Deobandi
English
Fromthe teachings of the Darul-uloom school of Deoband, India.Launchedin the 19th century to find a more uncorrupted form of Islam,ithas come to be associated with a “puritan” focuson do/don’t behavior and missing much of the spiritualaspect of Islam,butthis is an outcome of practice and arguably not its essentialteaching or philosophy.
DRA
Abbr.
DemocraticRepublic of Afghanistan.The name adopted by the communist government before, during, andafter the Soviet occupation.
Du'a
Arabic
Prayersupplication, specific request of Allah.Unlike salaat,it does not involve physical action of bowing, prostration andsajdah.It is spoken.
Dupattha
Urdu
Alightweight veil or shawl.Itisworn over the head without covering the face as such. Sometimesdrawn far forward to hide the face similarly to the way a deephood might be drawn forward.
Durree
Urdu
Floorrug made from thick fabric of cotton.
‘Eid-ul-Fitr
Arabic
Literally,the festival of breaking fast.It occurs on the first day of the month of Shawwal to celebratethe end of Ramadhan.A small payment of “fitrana,” is due upon every personabove the age of puberty which is normally collected at the timeof the congregational ‘Eid-ul-Fitrprayer. The celebration includes dressing in one’s bestclothes and visiting friends and family, giving gifts—primarilyto children.
Ezarband
Urdu
Waist-string.A length of crocheted cotton or other commonly available fiberused to form a rope-like drawstring to hold up a shalwararound the waist.
Fajr
Arabic
Thedawn.Byimplication,the dawn prayer.
Fatiha,Surat-ul-Fatiha
Arabic
Thename of the very first surahof the Holy Qur’an.It is also the surahthat is most commonly recited, being an integral part of eachcycle of salaat.It is also recited on behalf of a deceased person, most often uponfirst learning of the death. The act of such an offered recital isalso itself commonly referred to as “performing Fatiha.”
Fi-amanillah
Arabic
[Go]In the protection of Allah.Awell-wish for the traveler typically used for long or perilousjourneys.
Fi-sabeelillah
Arabic
Literally,in the path of Allah.For the sake of Allah.
Ghashay
Pashto
Arrow.
Ghundi(Pashtunwali)
Pashto
Analliance.Usually it isbetween tribes or clans to serve a mutual interest.
Gumbad
Persian
Adome.Also used to describe a style for woven rugs in which the centralmotif is patterned after the interior architectural detail of manymosque domes, containing decorated intersecting geodesic lines andspaces between the lines.
Gulgee
Urdu
IsmailGulgee.Aninternationally acclaimed Pakistani artist from Peshawar.
Hadith
Arabic
Anarrative attributing sayings to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).Usuallyvarying degrees of authentication from very sound to weak areapplied to such narratives dependingon the nature and circumstance of transmission.
Halal
Arabic
Permitted.Itapplies to any permitted act such as eating, drinking or earningan income in an Islamically lawful manner. Also applies topermitted things such as foods. Such foods must be inherentlyhalal AND obtained in a halal manner to be considered permitted.
Halwa
Urdu
Asweet dish made of different types of grains or other vegetablesprepared in a typically mashed or paste like form.
Hamsaya(Pashtunwali)
Pashto
Onewho seeks the protection of a village elder.Normally it isin refuge from either indigence or blood feud. The Hamsaya entersthe service of the protector.
Haraam
Arabic
Forbidden.It is the oppositeof halaland appliesto actions and things that can be acquired or consumed such asincome or food. A haraam asset or consumable can never be obtainedin a halalfashion. A halalitem, however, can be obtained in a haraam fashion, which wouldthen make it forbidden.
Haraamzada
Pashto
Literally,forbidden-born.Illegitimate, bastard offspring. It is often used as in English asa denigrating epithet but carries more insult than the equivalentword in English may do today.
Haram;Haramain; Haramayn
Arabic
Literallya sanctuary or protected space.It comes from the triconsonantal root of “h-r-m,”which has meanings of protection, reservation exclusion, andprohibition (see haraam).When rendered as a proper noun, it refers to any of the three HolySanctuaries of Makkah (Masjidal-Haram, the “Sacred Mosque,” which contains the HolyKa’aba),Medinah (Masjidal-Nabawi – “Mosque of the Prophet,”) andJerusalem (Haram-al-Sharif – “The Noble Sanctuary”).A reference to the combination of Makkah and Medinah is usuallyexpressed as al-Haramayn or al-Haramain where the word ending“-ayn,” is a construct for a pair of things, (incontrast with “-een,” which signifies a plurality).
