Glossary of Key Transliterated Terms
ab father
‘abā’ cloak
abad eternal end
Abadī Eternal
abjad science of letters and numbers
‘adad number
‘adam non-being
adhān call for prayer
‘adl justice
af ‘āl actions
afqah more knowledgeable in Islamic law
afrād individuals
Āḥād singly reported narrations
aḥdayn the two Testaments
aḥkām juridical rulings
Ahl al-Bayt Household of the Prophet, the 14 Infallibles
aḥqāf sandy deserts
al-akbar greater
akhbārī traditionalist
Ākhir al-zamān end of the universe
akhlāq ethics
a’lam more knowledgeable
‘Ālam realm, world
‘Ālam al-amr Realm of Command, immaterial world
‘Ālam al-khalq Realm of Creation, corporeal world
‘Ālam al-mithāl imaginal world, intermediate realm
‘alaqah blood-clot
al-’Alīm All-Knower
Āl-i Yāsīn the family of Yāsīn (ahl al-bayt)
‘allāmah most learned (title)
‘Allāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī
alwāḥ Tablets
‘āmmah Sunni Muslims
amthāl wa ṣuwar ideas and forms
ānā’ al-layl wa aṭrāf al-nahār day and night
anāniyyah ‘I-ness’, egocentricity
anṣār supporters
aqānīm elements, principles
‘Āqil knower
‘aql intellect, reason, beings that are immaterial in essence and action
al-’aql al-awwal First Intellect
‘ara
accident
al-’ara
al-mufāriq separable accident
‘arḍī horizontal, lateral
arwāḥ spirits
aṣālah principality, primacy
asbāb causes, instruments
Asfār the shortened name of Mullā Ṣadrā’s book
ashrāṭ al-sā’ah signs of the Resurrection
‘Āshūrā’ 10th of Muḥarram, martyrdom of Imam Ḥusayn
al-aṣl al-qadīm primordial Origin
asmā’ names
al-asmā’ al-ḥusnā beautiful names
athar effect, trace
awliyā’ saints, friends of God
awra’ more self-restraint
Āyah sign, verse
al-a’yān al-thābitah Permanent Archetypes
Āyat al-Kursī Throne Verse
‘ayn entity, essence
al-’ayn al-thābit Permanent Archetype
‘ayn al-yaqīn vision of certitude
‘ayniyyah union, sameness
azal eternal beginning
Azalī Beginningless
badī’ rhetoric, eloquence
baḥt pure, sheer
balāghah eloquence
baqā’ subsistence
barzakh intermediate world between this world and Resurrection or between the realms of intellect and matter
basāṭah simplicity
basīṭ simple, not compound
basīṭ al-ḥaqīqah kull al-ashyā’ a simple reality is all things
bāṭin inward, esoteric, hidden
bayḍā whiteness
bay’ah allegiance
bayān eloquence, rhetoric
bi-abī anta wa ummī may my father and mother be sacrificed for thee
bi al-fi’l in-act, actualised
Biḥār al-Anwār Majlisī’s book
Bilqīs Queen of Sheba
burhān demonstration, deductive proof
Dajjāl a being prophesised to emerge at the end of the world
amīr pronoun
dār al-bawār abode of loss
da’wah call, message
dhāt essence
dhikr invocation, remembrance
Dhikurt a tribe in Iraq
du’ā’ supplication, prayer
dunyā this transient world
Fahlawiyyūn ancient sages of Persia
fākihah fruit
fanā’ annihilation
farsakh approx. 5.375 km
faṣāḥah eloquence
faṣl differentia
fi’l action
fiqh Islamic law, jurisprudence
fiṭrah nature
al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah Ibn al-‘Arabī’s book
al-Ghāfir Forgiver
ghayr other
ghayriyyah otherness
ghayūr jealous, protective
ghīrah jealousy, protectiveness
ḥadīth tradition, narration
ḥādith originated, created
ḥads intuition, guess
ḥajj pilgrimage of Mecca
al-Ḥakīm All-Wise
ḥākim al-shar’ religious ruler
ḥalū’ intolerant
al-ḥamdu li-llāh all praise be to Allah
ḥanīfan musliman an upright submitter
ḥaqīqah reality
al-ḥaqīqah al-mushakkikah graded reality
ḥaqīqī real
al-Ḥaqq the Truth, the Real
ḥaram shrine, sanctuary
al-ḥarkat al-jawhariyyah transubstantial motion
ḥasbunā kitāb Allāh the book of Allah is sufficient for us
ḥāshiyah gloss, annotation
ḥawāmīm chapters 40-46 of the Qur’ān
ḥawāriyyūn Apostles (of Jesus)
ḥayāt life
hay’ah traditional astronomy
hayūlā prime matter
al-ḥijāb al-aqrab the closest screen
ḥikmah philosophy, wisdom
