Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
-
Upload
charanmann9165 -
Category
Documents
-
view
20 -
download
2
description
Transcript of Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 1/19
Islamic Ethics and Moral PhilosophyVoiced Dictionary of Key Terms and Concepts
Practice quizzes
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A‘Adl : Justice. ‘Adl (al) : the Just. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Can also mean a person of probity. Aḥkām alkhamsah (al) : the five judgments or normative categories. The way in which Islamic law and ethics have traditionally dividedhuman behavior. The five categories classifies behavior as obligatory (wājib, fard), recommended (mandūb, mustaḥabb), indifferent,morally neutral or permissible (mubāh), reprehensible (makrūh) and forbidden (ḥarām). Aḥkām alsulṭaniyyah (al) : Political Ordinances. It is the title of a book written by alMāwardī in which the author lists seven conditionsor prerequisites the caliph should meet to qualify for the caliphal office. The prerequisites are: justice, knowledge, soundness of the organsof sense, soundness of body, soundness of judgment, courage and finally the Quraysh pedigree. Ahl alḥaqq : the adherents of the truth (literally: ‘the people of the truth’. It could also mean ‘the people of the true one’ i.e.‘the people of God’). Ahl alkalām (also mutakallimūn) : Muslim theologians (see kalām). According to alFārābī, the methods used by theologians essentiallyrecourse to persuasive (iqnā‘ī) or dialectical (jadalī) arguments, in which imaginative representations tend to replace demonstrativeproofs. AlFārābī believed that these arguments are inferior to dialectical ones. Ajsām albasīṭah (al) : simple bodies, primary elements. According to Ibn Rushd they are four:1) al nār : the fire2) alhawā’ : the air3) almā’ : the water4) alarḍ : the soil. Akhlāq (sing. khuluq) : character, manners; relating to individual mannerism, nature, see [Q68:V4]. According to Ikhwān alṢafā, it is anatural disposition that prepares each and every member part of the body to enable the soul to act. Akhlāṭ (sing. khalīṭ) : mixtures.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 2/19
Alfāẓ (sing. lafẓ) : (pronounced) terms. ‘Ālim (al) : the One who knows. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Also, one of the attributes of the First, according to alFārābī.(see alawwal) Allāh : the God. ‘Amal : action, practice, behavior. ‘Aqīdah : articles of faith. 1. Belief in God (Allāh). 2. Belief that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God. 3. Belief in the Books (Torah, Zabūr (Psalms), Injīl (Gospels), Qur’ān). 4. Belief in the existence of angels and jinn. 5. Belief in the Last Day, Paradise, Hell… 6. Belief in divine qaḍā' and qadar. ‘Aql : reason, mind, intellect (see alFārābī). In his treatise On the Meanings of the Intellect (fī ma‘āni al‘aql), alFārābī gives alist of the meanings of the intellect or reason as used by the general public, the mutakallimūn, and Aristotle.1) prudence or sound judgment in determining what is right and what is wrong.2) the mutakallimūn use it when referring to certain actions enjoined or repudiated by reason (generally received by the public as a whole orfor the most part).3) for Aristotle, it is a “faculty of the soul whereby man is able to attain certainty by recourse to universal, true and necessary premises,known neither by deduction nor reflection, but rather naturally and instinctivelyâ€.4) a part of the soul which is able to gain, through habituation and prolonged experience, a certain apprehension of premises pertaining tovolitional matters, which are susceptible of being sought or shunned. This reason grows with age.5) potential, actual, acquired and active reason. ‘aql,‘āqil wa ma‘qūl : Plato believed that it is the Active Intellect or the unmoved Mover. Clearly distinguishable from the FirstPrinciple (alawwal) upon Whom it depends, it is the ultimate principle of motion, in substance and actuality. Arkān : pillars. They are the ritual practices (‘ibādāt). 1. Declaration of faith. (see Shahādah). 2. Performance of obligatory prayers (see Ṣalāh). 3. Mandatory alms tax (see Zakāh). 4. Fasting all days of Ramaḍān (see Ṣawm). 5. Undertaking the journey of pilgrimage (see Ḥajj).
