Glossary of Islam
Key terms from orthodox Islamic theology and tradition
Looking for Ahmadiyya-specific terms (Jamaat, Chanda, Khalifat, etc.)?
Glossary of Ahmadiyya →A
- Aqeedah عقيدة
- Creed or theological belief. The foundational doctrines a Muslim must hold, including Tawhid, prophethood, and the Last Day.
H
- Hadith حديث
- A recorded saying, action, or tacit approval of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Authenticated hadith are a primary source of Islamic law and belief alongside the Qur'an.
I
- Ijma إجماع
- Scholarly consensus of the Muslim Ummah — one of the four primary sources of Islamic jurisprudence. The unanimous consensus that Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet is central to debates about Ahmadiyya claims.
- Isnad إسناد
- The chain of narrators transmitting a hadith. Classical scholarship evaluated the reliability of each narrator in the chain to authenticate a report.
K
- Khatam an-Nabiyyin خَاتَمُ ٱلنَّبِيِّين
- "Seal of the Prophets" — the title given to Muhammad ﷺ in Surah Al-Ahzab (33:40). The orthodox understanding is that it means prophethood ended with him.
- Khatm-e-Nubuwwat ختم نبوت
- The finality of prophethood — the belief that no prophet of any kind can come after Muhammad ﷺ. Held as a core pillar of Sunni creed since the time of the companions.
M
- Mahdi مهدي
- "The Guided One." A figure prophesied in hadith who appears near the end of times to restore justice. Not a prophet; his coming does not contradict Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
- Masih المسيح
- Jesus (Isa ibn Maryam), a prophet in Islam. Orthodox Islam holds he was raised alive and will return at the end of times. Whether Jesus died physically is a central point of dispute.
N
- Nabi نبي
- Prophet — a person who receives divine revelation (wahi). Orthodox Islam holds the office closed with Muhammad ﷺ.
Q
- Qur'an القرآن
- The final revelation sent to Muhammad ﷺ, preserved in its original Arabic. With the authentic Sunnah, it is the supreme authority in Islamic belief and practice.
R
- Rasul رسول
- Messenger — a prophet given a new scripture or law. All rasuls are nabis, but not all nabis are rasuls.
S
- Sahaba صحابة
- The companions of the Prophet ﷺ. Their collective understanding of core doctrines — including the finality of prophethood — carries significant weight as the earliest interpretation.
- Sunnah سنة
- The practice and example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, preserved in authentic hadith. The second primary source of Islamic law after the Qur'an.
T
- Tafsir تفسير
- Qur'anic exegesis — the scholarly interpretation of the Qur'an's meaning. Classical tafsir helps show how early scholars read verses about prophethood.
- Tawaffi توفّي
- An Arabic verb from the root wafa (to take in full). Used in Qur'anic verses about Jesus and about sleep. The debate centres on whether it must mean physical death.
- Tawhid توحيد
- The oneness of Allah — the central doctrine of Islam.
U
- Ummah أمة
- The worldwide community of Muslims. The 1,400-year consensus (ijma) of the Ummah on the finality of prophethood is a recurring argument against Ahmadiyya claims.
W
- Wahi وحي
- Divine revelation. The orthodox position is that prophetic/legislative wahi ended with the Qur'an. Whether MGA received wahi is a defining question in the debate.