rel igions: it inc ludes the s t ra ight p a t h of M o s e s , the wise g u i d a n c e of J e s u s , a n d t h e s t ra ight p a t h of M u h a m m a d ; J e w i s h , C h r i s t i a n a n d Imanic (based o n M u h a m m a d ' s m e s s e n g e r h o o d ) p r inc ip les of m o r a l b e h a v i o u r a r e the c o m m o n d e n o m i n a t o r t h a t is cal led al-furqan. T h e r e a re two types of al-furqdn: a) gene ra l g u i d a n c e a n d b) specific g u i d a n c e ; general guidance refers to t h e ten c o m m a n d m e n t s w h i c h a re t h e lower l imit of m o r a l g u i d a n c e given to all h u m a n be ings ; this forms the c o m m o n m o r a l g r o u n d of all h u m a n c o m m u n i t i e s t h r o u g h w h i c h o n e m a y ach ieve h igh s t a n d a r d s of mora l i ty ; specific guidance refers to the set of c o m m a n d m e n t s given by M u h a m m a d (s) t ha t a re app l i cab le no t on ly to those w h o w a n t to real ise social ethics as they a re specified b y its l ower level (i.e., g e n e r a l gu idance ) b u t w h o also w a n t to increase the i r c o m m i t m e n t a n d b e c o m e leaders of the d e v o u t a n d p ious . T h e s e c o m m a n d m e n t s a re n o t g iven in clear , explici t c o m m a n d s since they a re s ta ted in the ' gene ra l g u i d a n c e ' , b u t only in the fo rm of (indirect) not i f icat ions.

• IjliSI al-fuqard' wa'l-masdkin

j \ j \sjb \ al-furqdn aw

al-'ashr (al-akhldq)

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u$j2M al-taqwa Piety T h i s refers to t h e ac t of d o i n g w h a t is p e r m i t t e d a n d a b s t a i n i n g f rom w h a t is p r o h i b i t e d , as s ta ted in t h e umm al-kitdb; it refers to h u m a n b e h a v i o u r a n d n o t to h u m a n k n o w l e d g e a b o u t object ive exis tence; t h e r e a re 1) ind iv idua l p ie ty (rituals), 2) social p ie ty (ethics, al-isldm), a n d 3) pub l i c (legal) p ie ty (legislat­ing wi th in the l imits of Allah); in te r fe rence in m a t t e r s of ind iv idua l p ie ty shou ld b e p r o h i b i t e d .

Customs and ethics Customs a r e c h a n g e a b l e a n d va r i ab le as they differ f rom one social a n d cu l tu ra l mi l ieu to the nex t ; ethics a r e t h e c o m m o n g r o u n d of h u m a n in t e r ac t i on a n d i n t e r m u n d a n e c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d h a v e there fore a m o r e c o m p r e h e n s i v e , un iversa l c h a r a c ­ter . H e n c e , t h e y a r e d i r e c d y a n d precisely r evea led b y G o d , whi le cus toms a r e , b e c a u s e of the i r c h a n g e a b l e n a t u r e , only loosely m e n t i o n e d .

The prescription of what is right and the proscription of what is wrong T h i s refers to t h e d u t y of h u m a n be ings to (politely a n d in a civilized m a n n e r ) u r g e p e o p l e to d o w h a t is genera l ly a c c e p t e d as r igh t a n d to (equally politely) u r g e t h e m to ref ra in f rom w h a t is genera l ly r e g a r d e d as w r o n g in a given society. T h e s e th ings c a n n o t b e i m p l e m e n t e d by force a n d coerc ion .

The delights of this world T h e s e inc lude th ings t h a t h u m a n be ings c a n legi t imate ly use as en joyable p r o d u c t s of society 's h u m a n e c o n o m y ; t h e y c a n n o t b e fixed o n c e a n d for all b ecause they a re subject to c h a n g e s (in h u m a n e c o n o m y a n d in w h a t h u m a n s wish to enjoy). T h e qur'an has def ined six f u n d a m e n t a l h u m a n wishes a n d cal led t h e m the 'de l ights of this wor ld ' .