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 3/19
Ash‘arī (al), Abū alḤassan ‘Alī Ibn Isma‘īl (8734/ 260H 9356/ 324H) : A famous medieval Muslim theologian. He was bornin Basra and he died in Baghdad. Originally he was a member of the Mu‘tazilah but he abandoned their doctrine in 9123. He is theauthor of The Treatises of the Islamic Sects (maqālat alislāmiyyīn). His followers are called the Ash‘arites (alAshā‘iriah). Awwal (al) : the First. Following the example of Proclus of Athens, alFārābī calls God alawwal or the first being from whom all otherbeings emanate. AlFārābī believed that, the successive orders of intellect (‘aql), soul (nafs) and prime matter (hayūlah) arised from theFirst Being through a process of progressive overflowing (see alFārābī). Azraqiyyah (azraqites) : a kharajite group that believes īmān wa ‘amal (faith and action) are not dividable. One cannot pretend to havethe faith unless one acts according to this faith.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z BBāri’ (al) : the Creator. Baṣrī (al), Ḥasan, (born in 642, in Madīnah, died in 728, Basra, Iraq) : an important religious figure in Islam, founder of the school ofrationalism. He argued that a Muslim who commits a kabīrah is a munāfiq (a liar, a hypocrite); hence, he is punished by hell. Bay‘ah : It is an oath of allegiance to the caliph, once he has been established as such. Traditionally this endorsement of the caliph hadto be open/public. A later development of the bay‘ah distinguished between the bay‘ah khāṣah (done only by Muslims) and the bay‘ah ‘āmmah (secondary to bay‘ah khāṣah, and done by NonMuslims too). Burhāniyyah : (from the Arabic noun Burhān = proof) demonstrative philosophy. CConsequentialism: a modern Western moral theory that holds that known consequences dictate moral values. In short, an act is morally rightif and only if that act maximizes the good. DDalīl (pl. dalā’il or adillah) : proof. Deontologism: a modern Western moral theory that holds that actions conform to certain laws, prohibitions, and commandments. Hence,moral acts are acts that conform to the values expressed in the laws, prohibitions and positive commandments (system of obligations). Dhāt : self.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 4/19
EEthics: a. in Greek ‘Ethike/ Ethicos’, relating to good and bad. b. The corpus of rules and the system of principles governing the practice in respect to a single class of human actions. Eudemonia (from Greek): a state of being Happy. Not an instance of feeling Happy. Most influential Ancient Greek thinkers thought thatthe Happy person is the virtuous one. The virtuous person is He who has a settled disposition to reliably do virtuous things. Human virtue(or excellence) consists of courage, moderation, justice and wisdom… in short, in Greek ethical theories, virtuous agents are happy.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z FFaḍīlah –(pl. fadā‘il) : excellence, merit, virtue. Faḥṣ : inquiry, examination. Falsafah : philosophy. The word derives from the Greek philosophia. Faqīh – (pl. fuqahā’) : jurist, jurisprudence, one who practices fiqh jurisprudence. Faqr : poverty. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue), in Sufi teaching. Fārābī (al), Abū Naṣr Muḥammad alFārābī (870950) : one of the renowned Islamic philosophers. He occupies a unique position in thehistory of philosophy, as the link between Greek philosophy and Islamic thought. He is also a leading advocate of the Islamic Neoplatonismschool of reasoning. He became known as the Second Teacher (almu‘allim althānī) after Aristotle himself. His major contribution toIslamic metaphysics was his development of the doctrine of essence and existence. Following the example of Greek philosophers, alFārābībelieved in the concept of emanation according to which the successive orders of intellect (‘aql), soul (nafs) and prime matter (hayūlah)arised from the First Being through a process of progressive overflowing. This issue became one of the most heated controversies betweenthe Islamic philosophers and the theologians (mutakallimūn). He is the author of the Virtuous City (almadīnah alfāḍilah) and the CivilPolity (alSiyāsah almadaniyyah). His philosophical successor was Ibn Sīnā. Farḍ : see wājib. Fayḍ : “emanation†from a purely technical philosophical point of view. The contrast posed was between a world created ex nihilo ata moment in time by God, and a world which emanated eternally from God. The later was frequently opposed by ahl alkalām and seen asheretical (see alFārābī). Fiqh : Islamic law. Originally the word meant 'understanding' or 'knowledge'.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 5/19
Fitnah : social upheaval, civil war. Fitnah is often used to refer to the civil war between ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib and Mu‘āwiyah Ibn AbīṢufyān. GGhaffār (al) : the Forgiver. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Ghalabah : literally, it means “victory, overcoming somethingâ€. Ghalabah is a gender, ethnic, tribal and linguistic based dominancethat forces a choice. Ghāyah : purpose. Ghazālī (al), Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad (10581111) : Muslim theologian. He was also a scholar of Islamic philosophy and a Sufi. He isthe author of Revival of the Religious Sciences (iḥyā' ‘ulūm aldīn).