al-ḥikmat al-’amaliyyah practical wisdom
ḥikmat al-ishrāq School of Illumination
al-ḥikmat al-naẓariyyah theoretical wisdom
ḥiss sensation, sense
ḥudūth origination, createdness
al-ḥudūth al-zamānī temporal createdness
huwa he
Huwa Hū He is He
huwiyyah identity
ibn son
idhn permission
idhn al-dukhūl permission of entrance
iḥḍār summoning
iḥtiyāṭ religious precaution
i’jāz miracle
ijmā’ consensus of scholars
ijtihād independent (juristic) judgment
ilāh deity, god
‘illat al-fā’ilī efficient cause
‘illat al-ghāyī final cause
‘ilm knowledge, science
al-’ilm al-fi’lī objectified knowledge
al-’ilm al-ḥuḍūrī presential and immediate knowledge
‘ilm al-yaqīn knowledge of certitude
ilqā’ throw, cast
il-Yāsīn Elias, or the family of Yāsīn (Ahl al-Bayt)
imām leader
imān faith, belief
imkān al-ashraf possibility of the higher realms
‘ināyah grace, mercy
inniyyah being, existence
insān human being
insāniyyah humanity
intizā’ derive, abstract
i’rāb inflectional morphology
irādī voluntary
‘irfān mysticism, gnosticism, Sufism
irhāṣ a supernatural act before its usual time
‘ishq love
ism name
‘iṣmah infallibility, innocence
al-Ism al-A’ẓam God’s Greatest Name
istikhdām to use as an instrument
al-istithnā’ al-mufarragh an exception that only states the exception, but not what is excepted
al-istithnā’ al-munqaṭi’ an independent sentence in the form of an exception
istiṭrādiyyah a separate sentence in the middle of another
i’tibār nominality, conceptuality
i’tibārī notional, conceptual, mental, unreal
i’tibāriyyāt mental abstractions
iṭlāq unconditionality
‘izzat al-nafs one’s sense of dignity and nobility
jabarūt invincibility, realm of immaterial intellects
jadal dialectics
jāhiliyyah Age of Ignorance, pre-Islam Arabia
jāmi’ a being that is existentially superior to the other beings of its kind
jān spirit (Persian)
jannat al-dhāt Garden of Essence
jannat al-liqā’ Garden of Vision
jannat al-na’īm Garden of Great Bounty
jāthimīn flat down on the floor
jawhar substance, a quiddity that would not need a carrier to exist
jazū’ fretful, impatient
jins genus
jism body
jismāniyyat al-ḥudūth, rūḥāniyyat al-baqā’ bodily in origination and spiritual in subsistence
juz’iyyah particular, specific
kabā’ir major sins
al-kabīr big, great
kamāl perfection, excellence
kamā qāla qā’iluhum as one of them has said
karāmah charismatic power, miracle
katharāt pluralities, multiplicities
kathrah plurality, multiplicity
kātib scribe, writer
khalīfah successor, heir
al-Khāliq Creator
khalsah trance
kharābāt the ‘ruins’, realm of liberated souls and people of spirituality and divine gnosis
khārij advanced studies, beyond the regular curriculum
khāriq al-’ādah supernatural event, miracle
khāṣṣah Shi’a Muslims
khaṭābah rhetorics, sermon
khayāl imaginative faculty
al-khayru fī mā waqa’a the good is in that which happened
khulūd eternity
khums one fifth, a religious due
kufr infidelity, disbelief, ingratitude
kullī universal, general (masculine)
al-kullī al-ṭabī’ī a general concept that can have multiple instances – whether mental or external
kulliyyah universal, general (feminine)
kun be (imperative)
kursī Throne, traditional table-heater
kuttāb scribes, writers
al-laff wa al-nashr al-murattab elaboration of previously mentioned topics in the same order
lāhūt divinity, realm of manifestation of God’s Names
lā huwa illā Hū there is no he but Him
lā ilāha illā Hū there is no deity but He
lawḥ Tablet
liqā’ vision, meeting
ma’ānī semantics
māddah matter
mafhūm concept, notion
Mahādī al-Khamsah the Five Mahdīs
maḥḍ sheer, absolute
māhiyyah quiddity, ‘whatness’
maḥmūl predicate
māhuwī essential, based on quiddity
ma’iyyah togetherness, concomitance
majāz something metaphorical and unreal
malak al-mawt Angel of Death