* L « J I al-nisa' Women o r those who come later T h e t e r m al-nisd' car r ies t w o m e a n i n g s : a) the p a r t n e r s of m e n , i.e., w o m e n (in this case it is t h e p lu ra l of imra'a); a n d b) those w h o o r t h a t w h i c h c o m e la te r (in this case it is the p lu ra l of nasi'). I n t h e la t te r m e a n i n g it m a y refer to w h a t is m o s t r e c e n t of t h e del ights of this w o r l d (i.e., t he la test fashion); a des i re for this is only n a t u r a l for all h u m a n be ings .

al- a'raf wa'l-akhldq

C>;j*ll>. y i\ al-amr bi ma'ruf wc 'an al-munkar

J P ^ J I J ma'ruf wa'l-nahy

Sli-l^tL. matS al-hayah ^jjl al-dunya

TERM T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N ARABIC

Disobedience and corruption Disobedience refers to t h e ac t of re jec t ing the o r d e r s a n d in junc t ions o f the L o r d of the H e a v e n s ; corruption, h o w e v e r , is a s t ruc tu ra l p h e n o m e n o n , e.g., w h e n b e c a u s e of b u r e a u c r a c y a n d b r i b e r y a s ta te c a n n o t func t ion p rope r ly .

birr al-walidain Respect of parents T h i s was t h e first e thical c o n c e p t in t h e his tory of m a n k i n d w h i c h s e p a r a t e d h u m a n s f rom a n i m a l s ; it first a p p e a r e d at t h e t i m e of N o a h a n d signal led a c h a n g e f rom m a t r i a r c h y to p a t r i a r c h y , in t h e sense t h a t t h e son n o w re spec t ed b o t h his p a r e n t s , n o t on ly his m o t h e r , a n d it p r o v i d e d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t f rom t h e small n u c l e a r family to t h e e x t e n d e d family a n d to t h e t r ibe ; it also m a r k e d a t r ans i t ion f rom the counc i l of the e lders to t h e social classes, t h e pol ice , a n d t h e n la te r o n to t h e s ta te .

al-umma Community T h i s is a g r o u p of p e o p l e w h o sha re a c o m m o n b e h a v i o u r ; o r a g r o u p of an ima l s w h o s e b e h a v i o u r follows t h e s a m e inst incts ; in social t e r m s , it is p e r h a p s be t t e r expressed wi th the m o d e r n t e r m ' c u l t u r e ' (al-thaqqfa) a n d m i g h t e x t e n d to p e o p l e w h o l ived in t h e pas t , i nc lud ing anc ien t , m e d i e v a l , a n d m o d e r n his tor ical e p o c h s ; Mus l im-Bel ievers f o rm t h e c o m m u n i t y of M u h a m m a d , a n d they r e spec t o t h e r c o m m u n i t i e s .

People T h i s is def ined by t h e use of a c o m m o n l a n g u a g e , e.g., t he A r a b s are t h e p e o p l e of M u h a m m a d (s); t hey tracie a n d c o o p e r a t e w i t h o t h e r peop l e s . I n the Book t h e t e r m al-qawm is a c o n c e p t t ha t is m o r e a d v a n c e d t h a n the c o n c e p t of ' c o m m u n i t y ' a n d was , chronologica l ly , r evea led la ter .