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z HḤadd : definition. Ḥadīth –(pl. alaḥādīth) : the Arabic word has many meanings: ‘sayings’, ‘uttering’ ‘conversation’, ‘speech’,‘report’. In Islam it means ‘tradition’. It is a record of the sayings or doings of the Prophet and his Companions. The Ḥadīth isconsidered as a source of Islamic law, dogma and ritual second only to the Qur’ān. Ḥajj : pilgrimage to Mecca. It is the fifth of the five pillars (Arkān) of Islām. Ḥākim (al) : the Sage, the Wise. Ḥakīm related to the word ḥikmah (wisdom). 1) AlFārābī refers to Plato as alḥakīm. Alḥakīmān (the two Sages) are Plato and Aristotle.2) alḥakīm is also one of the attributes of the First, according to alFārābī (see alawwal). Ḥaqq (al) : the Truth. One of the 99th attributes of God. Also, one of the attributes of the First, according to alFārābī. (see alawwal). Ḥarām : forbidden. One of the five categories in which Islamic law and ethics have traditionally divided human behavior. Hawā’ : air. Ikhwān alṢafā use hawā’ as “climateâ€. Ḥayā’ : bashfulness, shyness. Hayūlā : substance, matter, indivisible matter, primordial matter (see alFārābī Ibn Rushd).
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 6/19
Ḥayy (al) : the Living. One of the 99th attributes of God. Also, one of the attributes of the First, according to alFārābī (see alawwal). Hedonism: a moral theory that argues that: a) morals are of consequence only if they motivate the agent to act, b) The agent will act only to receive pleasure and avoid pain. Hidāyat Allāh : divine guidance, God’s guidance. Ḥikmah : wisdom. Ḥilm : forebearance, indulgence, gentleness.
Ḥusn aldhātī (al) : inherent goodness. A mu‘tazilah doctrine.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z IIblīs : satan. Ibn ‘Atā’ al Ghazāl, Wāṣil, also called Abū Ḥudhayfah (700– 748, Arabia) : After he left alBaṣrī 's study circle, he founded theMu‘tazilite school of thought. Ibn Rushd, Abū elWalīd Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad (1126 1198) : he is known in the West as Averroes, a HispanoArab philosopher,commentator on Aristotle, who also was a qadi and a doctor. His books were ordered to be burned and very little has remained of hiswritings. Ibn Rushd argued that all “imperfect†existing bodies consist of hayūlā (substance) and ṣūrah (form). He considers that anyjism (body) has to be a combination of these two components in order to be able to exist (see alajsām albasīṭah, hayūlā, ṣūrah). ‘Iffah : temperance, purity, abstinence. Ijmā‘ : in jurisprudence this term can be translated as 'consensus'. Along with the Qur’ān, the Sunnah. It is one of the main sourcesof law and ethics in Islam. Ijtihād : informed independent reasoning. Ijtimā‘ : derives from the same root as ijmā‘ but it does not have the same legalistic force. Ijtimā‘ can mean consensus orconverging on one idea or conclusion. Ikhlāṣ : sincerity, faithfulness, fidelity. A supporting mystical virtue or a secondorder virtue in Sufi teaching.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 7/19
Ikhtilāṭ : admixture, combination. Ikhtiyār (al) : Men’s free will to choose.