malakūt divine realms (in general), imaginal world and the realm of angels (in particular)
ma’lūl effect, caused
ma’lūm known
ma’nā meaning, spirit
manqūl transmitted sciences, narrations
mansūkh abrogated
manū’ selfishly restrictive
manzil station
maqām station
ma’qūl intellectual sciences
mar’ā pasture, plants
marfū’ a narration with unmentioned line of transmitters, unconnected to the Imam
ma’rifah gnosis, knowledge
marja’ reference, source of emulation in Islamic legal rulings
ma’rūf well-known, prominent
maṣlaḥah expediency, welfare
mathānī repeated
mawḍū’ subject
mawjūd existent, being
mawlawiyyah mastership
maẓhar epiphany, manifestation
mi’īn ‘hundreds’ chapters
minbar pulpit
minnah obligation, a favour involving humiliation
miṣdāq (external) instance
mithāl imaginal world, realm of forms
mubāhalah mutual cursing
mu
ghah crushed tissue
mufaṣṣal differentiated, ‘extended’ chapters
mughālaṭah sophistry
muḥākimāt reviews, assessments
muḥarrik mover, cause of motion
muḥāsabah self-reckoning
muḥkam solid, clear
al-Muḥyī Vivifier
muhr clay prayer stone
mujarrad immaterial, disentangled
mu’jizah miracle
mujmal undifferentiated, concise, non-detailed
mujtahid a jurist who can extract and interpret shariah rulings
mukāshafāt unveilings, clairvoyances
mukhlaṣ chosen, one who is purified and made sincere by Allah
mumkin al-wujūd contingent being
muqarrabīn intimate servants of Allah
muqaṭṭa’ah disjointed letters
mursal a narration with incomplete line of transmitters
murāqabah self-vigilance, watchfulness
musabbiḥāt glorification chapters
muṣḥaf written pages bound together
mushāhadāt spiritual visions
mushā’irah a game of poetry
mustafīḍah narrations reported by more than three transmitters, but not mutawatir
mutaḥarrik moving object
mutashābih analogous, ambiguous
mutawātir repeatedly reported narrations, such that their credibility is certain
muṭlaq absolute, unconditional
muttaqīn self-restrained individuals
muttaṣil connected
al-nafas al-raḥmāniyyah the Merciful’s Breath
nafs soul, self, ego
al-nafs al-ammārah evil commanding soul
al-nafs al-nāṭiqah rational soul, intellect
al-nafs al-qudsiyyah sacred soul, the highest stage of intuition
Nahj al-Balāghah a collection of sermons, letters, and short sayings by Imam ‘Alī
naḥw syntax, grammar
Najrān a city in Yemen
naql narrations, transmitted sciences
naqṣ imperfection, deficiency
na’īm great bounty
nāsikh abrogating
naskh abrogation
naw’ species, kind
Naẓm al-Sulūk Ibn al-Fāri
’s poem
ni’mah bounty, boon, blessing
nisā’ al-nabī the wives of the Prophet
nūr light
nuzūl descension, descent
qab
al-rūḥ death, spirits being captured
qāḍī al-quḍāt supreme judge
qadīm primordial
al-Qādir Powerful
qahhāriyyah dominance
qalam Pen
qalb heart
qarā’in external evidence
qasr imposed, forced and non-natural movement
qaws arc
qaws al-nuzūl Arc of Descent
qaws al-ṣu’ūd Arc of Ascent
qiblah direction of prayer, toward the Ka’bah in Mecca
Qibṭī Pharaoh’s tribe
Qirā’ah recitation
qiṣār ‘short’ chapters
qiyāmah resurrection
qul say (imperative)
qurb proximity, nearness
al-qurrā’ al-sab’ah the seven well-known reciters
rak’ah unit of prayer
al-Rāziq Sustainer
riḍā satisfaction
rijāl science of narrators
riwāyah narration, tradition
ri’y plants, pasture
rubūbiyyah lordship
rūḥ spirit
al-Rūḥ al-Amīn Trustworthy Spirit
al-rūḥ al-nāṭiqah rational spirit, intellect
Rūḥ al-Qudus Holy Spirit
ruhbāniyyah monasticism
rukn a corner of the Ka’bah
ruwaybi
ah ignoble and insignificant individuals
sab’an shidādā seven firm heavens
sabbaḥa glorified
sabbiḥ glorify (imperative)
al-ṣaghīr small
saḥābah Companions of the Prophet
ṣāḥib al-amr Director of God’s Command (Imam Mahdī)
Ṣaḥīfah page(s) of writing, book of supplications
Ṣaḥīḥ collection of authenticated narrations
sahm al-Imām Imam’s Share, half of the khums
