Glossary of Islam

Key terms from orthodox Islamic theology and tradition

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A B D F H I J K L M N Q R S T U W Z

A

Ahruf al-Sab'a أَحْرُف السَّبْعَة: The seven Arabic dialects/modes in which the Quran was revealed — a mercy allowing different Arab tribes to recite in their own dialect. Surah Al-Fatiha 1:4 can be read as "Maalik" (Master) or "Malik" (King) — both revealed, both correct. Distinct from the Qira'at, which are documented transmission lines of specific reciters.
Aqeedah عقيدة: Creed or theological belief. The foundational doctrines a Muslim must hold, including Tawhid, prophethood, and the Last Day.
Ardat al-Akhirah العَرْضَة الأَخِيرَة: The Final Presentation of the Quran — the last annual review in which Jibril went through the entire Quran with the Prophet ﷺ in the final Ramadan before his death. Jibril came twice that year, confirming the final ordering of all 114 surahs and the complete canonical text Muslims recite today.
Arkan al-Iman أَرْكَان الإِيمَان: The six articles of Islamic faith established by the Hadith of Jibril: belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the Divine Decree (Qadar). They form an inseparable structure — compromising one distorts the whole.
Asma wa Sifat أَسْمَاء وَصِفَات: Belief in Allah's Names and Attributes as He described Himself in the Quran and Sunnah — affirming them without distortion, denial, or likening them to creation. One of the three categories of Tawhid. The Quran commands: "To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them" (7:180).

B

Bi-idhniLlah بِإِذْنِ اللّٰه: "By the permission of Allah" — the Quranic phrase used twice in a single verse (3:49) to describe the miracles of Isa (AS): creating birds from clay, healing the blind and leprous. The phrase explicitly attributes the miracles to direct divine permission, the theological opposite of natural human technique.

D

Dajjal الدَّجَّال: The great deceiver — a major figure in Islamic eschatology who will appear before the Day of Judgement to lead humanity astray, described in mutawatir hadiths. Isa (AS) will kill him upon his return. Notably, MGA prayed: "O God, if this prophecy is not from You, if I am rejected and accursed and antichrist (Dajjal) in Your sight, then kill me in disgrace" (RK 9:124).

F

Fitrah فِطْرَة: The innate human nature with which every person is born — an instinctive recognition of and inclination toward the Creator. The Quran (30:30) describes it as "the Fitrah of Allah upon which He created all people." The Prophet ﷺ stated: "every child is born upon the Fitrah."

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.
Hasoor حَصُور: A Quranic title given exclusively to Yahya ibn Zakariyya (John the Baptist) (AS) in Quran 3:39, meaning "one who restrains himself perfectly from desires." MGA argued this title was withheld from Isa (AS) because "such stories [of alcohol and a prostitute] stood as a hindrance" — a deeply offensive misuse of Quranic language to impugn a prophet's character.
Huffaz حُفَّاظ: The plural of Hafiz — those who have memorised the entire Quran by heart. During the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime hundreds of Huffaz existed. The death of seventy Huffaz at the Battle of Yamama prompted Abu Bakr (RA) to commission the first written compilation. Today millions of Huffaz worldwide maintain the living oral chain of Quranic transmission.

I

Ibn Maryam اِبْن مَرْيَم: "Son of Maryam" — the specific genealogical identifier the Prophet ﷺ used under oath when describing the individual who will return at the end of times: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the son of Maryam will soon descend among you" (Bukhari 3448). By naming the mother, the Prophet ﷺ pinned the identity to one historical person, making substitution by any other claimant impossible.
Ijaza إِجَازَة: A certificate granted by a qualified teacher to a student who has mastered the Quran or Islamic sciences, containing a complete named chain of teachers going back to the Prophet ﷺ himself. The Ijaza system is unique in human history — no other religious tradition has a comparable living, documented chain connecting present practitioners to the original source.
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.
Ilham إِلْهَام: Divine inspiration or inner revelation placed in the heart — distinct from wahy (prophetic revelation conveyed through Jibril). In Sunni theology, ilham to saints carries no binding authority over others. MGA's entire theological system — his takfir of non-Ahmadis, his claim that Qadian is in the Quran — rested on private ilhams he claimed to receive.
Injil إِنجِيل: The scripture revealed to Isa (AS) — one of the four Books Muslims must affirm. The Injil as originally revealed is distinct from the later-compiled Gospels of the New Testament, which Muslims regard as humanly corrupted compositions. The Quran is the final, perfectly preserved replacement for all previous scriptures.
Isnad إسناد: The chain of narrators transmitting a hadith. Classical scholarship evaluated the reliability of each narrator in the chain to authenticate a report.