Ikhwān alṢafā : a secret group of Muslim philosophers, theologians and intellectuals who flourished most probably in Basra in the4th/10th or 5th/11th centuries. They were believed to be isma‘īlī. They are the authors of fiftytwo epistles (Rasā'il) which wereencyclopedic in range, covering subjects as diverse as music, astronomy, embryology, and philosophy. According to Ikhwān alṢafā, allsouls (living beings) are moved by the desire to live (shahwat atbaqā’ ) and contempt of death (karāhiyyat alfanā’ ). IkhwānalṢafā also believe that humans act only when faced with:a) positive and negative commands: amr wa nahy b) promise of positive reward and promise of painful reward: wa‘d wa wa‘īd c) praise and bashing: madḥ wa dhamm d) enticement and threat: targhīb wa tarhīb
‘Ilm : science. Genuine knowledge.
Imām : a) leader of the prayers. b) for Shī‘ah, he is the successor of the Prophet and is believed to be infallible.
Īmān : faith, belief. Īmān wa ‘amal : faith and action.
Ins : mankind. Ins has the same root as insān (a human being).
‘Iqāb : punishment. Iqnā‘ (adj. iqnā‘ī/ iqnā‘ yyah) : persuasion. According to alFārābī, persuasion is a form of conjecture (ẓann), in which onebelieves a thing to be such and such, although it is possible for it to be otherwise. (see ra’y) Irādah : volition, want, will. ‘Ishq : erotic passion. According to alFārābī, it is a disposition of the human soul to seek the satisfaction of ‘beastly’ passionand renounce divine things. Islām : literally, it means ‘submission’. Islām is one of the three monotheistic religions. It was founded by Muḥammad in the 7thcentury, after God reveald the Qur’ān to him through the archangel Jibrīl.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 8/19
Isti‘dād : preparedness. I‘tidāl : moderation. Ittiṣāl : conjunction. According to alFarābī, when humans attain the highest stage of theoretical knowledge, they attain the stage ofunion with the Active Intellect. AlFarābī sometimes calls this stage conjunction, sometimes proximity, of which humans’ ultimatehappiness consists.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z JJabbār (al) : the Restorer. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Jabr (al) : Opposite of ikhtiyār. Jabriyyah : early Muslims who believed in predetermination. Jadal (adj. Jadalī/ jadaliyyah) : dialectic. AlFārābī believed that one cannot acquire genuine knowledge without prior training indialectic. Jāhiliyyah : derives from the Arabic noun jahl (state of ignorance). It is used to refer to the preIslamic period. Jannah (al) : literally: ‘the garden’. In the Qur’ān it is often used to refer to ‘paradise’. Paradise is also referred to withthe words ‘Adan (Eden) and Firdaws. Jawhar : substance. Jazā’ : reward (positive reward).
Jiblah (pl. jibillah) : natural disposition, nature.
