General Resources
Glossaries
Glossary
Class handout; prepared by Professor
Vogel
Glossary of Islamic
Terms and Concepts
From the Muslim Students Association at USC
Glossary of Islamic Terms
From the Council on Islamic Education
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General Background on Islam
Islam
A short background history by Professor John Voll
from the Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion
On-Line Islamic Studies
Resources
From Rutgers University
Islamic Studies Homepage
From Godlas at the University of Georgia
Islamic
Law
Islamic Legal Studies Program
Harvard Law School
Centre of Islamic
and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL)
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of
London – good source of links and resources on Islamic Law
Advanced Legal Studies Institute
Islamabad, Pakistan. From the site: “The students of Islamic
law may treat this infobase and the one that follows as a flexible
syllabus for studying Islamic law and Islamic banking. In fact,
the main idea behind this site is to develop the material on this
site keeping the needs of the viewers in sight, especially the needs
of the students of Islamic law.”
Universal Islamic Declaration
of Human Rights
Law and Justice
By Joseph Schacht from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Islam.
Qur’an
Quran Browser
Search, browse, and compare 6 different English translations
Holy Quran Center
The Qur'an in both English and Arabic script, with Arabic
recitation by verse or chapter. Also includes translations
in many languages, from Albanian to Urdu. The Qur'an in both English
and Arabic script, with Arabic recitation by verse or chapter.
Also includes translations in many languages, from Albanian to Urdu.
Qur’an Guide Picks
General Qur’an links from About.com
Hadith
Translation
of Sahih Bukhari
From Muslim Students Association at USC
Translation
of Sahih Muslim
From Muslim Students Association at USC
Hadith Collection
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Contemporary Thought
General Links
Theory and Practice of
Democracy in Islam
RealAudio proceedings
of the Center for Islam and Democracy's First Annual Conference
Islam,
Democracy, and the Secularist State
Proceedings of the
Center for Islam and Democracy's 2nd annual Conference, inluding
papers by various scholars on the connection between Islam and Democracy.
Liberal
Islam: Prospects & Challenges
By
Charles Kurzman. Also see his Liberal Islam page
for links to other works on Liberal Islam and his anthology of contemporary
thought.
Islam
and Modernism
On-line
book surveying major Islamic thinkers of the 20th Century,
including Iqbal, Maududi, Qutb, Khomeini, Shariati, and Rahman,
among others
Islamic Fundamentalism
Reconsidered:A Critical Outline of Problems, Ideas and Approaches
From the Legal Research
and Resource Centre for Human Rights in Cairo
Specific Thinkers
Muhammad Iqbal links:
Fazlur
Rahman links:
·
The Message of Fazlur
Rahman
Mohammad Arkoun links:
Abdolkarim
Soroush links:
Nasir
Hamid Abu Zaid links:
Abdullahi
Ahmed An-Na'im links:
Mohammad Sharoor
links:
·
Reading the Religious
Text – A New Approach
Khaled
Abou El Fadl links:
Muhammad
Sa’id al-‘Ashmawi links:
Hasan
al-Banna links:
Abul
A’la Maududi links:
·
Maududi page from
Interlink
·
Finality of Prophethood
·
Human Rights in Islam
·
The Moral System
of Islam
·
Witness unto Mankind
Seyyid
Qutb links:
Al-Farida
Al-Ghai’iba links:
- Faraj
and the Neglected Duty: Interview with Johannes Jansen, translator
of Al-Farida Al-Ghai’ba
and author of The Neglected Duty: The Creed of
Sadat's Assassins and Islamic Resurgence in the Middle East
Hasan
Al-Turabi links:
Azizah
al-Hibri links:
Ashgar
Ali Engineer links:
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GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC LEGAL TERMS (IN ARABIC TRANSLITERATION)(1)
Revised:
October 3, 2000
Prof.
Vogel
`adl (pl. `udul) of good character,
a witness
ahadith pl. of hadith
ahkam khamsa five ahkam, or
five legal qualifications of acts: haram, wajib, makruh, mandub,
mubah
ahkam sultaniyya constitutional and
administrative law, subject of special works
ahl al-kitab lit., "People of
the Book"; non-Muslims who possess a scripture
`alim one possessing `ilm, knowledge;
scholar; scholar of the religious sciences; sing. of `ulama'
`amal practice; labor; doctrine of judicial custom
developed in the Maliki school
`amal of Medina judicial practice of Medina
amana fiduciary relationship; deposit on trust;
trust
amir lit., "commander," prince, ruler
amir al-mu'minin "Commander of the Faithful,"
a title of the Caliph
amin trustworthy; one under fiduciary responsibility
(amana)
amr bil-ma`ruf ordering the good,
the "known" or "approved"
`aqila kinship or other group responsible for
payment of blood compensation
`ariyya a loan for use only, not consumption (cf.