Henna
English
Avegetable dye.Itisdark reddish brown and used to dye hair, skin, and nails inoften-elaborate patterns.
Hezb
Arabic
Agroup or party such as in a political movement.
Hezb-e-IslamiKhalis
Arabic
Literallymeaning the pure party of Islam.Here it takesthe term "khalis," meaning pure from the name of YounusKhalis whose party it was.
Hijab
Arabic
Literallyany guarding of modesty. Typically, a headcovering in which the face remains uncovered but the hair iscompletely covered.As well as its use by large numbers of modern Islamic women, thisform of covering most closely resembles the style used by adherentJewish women and Christian nuns. Likewise, depictions of Mary,mother of Jesus (upon whom be peace), almost always show a hijab.
Iddah,iddat
Arabic
Aperiod of four months and ten days following commencement ofwidowhood and three months if following divorce.During this period a woman shouldnot leave the home. Its purpose is generally agreed among scholarsto establish paternity in case of a woman being unknowinglypregnant after a divorce or loss of a husband.
Iftar
Arabic
Thebreaking of the fast.It may be after an obligatory fast in Ramadhanor at other timeswhen an optional fast is undertaken. Importantly, this term isused exclusively for the proper sunset break of the fast only, andnot premature termination.
Ijaazah
Arabic
Literally“permission.”It denotesthe permission from a sheikh or ‘alimthat authorizes his/her student to dispense religious knowledge oropinion. It is the basis on which one istitled a sheikh or ‘alim(feminine: ‘alima) and thereby creates an unbroken chain oftransmission for such knowledge dating back to the time of theHoly Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).
Imam
Arabic
Aleader.Commonly,it refersto the one
who leads prayers as a matter of routine or justassumesthe role ona given occasion.
Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'un
Arabic
Indeedwe are from Allah and indeed to him shall we return.Verse 156 of Surat-ul-Baqarain the HolyQur'an.This is normally recited upon a calamity or catastrophe occurringin which a Muslim suffers. It has come to be used almostexclusively for when learning of a Muslim’s death. Strictlyhowever, it should be uttered for any worry or calamity befallinga Muslim.
InshaAllah
Arabic
Ifit be the will of Allah.Very frequently used to qualify any prediction whose outcome isdesirable to indicate that control of any outcome is always inGod's hands. Culturally, it has come to be seen as an opting outof responsibility for an action ahead of time and often presages alikely failure to achieve a goal or task.
Isha
Arabic
Theevening prayer.Thelast of the five daily prayers.
ISI
Abbr.
Inter-ServicesIntelligence.ADirectorate of the Pakistani Intelligence services and the largestof Pakistan's three intelligence services.
Islam
Arabic
Theway of life practiced by Muslims.Literally meaning peaceful and complete submission, in this caseto the Will of Allah. It has the same tri-consonantalproto-Semitic root of “s-l-m,” from which the cognates“salaam,”and the Jewish “shalom,” are derived.
Itbar(Pashtunwali)
Pashto
Trust.Thebasis for dependency on any verbal agreement made in front of ajirgaor other witnesses.
Itwar
Urdu
Sunday.
Jahannam
Arabic
TheMuslim concept of hell.A place and/or state of enduring torment.
Jahez
Urdu
Thecollection of gifts of money, jewelry, clothes or other usefulitems given by parents to a daughter for her marriage.Customary, but not an Islamic requirement, it has gradually becomean expectation by groom’s families and has widely becomeseen as a “bride price.” Parents typically startassembling a jahez when a daughter is born and add to thecollection over the years before a daughter’s marriage.
Jahil
Arabic
Ignorant,uneducated.It refers to ignorance in a manner typicallyincorporating the idea of tacit acceptance of such a state. I.e.not blissfully ignorant but willfully so.
Jahiliyyah
Arabic
Originallyreferring to the era preceding the arrival of Islam.Itdescribesa culture that willfully shunned the pursuit of truth andknowledge. It is sometimes used today by some extreme Salafists(such as membersof al-Qaeda)to criticizea collectively heedlessstate of mainstream Muslims. MainstreamMuslim scholars resoundingly refute this assertion.
Jamaat
Arabic
Aphysical gathering or party.It can mean not only apolitical party similar to hezb,but also the physical gathering as where Muslims line up forprayer.
Jannah
Arabic
Paradise.Literally,this word means a garden and is used here in close parallel to how“Garden of Eden” is used in western culture.