Jihād : comes from the Arabic verb jahada: to strive for a better way of life. Jihād means endeavor, strain, exertion, effort, diligence,fighting to defend one's life, land, and religion. Jinn : in the Qur’ān, jinn are beings made from fire (or flame) who can take different forms. There are good jinn and bad ones. Jubā‘ī (al), Abū ‘Alī Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd alWahhab (?303/9156) : one of the celebrated thinkers of mu‘tazilah. He was
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 9/19
born at Jubba in Khuzistan, and he attended the school at Baṣrā of Abū Ya‘qūb Yūsuf alShahhām. Abū alḤassan alAsh‘arī was oneof his pupils, but in 912913 he broke away and founded the Ash‘arite school of thought.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z KKabīrah : grave moral or religious wrong. Kalām : literally it means ‘speech’. In Islam however, ‘ilm al kalām is the science of theology. Therefore, kalām includes thetheological debates that took place in Islam and that dealt with the theological subjects on which some scholars disagreed. Karam : generosity, nobility. Karīm (al) : the Generous. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Khalīfah (pl. khulafā’) : caliph. Originally the word meant “successor†(i.e. of the Prophet). In Islam, the caliph is the head of thecommunity of believers. His functions are secular as well as religious. The first four caliphs are called “alkhulafā’ alrāshidūn (thewise caliphs). In the Qur’ān, the title of khalīfah is given to both Ādam and Dāwūd (David). Khalq : creation. According to alMāturīdī, God created everything including acts. Kharajites (in Arabic khawārij) : derives from the Arabic root ‘kharajah’ (means ‘to go out’, ‘to secede’). Arevolutionary, and egalitarian group that revolted against the Caliph ‘Uthmān Ibn ‘Affān and later against ‘Alī Ibn Alī Ṭālib. In thebattle of Siffīn, opposing ‘Alī Ibn Alī Ṭālib and Mu‘āwiyah Ibn Abī Ṣufyā they refused any form of arbitration saying that the judgmentshould be left only to God. Khāṣṣah : the elite. For alFārābī, the philosopher should be regarded as a member of the elite in an absolute sense. Khawf : fear. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Khayr : as adjective, means ‘charitable’, ‘good’. As nouns, means ‘goodness’, ‘welfare’.
Khilāfah : caliphate. (see khalīfah).
Khuluq ḥasan : a good character, virtuous manner. Kitāb : book.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 10/19
LLadhdhah (pl. ladhdhāt) : pleasure, bliss, enjoyment. According to alGhazālī, the ultimate pleasure (a‘ẓam ladhdhah) is knowingGod. Luṭf : Divine grace. It is a Shī‘ite doctrine arguing that there should be always an infallible imām that exists.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z MMadhhab al ladhdhāt : hedonism. Maḥabbah : platonic love. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Maḥrūrī alṭibā‘ : hot tempered persons. Makrūh : reprehensible, discouraged. One of the five normative categories (see alaḥkām alkhamsah). Mālik: Abū ‘Abd Allāh Mālik Ibn Anas (716 795) : One of the most important jurists of Medieval Islam. He lived and spent most of hislife in Madinah where he also died. He is the founder of the Māliki school that considers the ‘practice’ (‘amal) of Madinah as theideal and example to follow. Mālik is the author of what is considered as the first major Ḥadīth in Islam: The Smoothed Path (almuwaṭṭa’). Nowadays, followers of the Mālikī school of law are located mainly in North Africa as well as the West and Center of the Africancontinent . Mālik (al) : the Ruler or the Owner. One of the 99th attributes of God. Mālik alMulk : the Owner or the Ruler of the universe. One of the 99th attributes of God. Mandūb : recommended (also mustaḥabb). One of the five normative categories (see alaḥkām alkhamsah). Manṭiq : logic. According to alFārābī, logic is a tool which, when used properly, will yield to certainty (yaqīn) in all theoretical andpractical sciences and is absolutely indispensable for attaining that goal. Manṭiq derives from nuṭq. Ma‘qūl : intelligible. AlFārābī believed the First to be an intelligible in act, since matter is what impedes an entity from being anintelligible in act. (see alFārābī) Māturīdī: Muḥammad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Maḥmūd Abū Manṣūr alSamarqandī alMāturīdī alḤanafī (died in 944 in Māturīd inSamarqand) : he was one of the most important imām of the mutakallimūn of ahl alsunnah and the founder of the Māturīdī school oftheology.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 11/19
Mizāj : mixture. Also, temperament, mood, humor, state of mind, physical constitution.
Morality: a. in Latin ‘moralis’, meaning custom; relating to right and wrong in terms of behavior. b. Descriptively: a code of conduct put forward by some group, an individual, or society. c. Normatively: a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. Mubāh : permissible, morally neutral. One of the five normative categories (see alaḥkām alkhamsah). Mughālaṭah : sophistry. Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd Allāh (570632) : prophet of Islam. He is reported to have received the first revelation of the Qur’ān inMecca, through the angel Gabriel (Jibrīl) when he was about 40 years old. Muḥāsabah : selfexamination or accounting for one's own actions. A supporting mystical virtue or a secondorder virtue in Sufi teaching. Muḥdath : created in time. Plato believed that the world is created in time, while Aristotle is alleged to hold that it is eternal. Mukhāṭabah : modes of address.