sakīnah composure, calmness
sālik wayfarer
samūm poisonous or hot deadly winds
sardāb cellar
sawād blackness
sayr ilā al-khalq bi al-ḥaqq journey toward the creation by the Truth
sayr wa sulūk spiritual journey and wayfaring
sayyid a descendant of the Prophet
Shād-Ābād a village near Tabrīz
shādhdhah single and un- common recitations
shādhdhah ghayra ma’rūfah non-famous single recitations
shafā’ah intercession
shakhṣ person
shakhṣiyyah personal (feminine), personality
shākilah formation, nature
sha’n al-nuzūl circumstances in which a verse was revealed
shar’ religion
sharḥ commentary
sharr evil, bad
Shī’ah Shi’a Muslims
Shifā’ Ibn Sīnā’s book
Shimirt a tribe in Iraq
shi’r poem, poetry
shirk polytheism, idolatry
Sibṭī Children of Israel
ṣiddīqīn the truthful
ṣifah attribute, quality
ṣifāt attributes, qualities
ṣirāfah absoluteness
al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm the straight path
ṣirf absolute, sheer
sunnah tradition, custom
sūrah chapter of the Qur’an
ṣūrah form
al-ṣūrat al-naw’iyyah special form
ṣu’ūd ascent
al-suwar al-’atā’iq ancient chapters
ta’abbud obedience, submission
ta’ayyun determination, entification
al-ta’ayyun al-ismiyyah nominal determination
ṭab’ nature
tabdīl transformation
ṭabī’ah nature
ṭabī’ī natural
tābi’īn Followers, those who saw the Companions of the Prophet
ta
arru’ petition, supplication
tafsīr exegesis, commentary
tafwīḍ entrustment
taghāyur otherness
taḥaqquq realisation, substantiation
taḥlīl analysis
taḥrīf distortion
al-Tā’iyyah al-Kubrā Ibn al-Fāri
’s poem
tajallī manifestation, epiphany
tajarrud immateriality, transcendence
tajassum al-a’māl embodiment of actions
tajrīd abstraction
takāthur rivalry in amassment
takrār recurrence
ṭalabah student of religion
tamthīl symbolism, similitude
tamyīz contradistinction
taqiyyah concealing one’s beliefs
taqwā self-restraint, God-fear
ṭarf look, glance, eye
tark al-awlā abandonment of a preferred action
tarkīb wa mushtaq combination and derivation
tasalsul infinite regression
taṣarruf take control, change
tashakhkhuṣ personality, individuality
tashayyu’ Shi’ism
tashkīk gradation
taslīm submission
Taṭhīr Purification
tawakkul God-reliance
tawḥīd unity, monotheism
ṭayy al-ar
instantaneous self-transportation
thanā yathī bend, fold
ṭīnah nature
ṭiwāl ‘lengthy’ chapters
ṭūlī vertical, longitudinal
Ṭūr Mount Sinai
‘ubūdiyyah servitude
al-’ubūdiyyat al-maḥḍah sheer servitude
‘ūdhah protective charm
u’iddat prepared
ukhuwwah brotherhood
ūlū al-arḥām relatives
ummah nation, community
‘uqūl intellects, beings that are immaterial in essence and action
‘urafā’ mystics, gnostics, Sufis
ustād teacher, master
ustād-i ‘āmm general master
uṣūl fundamentals, principles of jurisprudence
uṣūl al-dīn fundamental beliefs
Uthūlūjiyā Aristotle’s Theology
waḥdah unity, oneness
al-waḥdah al-shakhṣiyyah personal unity
waḥdahu lā sharīka lah He is One and there is no partner for Him
wāḥid one, singly reported narrations
al-wāḥidu lā yaṣduru minhu illā al-wāḥid from One, there emerges only one
wahm illusion
waḥy revelation
wajh face
wājib al-wujūd Necessary Being
wajjahtu wajhiya li-llāh I have turned my face to Allah
walī guardian, saint
wālid father
wāqi’iyyah reality, actuality
wāridāt intuitions of the heart
al-wasīṭ intermediate
wayl woe
wijdān conscience, heart
wilāyah guardianship
wujūd being, existence
al-wujūd al-munbasiṭ expansive being, Universal Soul
al-wujūd al-shakhṣī personal being
yaghnaw resided, dwelt
yā Huwa yā man lā huwa illā Hū O He! O Who there is no he but Him
Ya’jūj and Ma’jūj Gog and Magog
Yamāmah a land in the Arabian Peninsula
yakūn become
yaqīn certitude
yartadda ilayka ṭarfuk your look returns to you
yusabbiḥu glorifies
yawm day
ẓāhir apparent, outward
zakāh alms, a religious due
ziyārah pilgrimage