>_JU1SI al-sha'b Nation T h i s is a m o r e c o m p l e x t e r m as it refers to a self-defined cu l tu ra l a n d social b o d y t h a t c o m b i n e s several l a n g u a g e s (lisan) a n d several e thnic i t ies (qawm) w i th a m u l t i t u d e of ideologica l c o m m u n i t i e s (umma), b u t is g o v e r n e d by a single pol i t ical sys tem a n d c o n t a i n e d in a unif ied te r r i to ry (the n a t i o n a l h o m e l a n d ) t h a t b o t h a r e con t ro l l ed a n d r egu l a t ed wi th in t h e r e a l m of a na t ion - s t a t e (watari); t oday , t h e r e is o n e c o m m u n i t y of be l ievers of A r a b e thn ic i ty w i th in t w e n t y - o n e A r a b na t ion - s t a t e s , consis t ing of m a n y na t iona l i t ies a n d c o m m u n i t i e s . T h e re la t ionsh ip b e t w e e n peop les is b a s e d o n to l e r ance a n d c o o p e r a t i o n , n o t force o r h a t r e d . It refers to c i t izenship if it is app l i ed o n t h e level of indiv iduals .

Jjj—Jl al-fusuq i'Uftj wa'l-fasad

al-qawm

T E R M T R A N S ­ E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N

I N L I T E R A T I O N

A R A B I C

al-hurriya wa'l-'adala wa'l-musawah

Freedom, justice, and equality T h e s e a re the m a i n a ims of jihad in G o d ' s way .

j U U j far'un wa-haman • \-. wa-qarun

wa t-mustad ijun ^u^LA\ ji>i_>ara-

Pharaoh, Haman, Qdrun, and the 'wretched souls of this world' T h e n a m e Pharaoh s t ands for pol i t ical despo t i sm, t y r a n n y , a n d g o v e r n m e n t b a s e d on v io lence ; t h e n a m e Haman s t ands for rel igious po l i c ing a n d p o w e r in co l l abo ra t ion w i th t h e pol i t ica l admin i s t r a t i on ; in a t h e o c r a c y b o t h types of p o w e r c o m e t o g e t h e r in j u s t one p e r s o n ; the n a m e Qarun s tands for t h e p o w e r of g loba l c o m p a n i e s in bus iness a n d c o m m e r c e w i th e n o r m o u s e c o n o m i c m i g h t a n d pol i t ical inf luence; p e o p l e or t h e 'wretched souls of this world' will a lways fight pol i t ical , re l igious, a n d e c o n o m i c despo t i sm even t h o u g h t h e face of such despo t i sm m a y c h a n g e over t i m e , e.g., t oday , pol i t ical a n d rel igious despo t i sm is less severe , a n d e c o n o m i c force has b e c o m e less i n h u m a n t h a n it u sed to b e .

al-qisds Punishment and retribution wa'l-'uquba A punishment follows a c r imina l act a n d m a y b e

different in k ind f rom t h e c r imina l ac t , w h e r e a s r e t r i bu t i on is quan t i t a t ive ly a n d qual i ta t ive ly of the s a m e k ind , so for e x a m p l e the flogging of t h e a d u l t e r e r is a p u n i s h m e n t , w h e r e a s t h e killing of the m u r d e r e r is r e t r i bu t ion .

sLallj J W J J I al-'abd The Worshipper, the worshippers, and the worship SsLJI wa'l-'ubbdd T h e worshipper of G o d is a free h u m a n b e i n g w h o is

' J wa'l-'ibada ab le to choose b e t w e e n o b e y i n g or d i sobey ing orders ; t h e worshippers a re those for w h o m m e s s e n ­gers h a v e issued o r d e r s b u t t h e y a r e free to choose b e t w e e n o b e d i e n c e a n d d i sobed ience ; worship is the w a y to follow the s t ra igh t p a t h , n o t in t h e sense of p e r f o r m i n g r i tuals such as p i lg r image a n d fasting, e tc . w h i c h a re the r i tuals of al-iman ( and n o t of the s t ra ight pa th ) .

al-'abd al-hurr A free worshipper of God (al-amir) T h i s is s o m e o n e w h o c a n issue o rde r s to o the r s .