J

Jami' and Mani' جَامِع وَمَانِع: The two binding aspects of belief in the Messengers: Jami' (comprehensive) — affirm every true prophet Allah sent; Mani' (exclusive/preventive) — reject every false claimant after the Seal. A community built on accepting a post-seal prophet has failed the Mani' requirement even if it affirms all prior prophets.
Janaza جَنَازَة: The Islamic funeral prayer performed over a deceased Muslim — a communal obligation (fard kifayah). Ahmadiyya doctrine prohibits offering Janaza for non-Ahmadis, treating them as non-Muslims in death. The 2nd Khalifa's instruction extended this even to six-month-old infants of non-Ahmadis, as documented in the 1974 National Assembly cross-examination.

K

Kafir كَافِر: One who disbelieves — a person who rejects core tenets of Islam. Ahmadiyya doctrine, documented in the Tadhkirah, Kalimatul Fasl, and the 2nd Khalifa's writings, holds that any person who received MGA's message and rejected it is not a Muslim and is "impeachable in the sight of God." The 1974 National Assembly formally documented this position.
Kalimah كَلِمَة: The declaration of Islamic faith — "La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah." In mainstream Islam, reciting it sincerely makes one a Muslim. Ahmadiyya doctrine holds that one cannot be a true reciter without also accepting MGA: "How can one not believing in the Promised Messiah be a true Reciter of the Kalimah?" (Kalimatul Fasl, p. 182).
Kalimatullah كَلِمَةُ اللّٰه: "The Word of Allah" — one of the Quranic titles of Isa (AS) from Quran 4:171, denoting his unique creation through Allah's direct command "Be!" without a father. MGA's campaign of attacks on Isa's character and his denial of Isa's miracles directly contradict the reverence Islam requires toward this honoured prophet.
Kashf كَشْف: A spiritual vision or inner disclosure granted to righteous individuals. In Sufi and Ahmadiyya usage, refers to visions revealing hidden realities. MGA claimed his assertion that Qadian is in the Quran came through kashf. The 2nd Khalifa used kashf to reinterpret the splitting of the moon as a collective spiritual vision rather than a physical miracle.
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.
Kufr كُفْر: Disbelief — the state or act of rejecting what Allah has ordained to be believed. Kufr Akbar (major disbelief) exits one from Islam entirely; Kufr doona Kufr ("disbelief less than disbelief") refers to acts labelled kufr in hadith language that do not exit a person from Islam. The distinction is central to the Ahmadiyya takfir controversy.
Kufr doona Kufr كُفْر دُون كُفْر: "Disbelief less than disbelief" — an Islamic fiqh concept for acts labelled kufr that do not remove a person from Islam (as opposed to Kufr Akbar). Ahmadiyya's Kalimatul Fasl invokes this category but applies it only among non-Muslims — placing non-Ahmadi Muslims in a hierarchy of kuffar rather than treating them as sinning Muslims.
Kuttab al-Wahy كُتَّاب الوَحْي: The designated Companions whose specific role was to write down Quranic verses immediately as they were revealed to the Prophet ﷺ. They included Zaid ibn Thabit, Uthman ibn Affan, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Ubayy ibn Ka'b. The Prophet ﷺ specified the exact placement of each verse within its chapter as it was dictated.

L

Lā nabiyya ba'dī لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي: "There is no prophet after me" — the Prophet ﷺ's own statement at the expedition of Tabuk (Bukhari 4416; Muslim 2404), the clearest prophetic explanation of Khatam an-Nabiyyin. Ironically, MGA himself cited this hadith to argue against the return of Isa (AS) in his early writings — before subsequently claiming prophethood for himself.