Munāfiq : Hypocrite, liar.
Muqārabah : see qurb. Murāqabah : vigilance. A supporting mystical virtue or a secondorder virtue in Sufi teaching. Murji’ah : a sect of Islam. Murji’ah believe that ‘sinful’ actions do not adversely affect faith the same way that acts ofobedience are of no benefit if they are accompanied by disbelief. Murji’ah withheld judgment regarding those who start / participate infitnah. Mustaḥabb : recommended (see mandūb). One of the five normative categories (see alaḥkām alkhamsah). Mu‘tazilites (or mu‘tazilah) : the word derives from the Arabic verb i‘tazala: to seclude oneself. In effect, the term refers to somescholars who disagreed with theologians on a number of points among which the doctrine of a created Qur’ān, and man’s free will.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z NNafs (pl. nufūs, anfus) : soul (see alFārābī).
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 12/19
Nāmūs : law, natural law, moral law, possibly religious law. Ikhwān alṢafā, organize all living beings in categories. According to them,plants rank under animals, animals rank under humans, humans rank under wise people, wise people rank under the people of law (nāmūs),who in turn, rank under angels.
Nār : literally: the fire. It is the most common name by which ‘hell’ is referred to in the Qur’ān. Naẓar : literally: sight, discernment. Deliberation. Niyyah : Intention. A supporting mystical virtue or a secondorder virtue in Sufi teaching. Nubuwwah : prophetic office. Nūr : light. Angels are believed to be created from nūr, as opposed to humans (ins) from clay, and jinn from fire. Nūr (al) : The Light. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Nuṭq : speech. Philosophers divided nuṭq in two parts: 1) the power to conceive of intelligible in the practical and theoretical fields. 2) the power of expression in spoken language. PPhilosophers : timeline of medieval philosophers, mystics and thinkers.AlKindī: (805873 CE)Abū alḤassan ‘Alī Ibn Isma‘īl alAsh'arī: (873936 CE)Abū Naṣr Muḥammad alFārābī (870950 CE)Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna) (9801130 CE)Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad alGhaẓālī (10581111)Ibn Tufayl (1101185 CE)Abū alWalīd Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad Ibn Rushd (1126 1198)Ramba'm Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) (11351204 CE)Ibn al'Arābī (11651240)Rabbi Abraham bin HaRamba'm Abraham (son of Maimonides) (11861237 CE)Thomas Aquinas (12241274)Ibn Khaldūn (13321395 CE)
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z Q
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 13/19
Qadariyyah : early Muslims who believed in freewill. Qaḍī : judge. Qalb : heart. According to alGhazālī, it is the same as alrūḥ (the soul, the spirit). The virtues of the heart are: a) virtues of devils: akhlāq alshayāṭīn b) virtues of domestic animals: akhlāq albahā’im c) virtues of predatory animals: akhlāq alsibā‘ d) virtues of angels: akhlāq almalā’ikah Qiyās : 'analogy' or 'analogical reasoning'. A method of extracting (deriving) legal rulings when none exists in the Qur’ān, Sunnah,and ijmā‘ . In his writings, alFārābī is critical of this method of analogy on the ground that it is reductible to similarity (shabah), ratherthan deduction in the strict sense. According to him there are five types of qiyās: the demonstrative, the dialectical, the sophistical, therhetorical and the poetical. Qubḥ aldhātī (al) : inherent badness. A mu‘tazilah doctrine. Qudrah : power to perform an act. Qur’ān : Also spelled in English as Koran. Literally this word means 'Recitation'. The Qur'an is Islam's holiest book. Qurb (also muqārabah) : proximity. According to alFarābī, when humans attain the highest stage of theoretical knowledge, they attainthe stage of union with the Active Intellect. AlFarābī sometimes calls this stage conjunction (ittiṣāl). Quwwah : power.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z RRaḥīm (al) : the Compassionate. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Raḥmān (al) : the Merciful. It is one of the 99th attributes of God. Ra’īs : the Master Ruler. Rajā’ : hope. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 14/19