T E R M T R A N S -I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N

J — J I J j - J l al-'abd wa'l-'abid wa'l-ubudiya

A worshipper of God I slaves I slavery The Book s tates t h a t w o r s h i p p e r s h a v e a cho ice b e t w e e n o b e d i e n c e a n d d i sobed ience , whi le slaves d o n o t enjoy such a choice . T o forbid free cho ice is a h u m a n i n v e n t i o n — i t w o u l d n e v e r h a v e b e e n a l lowed b y G o d . Slavish o b e d i e n c e t o w a r d s G o d is no t r e q u e s t e d in this wor ld , on ly on the D a y of J u d g e m e n t w h e n p e o p l e i n d e e d b e c o m e slaves of G o d .

al-'abd al-riqq Slave (al-mamluk) A slave is o w n e d as p r iva te p r o p e r t y b y s o m e o n e

else; h e h a s n o free cho ice as h e m u s t a lways say yes to w h a t e v e r his o w n e r d e m a n d s from h i m .

i3 C~«j i3 al-mithaq wa-mithdq

r- al-islam

Covenant and the covenant of Islam A c o v e n a n t is a v o l u n t a r y b o n d based on t rus t a n d a c c e p t a n c e b e t w e e n t w o p a r t n e r s ; it is of a lesser a n d historical ly ear l ier level t h a n a law or a cons t i tu t ion ; a c o v e n a n t of G o d con ta ins a n o a t h of a l legiance to G o d , this m e a n s t h a t the fulfilment o r b r e a c h of t h a t o a t h in respec t to G o d is the fulfilment o r b r e a c h of the c o v e n a n t ; t h e c o v e n a n t of al-isldm is the u l t i m a t e m o d e l for a h u m a n society (and w h a t w e w o u l d call ' m o r a l l aw ' (al-qanun al-akhlaqi), i.e., t he g e n e r a l h u m a n law, b a s e d o n fol lowing t h e s t ra ight p a t h (the w o r s h i p of G o d ) .

al-shahid Shahid-witness and shdhid-witness wa'l-shahdda A shahid-witness d i rect ly observes th ings a n d events al-huduriya + as a n eyewitness , whi le a shahid-witness observes al-shahid (nonsensually) these th ings f rom a d i s tance ; the first wa'l-shdhida t e r m rela tes to wi tness in its strictly emp i r i ca l sense al-ma'riftya (i.e., p e r c e p t i o n t h r o u g h the senses), whi le the

s e c o n d t e r m refers to a theore t i ca l obse rva t ion (e.g., in the case of a n ep is temologica l recogni t ion) ; the m e a n i n g of ' m a r t y r in a ba t t l e ' is a n i n v e n t i o n a n d c a n n o t b e found in the Book, t h e one w h o is an eyewitness to a f inancial c o n t r a c t is, of cour se , a shahid- wi tness .

r

jJIjll al-walid wa'l-ab

wa'l-umm

The bwlogical father (i.e., the birth-giver) and the caregiver-father (who may not be the biological father); the biological mother (the birth-giver) and the caregiver-mother (who may not be the biological mother)

jU5ljS\ al-waliddn The biological parents (i.e., the birth-givers) and the . j ^ wa'l-abawdn caregiver-parents (who may not be the biological parents)

L >~' ! If t h e ca reg ive r -pa ren t s a r e also the biological p a r e n t s t h e y w o u l d neve r b e cal led ca reg ive r -pa r ­ents (al-abawan) b u t a lways b i r th-g ivers (al-wdliddn).

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

^jpl al-tabanna Adoption of a child If a d o p t i o n is c a r r i e d o u t wi th in the first two yea r s of a chi ld ' s life, the foster p a r e n t s ach ieve the s a m e s ta tus as the biological p a r e n t s o f the child, s ince t h e child w o u l d h a v e n o o the r recol lec t ion of h i s / h e r p a r e n t s t h a n t h a t of h i s / h e r foster p a r e n t s .

i ' ' ' ' " ~ ~ ^ i l i i l j - i i l al-shirk bi'l-lldh Violation of God's unity