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.
Mujaddid مُجَدِّد: A renewer of religion — a scholar Allah sends at the start of each Islamic century to revive and purify Islam, based on a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. A Mujaddid is not a prophet, receives no binding revelation, and has no claim on other Muslims' allegiance. MGA's first and most modest claim was that of Mujaddid of the 14th century, before escalating to prophethood.
Mujiza مُعْجِزَة: A miracle — a supernatural act performed by a prophet through divine permission (bi-idhniLlah) as Allah's authentication of their mission. MGA declared "miracle is the first brick of Islam" and condemned miracle-denial as atheism (dahriyyat) — then systematically denied every miracle of Isa (AS) while claiming lesser natural phenomena as his own divine signs.
Musaylimah مُسَيْلِمَة: A man who claimed prophethood after the Prophet ﷺ and was killed during the Riddah (apostasy) wars under Abu Bakr (RA). The Companions' unanimous and immediate response to his claim — without any debate about whether a "shadow" or likeness-prophet was permissible — demonstrates their settled understanding that the door of prophethood was sealed absolutely.
Mushaf مُصْحَف: A compiled written copy of the Quran. The first official Mushaf was compiled under Abu Bakr (RA) by Zaid ibn Thabit after the Battle of Yamama, with strict two-witness verification for every verse. The Uthmanic Mushaf, standardised under Uthman (RA) and distributed to major cities, is the basis of every copy of the Quran in circulation worldwide today.
Mutawatir مُتَوَاتِر: A hadith or report transmitted through so many independent chains that fabrication is impossible — the highest grade of certainty in Islamic hadith sciences. The hadiths on the physical return of Isa (AS) are of this grade (Bukhari, Muslim), which is why Ahmadiyya must reinterpret them metaphorically rather than simply reject them.

N

Nabi نبي: Prophet — a person who receives divine revelation (wahi). Orthodox Islam holds the office closed with Muhammad ﷺ.
Nubuwwat نُبُوَّة: Prophethood — the divinely appointed office of a Nabi. In Islamic theology, the institution of nubuwwat was permanently sealed with Muhammad ﷺ. MGA used the finality of nubuwwat as his primary argument against the return of Isa (AS), then claimed nubuwwat for himself — a contradiction he attempted to resolve through the novel concept of Buroozi prophethood.
Nuzool نُزُول: Descent — the physical, bodily coming down from the heavens. In Islamic eschatology, specifically refers to the return of Isa (AS) before the Day of Judgement, descending at the white minaret east of Damascus with his hands on the wings of two angels (Muslim 2937). Ahmadiyya reinterprets this physical descent as a metaphorical fulfilment through MGA's birth in Qadian.

Q

Qadar قَدَر: The Divine Decree — the sixth article of Islamic faith. Belief that Allah's knowledge is perfect and complete, that He decreed all things, and that what He foretells in a genuine prophecy cannot fail. Ahmadiyya's recasting of failed prophecies (Muhammadi Begum, the age prophecy) as "conditional" sits in direct tension with the certainty that true prophetic decree requires.
Qibla قِبْلَة: The direction of prayer — toward the Kaaba in Makkah. In classical Islamic legal discourse, Ahl al-Qibla (People of the Qibla) designates all Muslims, and issuing takfir against Ahl al-Qibla was treated with extreme caution by classical scholars. MGA initially wrote "I do not give the name of kafir to any Kalima-reciter" — before later doing exactly that.
Qira'at قِرَاءَات: The documented, authoritative transmission lines of Quranic recitation, each traced by a continuous named chain of teachers back to the Prophet ﷺ. Seven major and ten total Qira'at are formally recognised. Distinct from the seven Ahruf — the Ahruf were the revealed dialects; the Qira'at are specific documented chains of reciters.
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

Rafa' رَفْع: Elevation/ascension — Allah's raising of Isa (AS) to Himself, referenced in the Quran: "rather, Allah raised him up to Himself" (4:158) and "I will take you and raise you to Myself" (3:55). Orthodox Islam holds this was a bodily, physical ascension. The tawaffi-vs-rafa debate is central to Ahmadiyya's argument that Isa died before any ascension.
Rasul رسول: Messenger — a prophet given a new scripture or law. All rasuls are nabis, but not all nabis are rasuls.
Rububiyyah رُبُوبِيَّة: Belief in Allah's Lordship — that He alone is the Creator, Sustainer, and Master of all that exists. One of the three categories of Tawhid in Sunni theology. The Quran notes that even the polytheists of Makkah acknowledged Allah's Rububiyyah (29:61) while still being mushrikeen because they failed the next category (Uluhiyyah).
Ruhun minhu رُوحٌ مِّنْهُ: "A Spirit from Him" — one of the Quranic titles of Isa (AS) from Quran 4:171. The phrase denotes Isa's special distinction and honour in Allah's sight, not that he partakes of Allah's essence. Paired with Kalimatullah, these titles place Isa (AS) among the most honoured prophets — a rank that MGA's attacks on his character directly contradict.