Ramaḍān : it is the 9th month of the Muslim lunar calendar: it is believed that the Qur’ān was descended that month. It is also themonth of fasting. During the fast the believer must abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse during daylight hours. Ra’y : opinion. According to alFārābī, both conjecture and certainty are species of opinion (ra’y) which is liable to truth orfalsity. Riḍah : satisfaction. It is a virtue produced by love, by pleasant acts, feelings… Rushd : morality, guidance, conscious awareness. Ru’yah : vision.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z SSa‘ādah : happiness. According to alGhazālī, happiness is achieved through: a) the power of anger: quwwat alghaḍab b) the power of lust: quwwat alshahwah c) the power of knowledge: quwwat al‘ilm Ṣabr : patience. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Ṣafḥ : forgiveness. Ṣalāh : ritual prayer. A muslim does his/her prayer five times a day. Ṣalāh is the second of the five Arkān (pillars) of Islām. Ṣāni‘ (al) : the Demiurgus. Plato believed that a Creator whom he called the Demiurgus created the world out of a formless matter. Ṣawm : Fasting during Ramaḍān. It is the third of the five pillars (Arkān) of Islām. Shabībah : group among the kharajites who argued that even a woman who is faithful and practicing can be a khalīfah. Shāfi‘ī (al), Muḥammad Ibn Idrīs (767820) : Muslim jurist, founder of one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Heprovided a formal structure of Islam’s obligation materials in law and morality. His name was given to the Shafi‘ī school ofjurisprudence founded by his disciples: the Shāfi‘īs. Shahādah : profession of faith that a person must recite in order to become a Muslim. It is the first of the five pillars (Arkān) of Islām,and is declared once a lifetime.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 15/19
Shahwah (pl. shahawāt) : craving, desire, passion, lust, appetite (see Ikhwān alṢafā, and alGhazālī).
Shajā‘ah : courage. Shakk : doubt. According to alFārābī, shakk is the suspension of judgment with respect to two opinions equally credible. Shar‘ : “the road leading to water†(or to the source of life). It is also coined to refer to law. Sharī‘ah : Commonly referred to as “Islamic law†it is a code of behavior, a composite science of law and morality that is at thesame time more and less than a simple legal system in the Western sense of the term. More, because it regulates private acts such as ritualpractices of the faith or social behavior. Less, because it ignores entire parts of human activity that would be taken into consideration inother juridical codes. Thus, Sharī‘ah is a combination of law, morality, religion and etiquette. Sharr : what is bad, evil. Shāṭibī (al), Abū Isḥāq Ibn Mūsā alShāṭibī alMālikī (?1388) : One of the founding scholars of uṣūl alfiqh, he laid great emphasis onthe requirement of complete knowledge and erudition in the Arabic language, not merely correct understanding, for those who practiceijtihād. He is the author of muwafaqāt fī uṣul alSharī‘ah (The Congruences of the Sources of the Divine Law). Shawq : yearning. It is a virtue produced by love in Sufi teaching. Shī‘ah : originally, means ‘group’, ‘party’, ‘followers of someone’. Shī‘ah is one of the two major theologicaland legal school of thought in Islam. It derives from Shī‘at ‘Alī (followers of ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib). The Shi‘ites believe that it is ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib (cousin and soninlaw of the Prophet) rather than Abū Bakr who should have succeeded Muḥammad. In the civil war(fitnah) between ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib and Mu‘āwiyah Ibn Abī Ṣufyān they supported ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib. They also argue for the needfor infallible imām to head the community. Shi‘ite: anglicized from the Arabic word Shī‘i (a member of the Shī‘ah group). Shukr : gratitude, thankfulness. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Ṣidq : truthfulness. A supporting mystical virtue or a secondorder virtue in Sufi teaching. Ṣinā‘at al kalām : art of theology (see kalām). Sīrah (pl. siyar) : history of way of life. Ṣūfi : an adept of Sufism (ṣūfiyyah or taṣawwuf).