T h e r e a re t h r e e different ways of v io la t ing G o d ' s un i t y b u t only t h e first is r e g a r d e d as a n unforgiv­ab le ' s in ' (al-dhanb), a n d t h a t is, a) to make an image of God, w h i c h is to give G o d a c o n c r e t e t e m p o r a l , spat ia l , a n d m a t e r i a l d i m e n s i o n ( ignor ing t h a t H e is b e y o n d a n y such d i m e n s i o n or descr ip t ion) ; t h e o t h e r two less severe b u t equa l ly c o n d e m n a b l e sins a re : b) a violation of God's divinity, w h i c h is to dec l a re the g e n e r a t i o n of the forefathers a n d of the m e d i e v a l ju r i s t s infallible, o r to r e g a r d w h a t is cal led ' I s l amic j u r i s p r u d e n c e ' as e te rna l ly val id . T h i s is a v io la t ion of t h e hanifiyya p r inc ip le as it r e n d e r s fixed s o m e t h i n g t h a t is subject to his tor ical c h a n g e ; it is a fo rm of a n ind i rec t v iola t ion of G o d ' s un i ty , s ince it a t t e m p t s to call s o m e t h i n g fixed a n d ever las t ing , whi le these a r e a t t r ibu tes t h a t c a n only b e app l i ed to G o d ; c) a violation of God's sovereignty, i.e., t he visit of the t o m b s of saints , Sufi b r o t h e r ­h o o d s , the call for h u m a n in t e rmed ia r i e s b e t w e e n G o d a n d h u m a n be ings , e tc .

Ijll al-riba Interest T h e verses o f the Book a l low to p r o p o s e a flexible b a n k i n g system tha t c a n i n c o r p o r a t e , if n e e d b e , the t ak ing of in teres t a n d w h i c h , by h o l d i n g to the l imits t h a t Al lah has set, c a n also p r e v e n t its misuse (i.e., usury) .

al-khamr Intoxicating substance The Book m e n t i o n s t h e benefi ts of in tox ica t ing subs tances , such as in d rugs or anaes the t i c s w h i c h s o m e p e o p l e n e e d d u r i n g surgical ope ra t i ons . Al-khamr a lways c o n n o t e s subs tances t ha t l ead to in tox ica t ion a n d a to ta l confusion of a p e r s o n ' s m i n d ; in ins tances w h e r e a p e r s o n c o n s u m e s a lcohol b u t does n o t ge t i n tox ica ted the t e r m al-khamr is n o t app l i cab le .

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

j~=rj!t al-rajas Confusion T h i s refers basically to a conf la t ion or confusion b e t w e e n two things a n d is usual ly caused by d o i n g s o m e t h i n g (beneficial a n d useful) to excess, e.g., excess in t e r m s of al-khamr l eads to in tox ica t ion , a n d excess in t e r m s of g a m e s of c h a n c e is to b e t o n a l a rge a m o u n t of m o n e y .

^1jj-lj al-halal The permitted and the absolutely taboo wa'l-haram F o r b i d d e n th ings a r e those acts w h i c h Al lah has

explicit ly fo rb idden in the Book; if G o d d id n o t explicit ly forbid a t h ing , it is p e r m i t t e d . T h e abso lu te t aboos a r e universa l ly a n d e te rna l ly fo rb idden , whi le the p e r m i t t e d th ings a r e un ive r ­sally a l lowed . H o w e v e r , t h e l a t t e r m i g h t b e , if t h e cu l tu ra l con tex t m a k e s it necessary , fu r the r qualif ied (and h e n c e l imited) wi th in t h e b o u n d a r i e s of G o d a n d a c c o r d i n g to his tor ical c i r cums tances . O n l y G o d c a n absolu te ly forbid a n d p e r m i t th ings , whi le h u m a n legislators c a n t e m p o r a r i l y a l low o r p r o h i b i t (yasmah wa-yamnaf) th ings . T h e la t t e r a r e not subject to a u t h o r i s a t i o n by t h e rel igious scholars (al-istiftd').

