Adhan
Adhan is an Islamic way of calling Muslims to the five obligatory Prayers. The Adhan is announced daily from the Mosques. See Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 583, Vol. 1.
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A.H. (After Hijrah)
Hijrah means emigration. The Islamic calendar starts from the year Prophet Muhammad emigrated from the city of Makkah to Madinah, in 622 C.E.
Ahl Al-Hadith
Refers to the group of scholars in Islam who pay relatively greater importance to 'traditions' than to other sources of Islamic doctrine such as qiyas, and tend to interpret the traditions more literally and rigorously. The term has also come to be used lately for a group of Muslims in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent who are close to the Hanbali school in theology, and claim to follow no single school on legal matters.
Ahl Al-Kitab
literally 'People of the Book,' refers to the followers of Divine Revelation before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Al-Akhirah
The Day of Judgement; The End of Days ('Akhir' means End).
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Alim (plural: Ulamah)
An Islamic religious scholar.
Allah
The greatest and most inclusive of the names of God. It is an Arabic word of rich and varied meaning, denoting the one who is adored in worship, who creates all that exists, who has priority over all creation, who is lofty and hidden, who confounds all human understanding. It is exactly the same word as, in Hebrew, the Jews use for God (Eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Allah is the same God worshipped by Muslims, Christians and Jews.
"He is God, the One God, Independent and Sought by all; He begets not, nor is He begotton, and there is none like unto Him." (The Holy Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlas)
Islam teaches that all faiths have, in essence, one common message: the existence of a Supreme Being, the one and only God, whose sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history.
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Allah-u-Akbar
"Allah is the Greatest"; a phrase said during prayers and as a general rememberance of Allah throughout the day.
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Aqeeda
Literally means "Belief". In Islamic terms, it means the following six articles of faith:
1. Belief in Allah, the One God.
2. Belief in Allah's Angels.
3. Belief in the Quran.
4. Belief in Muhammad as His messenger.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement.
6. Belief in Predestination.
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Arafat
Arafat is a pilgrimage site, about 25 kilometers east of Makkah al-Mukaramah. Standing on 'Arafat on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah and staying there from mid-day to sunset is the essence of the Hajj (Pilgrimage).
Asr
Asr is the late afternoon Prayer, the third compulsory Prayer of the day. It can be prayed between midafternoon and a little before sunset. It is also the name of Surah 103 of the Holy Quran.
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Assalamu 'Alaikum
Assalamu 'Alaikum means 'Peace be on you' and is a greeting used by Muslims. The response to this greeting is 'Wa 'Alaikum Assalam,' which means "And on you be Peace".
Ayah (plural: Ayat)
Ayah means a sign (or 'token') which directs one to something important.
In the Quran the word has been used in four different senses:
(1) sign or indication;
(2) the phenomena of the universe (called ayat of God for the reality to which the phenomena point is hidden behind the veil of appearances);
(3) miracles performed by the Prophets;
(4) individual units (i.e. verses) of the Book of God.
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