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.
Salaf al-Salih السَّلَف الصَّالِح: The righteous predecessors — the first three generations of Muslims praised by the Prophet ﷺ: the Companions (Sahaba), their students (Tabi'een), and their students' students. The Quran praises "the forerunners, the first of the Muhajirin and Ansar, and those who follow them in righteousness" (9:100). Their understanding of the Quran and Sunnah is the primary interpretive benchmark in Sunni theology.
Shaq ul Qamar شَقُّ الْقَمَر: The splitting of the moon — a miracle of the Prophet ﷺ recorded in Bukhari (3637), Muslim (2800), and referenced in the Quran (54:1). Classical Tafsir is unanimous it was a physical, witnessed event. MGA reinterpreted it as a mere lunar eclipse, while simultaneously claiming a lunar eclipse in his own era as divine proof of his prophethood.
Shari'ah شَرِيعَة: The sacred law of Islam derived from the Quran and Sunnah. When Isa (AS) returns at the end of times, orthodox belief holds he will rule by the Shari'ah of Muhammad ﷺ, bring no new law or scripture, and pray behind the Muslim leader — precisely why his return does not violate the finality of prophethood.
Shirk شِرْك: Associating partners with Allah in His divinity, lordship, or sole right to worship — the gravest sin in Islam, the one sin the Quran states Allah does not forgive if died upon (4:48). MGA himself wrote: "Just as idol-worship is shirk, so is lying shirk" — a standard he applied to others but not to himself.
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

Tabi'een تَابِعِين: The second generation of Muslims — those who came after the Sahaba and were taught directly by them. Together with the Sahaba and their students (Taba' al-Tabi'een), they form the Salaf al-Salih whose collective understanding of Islamic belief and practice carries the highest authority after the Quran and Sunnah in Sunni theology.
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.
Takfir تَكْفِير: The act of declaring another Muslim a kafir and outside the fold of Islam. Classical scholars restricted this severely, considering it a grave matter. Ahmadiyya publicly claims it does not practice takfir, but foundational texts (MGA's 1906 revelation in Tadhkirah; Kalimatul Fasl by Mirza Bashir Ahmad) show a systematic doctrinal position that all non-Ahmadis who reject MGA are not Muslims.
Tanzih تَنزِيه: The absolute transcendence of Allah — He is utterly unlike His creation in every respect: "There is nothing like unto Him" (42:11). The foundational principle that safeguards Tawhid. MGA's claimed revelations placing him "in the station of My Throne," calling him "My son" and "My Oneness" erode the line Tanzih exists to protect.
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.
Tawrah تَوْرَاة: The scripture revealed to Musa (Moses) (AS) — one of the Books Muslims must affirm. Muslims believe the original divine Tawrah was later corrupted by human hands, so today's Torah does not fully represent the original revelation. The Quran supersedes and preserves what was lost or altered from all previous scriptures.

U

Uluhiyyah أُلُوهِيَّة: Belief in Allah's sole right to be worshipped — that all acts of worship (prayer, supplication, sacrifice, vows) must be directed to Allah alone. The category of Tawhid most violated by shirk. The Prophet ﷺ defined dua as worship, making calling upon any other than Allah in supplication a violation of Uluhiyyah.
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.
Ummati أُمَّتِيٌّ: A member of the Ummah. In eschatological context, when Isa (AS) returns he acts as an Ummati — a follower of the Shari'ah of Muhammad ﷺ, ruling by the Quran with no new law or scripture. This is the orthodox resolution to how a prophet can return without breaking the finality of prophethood.

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.

Z

Zabur زَبُور: The scripture revealed to Dawud (David) (AS) — one of the four Books Muslims must affirm. Corresponds broadly to the Psalms. Muslims believe the original divine Zabur, like the Tawrah and Injil, has been altered over time, and the Quran is the final uncorrupted divine scripture.

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