A term meaning permissible, often applied to food including meat; however, it has a wider meaning that suggests what is permissible under Islamic law and applies to many aspects of life and behaviour.
100
Quran
What is the sacred book of Islam, believed to be the infallible word of Allah spoken directly to Muhammad between 610 and 632 CE?
100
Tawhid
What is the term for the oneness of Allah, the fundamental belief of Islam. It is also used to refer to Muslim theology?
100
Islamic Jurisprudence
The scholarly interpretation of Shar’ia/the science of law.
100
Mufti
A chief judge
200
Fitrah
A moral inclination or natural instinct believed to be imprinted on the soul at birth
200
Shar'ia Law
Legal code of Islam based on the teaching of the Qur’an and the sunna of the Prophet as well as other Islamic sources.
Means ‘successor’; this entitled the holder of the office to make decisions for the Muslim community. The caliph performs three functions— political administration, tax collection and ensuring the security of the Muslim nation. A caliph does not hold religious authority.
200
Haraam
Forbidden under Islam.
300
Ijma
What is a Muslim legal term referring to consensus of opinion of Muslim scholars of the law and/or the community?
300
Umma
Islamic community; refers to the worldwide Muslim community.
300
Fatwa
What is the term for the decision of the Muslim jurists, considered authoritative and must be followed?
300
Shura
Decision-making based on collective consultation
300
Ayatollahs
Senior Islamic scholars who are believed by Shi’ite Muslims to be guided by Divine wisdom.
400
Qiyas
What is the Muslim legal term referring to the resolution of an ethical/legal position by comparison or analogy with teachings in the Qur’an or Hadith?
400
Maliki
A Sunni school of Jurisprudence mainly found in North Africa, West Africa, and several Arab gulf states.
400
Hanbali
A Sunni school of Jurisprudence found mainly in Arabia.
400
Hanafi
What is the name of the Sunni school of Jurisprudence found in China, Egypt, Turkey, the Balkans, Indian subcontinent?
400
Shafi'i
What is the name of the Sunni school of jurisprudence found mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Yemen and some parts of Southern India?
500
Jafari
The Shi’a school of Jurisprudence; mainly attributed to the sixth imam, Jaf’ar al-Sadig. This school uses Hanbali methodology but places great emphasis on the teachings of the twelve Imams when deciding Fiqh.
500
Taqlid
Literally means ‘follow (someone)’ or ‘imiate.’ In Islamic legal terminology, it means to follow a mujtahid – a person who is an expert in Islamic jurisprudence.
500
Mahdi
Divinely guided leader who is to come in the future to establish God’s rule on earth and a socially just society, restore the community to its rightful place, and usher in a perfect Islamic society.
500
Mujtahid
One entitled to give an independent judgment on a point of theology or law. In Iran, the title of Ayatollah has been applied to mujtahid in recent times.
500
Sunna
The custom and practice of the prophet Muhammad which are models for the Muslim way of life.