cs^ls J*^ al-amr wa'l-nahy Prescription and proscription Presc r ip t ions a n d p rosc r ip t ions c a n b e issued b o t h by G o d a n d h u m a n be ings , b u t whi le G o d absolu te ly pe rmi t s a n d forbids as well as p resc r ibes a n d p rosc r ibes , h u m a n be ings p resc r ibe a n d p rosc r ibe . T h i s impl ies t h a t t h e r e a re d iv ine p rosc r ip t ions a n d h u m a n p rosc r ip t ions ; d iv ine p rosc r ip t ions a r e e i t he r abso lu te o r re la t ive , b u t h u m a n p rosc r ip t ions can only b e rela t ive a n d t e m p o r a r y ; d iv ine p rosc r ip t ions a re w i th in a grey z o n e of b l ack a n d wh i t e , i.e., p e r m i t t e d o r p r o h i b ­i ted (the ' a m b i g u o u s decrees ' ) , e.g., in t h e case of the c o n s u m p t i o n o f in tox ica t ed subs tances ; h o w e v e r , h u m a n p rosc r ip t ions , i nc lud ing those b y M u h a m m a d (s), a re relat ive a n d subject to his tor ical c i r cums tances , e.g., to forbid in t e rcour se b e t w e e n a girl a n d h e r m a t e r n a l o r p a t e r n a l unc le is a h u m a n p rosc r ip t i on n o t a (divine) p r o h i b i t i o n a n d w e m a y a d d fur ther in te rd ic t ions of this k ind, e.g., c o n c e r n ­ing in t e r cou r se b e t w e e n a girl a n d h e r m a l e cousin , b u t w e a re n o t a l lowed to r e g a r d this in te rd ic t ion as a n abso lu te t a b o o .

T E R M T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I N L I T E R A T I O N A R A B I C

al-hikma Wisdom T h i s refers to the t e a c h i n g of g e n e r a l m o r a l ins t ruc t ions t h a t a r e app l i cab le to all peop le ; h o w e v e r , o n e m u s t n o t issue legal o r d o c t r i n a l rules o n the basis of these m o r a l ins t ruc t ions ; w i s d o m c o m e s t h r o u g h reve la t ion , b u t reve la t ion is n o t a lways necessary ; it c a n b e found w i t h the wisest m e n in all pe r iods of t i m e even in those t imes w h e n divine reve la t ion h a s ceased to c o m e d o w n .

Orphan T h i s is a m i n o r w h o h a s lost h i s / h e r ca reg iver -fa ther , whi le the m o t h e r m a y still b e alive; if a n o r p h a n r e a c h e s a d u l t h o o d h e / s h e legally ceases to b e a n o r p h a n .

Hijab is a n i t em of c lo th ing to cover the b reas t s of a w o m a n ; Jilbab is a n i t e m of c lo th ing t h a t covers a w o m a n ' s b o d y outs ide h e r h o m e ; this be longs to the field of social dress codes , no t official legislat ion, a n d t h e on ly cr i ter ia is t h a t t h e w a y a w o m a n dresses s h o u l d p r e v e n t ' h a r m ' o r ' insul t ' in p u b l i c (this m i g h t v a r y f rom o n e cu l tu re to ano the r ) .

Beauty of a woman T h i s m i g h t b e ex t e rna l (face), w h i c h shou ld n o t b e cove red , o r i n t e rna l (h idden) , like t h e a r e a f rom the n e c k d o w n w a r d s to the bu t tocks , w h i c h shou ld b e covered . T h e r e is n o tex tua l p r o o f t h a t the h e a d of a w o m a n n e e d s to b e cove red .

SjjyJl al-'awra Feeling of shame T h i s refers to t h e des i re of a p e r s o n n o t to revea l s o m e t h i n g of his o r h e r b o d y or b e h a v i o u r . Bu t s h a m e is re la t ive , n o t abso lu te , as it expresses c u r r e n t c u s t o m a r y prac t ices a n d m a y c h a n g e over t ime ; t h e r e is n o c o n n e c t i o n to th ings t ha t a r e absolu te ly fo rb idden or p e r m i t t e d .