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 16/19
Ṣūfiyyah or Taṣawwuf : Sufism, the mysticism of Islām. Sunnah : literally, it can mean ‘trodden path’, ‘way’, ‘rule’, ‘manner of acting’ or ‘mode of life’. Originally it meant 'customary practice', it now indicates the specific actions or doings of the Prophet Muḥammad himself verses the specificsayings (Ḥadīth or reports). Since the life of the Prophet is believed to be virtuous and exemplary, the acts of Muḥammad provide the normsand set the model of human life and behavior (Sunnah). These virtuous acts are then converted into obligations of which total constitutes theSharī‘ah. Customarily, Sunnah and Ḥadīth are used interchangeably nowadays. (see Ḥadīth). Ṣūrah : according to Ibn Rushd, the ṣūrah is the entity that does enjoy neither power (quwwah) nor preparedness (isti‘dād).
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z TṬā‘ah : obedience.
Ṭabī‘ah (pl. ṭabā’i‘) : nature.
Tafakkur : meditation, deliberation, pondering. A supporting mystical virtue, or a secondorder virtue in Sufi teaching. Ṭalāq : Divorce. A saying attributed to the Prophet states that among all things permitted by God, divorce is the most blameworthy. Thusdivorce is clearly permitted in Islam but not encouraged. If the divorce is done by repudiating a marriage three times then this repudiationcancels any opportunity for reconciliation. Otherwise, it should be followed by a waiting period of three menstrual cycles that is supposed togive the spouses a chance of reconciliation and/or to determine if the wife is pregnant. Ta‘līm : instruction, teaching. Taqṣīr : poor judgment. Taqiyyah : Dissimulation of one's religion, especially in time of persecution or danger. The practice is permitted by the shī‘ah. Taṣawwuf : see ṣūfiyyah. Taṣawwur : conception. Tasdīd : leading, guiding, directing, conducting. Taṭahhur : see Taṭayyub.
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 17/19
Taṭayyub / Taṭahhur : personal hygiene, ritual purity. Tawakkul : trust in God, rely on God. . It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Tawbah : Repentance, atonement. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Tawḥīd : declaration of divine unity. It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Ta’wīl : the interpretation of the words of the Lawgiver or His ordinances. Ta’yīd : Support. Turbah or turāb : soil. Adam, the first man, is made of turbah or turāb.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z UUmmah (pl. umam) : nation or community. This was a highly emotive word in early Islamic history in the time of the Prophet, andremains so among the Arabs today. Uns : Intimacy. It is a virtue produced by love. Uṣūl alfiqh : Means ‘the roots’ or ‘sources’ of law: foundation of law. Islamic jurisprudence. Utilitarianism: modern moral theorists who adhere to a form of Consequentialism. WWa‘d : promise of good reward for the faithful who upholds a virtuous Islamic life. Wadūd (al) : the Loving. It is one of the 99th attributes of God.
Wa‘īd : threat. "Promise" of painful reward for those who led a nonvirtuous life that contradicted the code of morality established inQur’ān and Sunnah.
Wājib, farḍ : Required, obligatory. One of the five categories in which Islamic law and ethics have traditionally divided human behavior. Y
3/27/2015 Islamic Studies Key Words and Concepts
http://majalla.org/souaiaia/ethics/dictionary/ 18/19
Yaqīn : certain knowledge, certainty (see manṭiq). ZZakāh : Alms tax, Almsgiving. It is the fourth of the five pillars (Arkān) of Islām. Zakāh is obligatory for Muslims, and is given yearly bythose who have to pay it. Ẓann : conjecture. Zindīq (pl. zanādiqah) : unbeliever, heretic, “free thinkerâ€. Zuhd : asceticism, soberness, by the mere necessities (shunning of luxury). It is a principal virtue (a firstorder virtue) in Sufi teaching. Practice quizzes