JazaakAllah,JazaakAllah Khayr
Arabic
MayAllahrewardyou.Aform of thanks to an individual.With Khayror Khayran,it addsthe qualifier“well.”
Jazaakumullah
Arabic
Thesame as JazaakAllahbut referring to a plurality of people who are being thanked.
Jihad;Jehad
Arabic
Anyof four major categories of striving – (a) in selfdiscipline against one’s base desires, (b) of the hand(non-military actions), (c) of the tongue (use of argument), and(d) of the sword (military).Though the latter use is a legitimate one, (much as notions of a“just-war,” are articulated in non-Muslim circles), awar as such is better translated as “harb,” in Arabic.Indeed, a holy war would be a “harbun-mutaqaddisun,”combining “harb” for war and “quddoos,”from the tri-consonantal “q-d-s,” for “holy.”
Jilbab
Arabic
Along loosely fitting coat.It is wornover outerwear to cover a woman’s more decorative dress andto direct unwanted attention away from the shape or figure of thewoman dressed as such.
Jirga
Pashto
Acouncil of elders.Ina village or potentially larger administrative area amongPashtuns.Jirgas frequently dispense justice.
Jumu'ah
Arabic
Friday.Itis based on the root meaning of togetherness since Friday is a dayof congregation.
Salaat-ul-Jumu’ah
Arabic
TheFriday congregational prayer.
Jumma
Urdu
Fridayand by implicit reference, the Friday mid-day prayer. Itis derived from the Arabic “jumu’ah.”
JummaBazaar
Urdu
Abazaar normally open for Friday typically after Friday prayer.
Kafir;Kaafir
Arabic
Onewho denies or conceals truth and especially the truth of theone-ness of God.The element of concealing is central to its meaning coming fromthe root “kufr”—concealment. It is also acognate of the English word “cover.” It has come to beused to refer to unbelievers.
Kalay;Kili
Pashto
Village.
Kalimah
Arabic
Verbaldeclaration.Fromthe tri-consonantal “k-l-m” —“speak,”it means asaying or spoken motto, but refers to one of five specificpronouncements made by Muslims as articles of faith. The mostprominent of which, the “tayyabah,” is: “Thereis no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
Kebab
Urdu
Aground or minced meat dish.It is made by grilling, roasting or stewing the meat.
Khan
Pashto
Honorificreferring originally to peoples of Turkic or Mongol warriororigin.Very widely used as tribal identity of a Pashtunor Pathan.In modern usage, it often appears as a last name when aligned to awestern norm for naming. The vast majority of Pashtunsbear this name as an ethnic identity—including this book’sauthor. It is occasionally used to emphasize ethnicity out ofrespect and is often delivered in the form “Khan sahib,”when addressing one who is a Pashtun.The “kh” sound is pronounced most similarly to the“ch” in the Scottish word “loch.”
Khel
Pashto
Aclan. A subgroup of a Zai or Pashtun tribe.Due to relative immobility in mountain country, khels have oftenemerged as confined in single villages and the word hasincreasingly come to mean “village,” in like fashionto “kalay”and “kili.”
Khidmat
Arabic
Service.
Khowr
Pashto
Adaughter of a sister; niece; “Sister-friend.”It may be asin a sorority or between close female friends but not lesbian.
Khussa
Urdu
Anornate slipper.Usually it hasa curly pointed toe end. Unlike most transliterations, here it ispronounced without conjoining the “k” and the “h”and in fact most westerners would pronounce it correctly with nogui
dance.
Lashkar(Pashtunwali)
Pashto
Anarmed group or militia.In Pashtunwaliit isformed for a mission such as enforcement, usually assembled andauthorized by a jirga.
Lehenga
Urdu
Ankle-lengthfullskirttypically worn on weddings or special occasions.
LokhayWarkawal(Pashtunwali)
Pashto
Offeringa sacrifice or gift to a stronger tribal entity in return forprotection.This can also apply at the level of individuals. An offering(Lokhay) is made and the accepting entity is bound to protect theone requesting protection.
Maalik
Urdu
Owner.
Madrassah
Arabic
Aplace of intermediatelearning.A school where lectures are a predominant from of knowledgetransfer. The term has come to emblemize rote-learning schools,but this is a recent development, and has become a westerncultural stereotype.
Maghrib;maghreb
Arabic
TheWest geographically and politically. The place where the sun sets.Sunset. The shorter reference to “salaat-ul-maghrib”or the sunset prayer.As with the Jewish faith, sunset marks the start of a new day inan Islamic calendar.
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