Marital relationship T h i s refers to a m a r i t a l r e l a t ionsh ip b e t w e e n a m a n a n d a w o m a n w h o a r e adul t s a n d compos mentis; t he p u r p o s e of this r e l a t ionsh ip is to establish a family a n d h a v e ch i ld ren wi th the pe rspec t ive of a l o n g - t e r m re la t ionsh ip t h a t is, h o w e v e r , p e r m i t t e d to b e t e r m i n a t e d b y d ivorce .

al-yahm

i_jl>J-l al-hijdb LjUA-lj wa'l-jilbab

i\jil zinat al-mar'a • ̂ j j-lj wa'l-juyub

•i-zawaj

TERM T R A N S - E N G L I S H T R A N S L A T I O N I X L L T E R A T I O N ARABIC

«A»SJVkp 'ildqat mulk ^ II al-yamin

Partnership T h i s pe r t a in s to a v o l u n t a r y re la t ionsh ip b e t w e e n a m a n a n d w o m a n w h o a r e b o t h adul t s a n d compos mentis, b u t w h o a r e n o t m a r r i e d a n d w h o s e r e l a t ionsh ip is s h o r t - t e r m b u t of a sexual n a t u r e ; t h e r e a re several types of p a r t n e r h s h i p s , e.g., zawaj al-mut'a ( t e m p o r a r y pa r tne r sh ip ) w h e r e the m a l e p a r t n e r p rov ides for t h e female p a r t n e r ; zawaj al-misydr (control led or g u i d e d pa r tne r sh ip ) w h e r e t h e female p a r t n e r has no r ight to d e m a n d such provis ion ; a n d zo-wdj al-frind (friendship) w h e r e t h e r e is m u t u a l p rov is ion a n d ca re ; all these types , a r e n o t abso lu te ly fo rb idden t h o u g h they d o no t cons t i tu te m a r r i a g e .

J«JI al-ba'l Partner or companion H e is s o m e o n e w h o fulfils the roles of a family p r o v i d e r , e a t i n g c o m p a n i o n , d r ink ing c o m p a n i o n a n d p lay m a t e ; if h e does all of this and fulfils his con juga l r ights he is r e g a r d e d as a w o m e n ' s (sexually active) h u s b a n d (al-zawj).

hdkimiyat Allah The immutable domination of God T h i s is expressed in t h e fol lowing way : 1. a d e m a n d for abso lu te o b e d i e n c e (God ' s divinity)

by h u m a n beings t h e abso lu te p o w e r over eve ry th ing (God ' s sovereignty) abso lu te s ingular i ty (oneness) in such divini ty abso lu te a rb i t ra r iness in Hi s ac t ions ( 'He does w h a t H e wants ' ) . . . H e is b e y o n d e x a m i n a t i o n a n d enqu i ry .

j j i l l l al-tabdhlr Squandering T h i s efers to a n excess in (legitimate) spend ing , e.g., w h e n s o m e o n e spends 9 0 % of his i n c o m e o n char i ty , o r spends the cost of food for th i r ty p e o p l e o n on ly t h r e e guests; it is a quantitative excess, i.e., it m e a n s to t ransgress the l imits of a (normally) p e r m i t t e d act .

vjl»—)h al-isrdf Excess Excess t u rns a p e r m i t t e d ac t i n to a fo rb idden ac t by ac t ing in t oo e x t r e m e a m a n n e r . I t is quantitative excess, for e x a m p l e , w h e n s o m e o n e n o t on ly kills a m u r d e r e r (which is pe rmi t t ed ) b u t also his w h o l e family (which is fo rb idden) ; it is qualitative excess, for e x a m p l e , w h e n o n e eats on ly o n e slice of (the abso lu te ly forb idden) m e a t pork .