qard)
`ayb defect
`ayn an individual; a specific thing
batil invalid, null and void
batin inward state, inner truth
bay`a oath of allegiance
bayyina evidence
bughah rebels
da`if weak, used of a faulty hadith
dar al-Islam territory of the Islamic state
dar al-harb territory of the enemy
darura necessity
dhimma covenant; responsibility; obligation;
legal capacity of the individual to undertake obligations; situs
of obligations and rights in the individual
dhimmi(s) non-Muslim(s) protected by
a treaty of surrender
dinar the standard gold coin
dirham the standard silver coin
diwan army list, office or ministry of royal
court
diya blood-money
dukhul consummation (of marriage)
faqih (pl. fuqaha') specialist
in fiqh
fara'id the portions allotted to the heirs, succession
in general; sing. fard, fixed share of
an heir
fard duty, obligation imposed by the shari`a;
see also fara'id
fard `ayn individual obligation, falling
on the specific individual
fard kifaya collective obligation,
falling on all capable of it
fasad al-zaman the (ever-increasing)
corruption of the times
fasid defective, voidable
fasiq sinner (opp.`adl)
faskh cancellation; rescission of a contract
fatawi (or fatawa) pl. of fatwa
fatwa (pl. fatawi) an opinion by a
qualified scholar on a point of law
fiqh the science of the divine law, the sum
of man's knowledge of God's law
fuqaha' (pl . of faqih) specialists in
fiqh
furu` the "branches", derived legal
rules, opposed to usul
gharar risk, hazard, uncertainty
ghasb usurpation
hadana care of the child by the mother
hadd (pl. hudud) a fixed punishment
for certain crimes held stipulated in the Qur'an
hadith (pl. ahadith) a report of a saying,
action or acquiescence of the Prophet
haja need
hakam arbitrator
halal not forbidden
haqq truth, right, claim
haqq adami right of man (as opposed
to a right or claim of Allah)
haqq Allah right or claim of Allah
(as opposed to a right of man)
haram forbidden
hawala transfer of a claim or of a debt
hila, pl. hiyal legal artifice, device
hiraba or muharaba crime of "war
against God and His Prophet,.. spread[ing] corruption on earth"
[Q 5:33], usually understood as highway robbery
hisba the office of the muhtasib
hiyal (pl.of hila) legal artifices,
devices
hudud (pl. of hadd), fixed punishments
for certain crimes
hukm (pl. ahkam) rule, judgment,
status, qualification, value
`ibadat acts of worship, opposed to mu`amalat,
or transactions among men
`idda waiting-period of a woman after termination
of marriage
iflas bankruptcy
ijara hire and lease
ijma` consensus
ijma` ahl al-Madina consensus of the
scholars of Medina
ijma` sukuti tacit ijma`,
one where each scholar's agreement is not explicit
ijtihad effort, use of individual reasoning in
matters of fiqh
ikhtilaf disagreement
ikhtiyar choice by a scholar among competing views
ikrah duress
ila' oath of abstinence from intercourse by
the husband
`illa efficient cause, term used for the basis
of analogy in qiyas
`ilm (pl. `ulum) knowledge,
a science
imam lit., leader, thus, leader of prayer, caliph,
founder of a madhhab
`ina double sale, a device for evading the prohibition
of interest
iqrar acknowledgement, confession
isnad the chain of transmitters of a hadith
or other historical narration
istihsan "approval", a discretionary opinion
in breach of strict qiyas
istishab method of legal reasoning, relates to certain
probative presumptions
istislah taking the public interest, maslaha,
into account
istisna` contract of manufacture
`itq manumission of a slave
`iwad consideration, countervalue
Jahiliyya age before Islam in Arabia
jahala ignorance, indeterminacy
ja'iz allowed, unobjectionable
jihad striving in God's cause, holy war
jinaya (pl. jinayat) tort, delict
jins genus
jizya poll-tax
kafa'a equality by birth
kafala suretyship
kaffara religious expiation
kafir unbeliever
katib secretary of the qadi; "clerk
of the court"
khalifa caliph. Generally, successor, vicegerent
khalwa privacy (between husband and wife)
khamr wine, grape-wine, intoxicant
kharaj land-tax
khul` a form of divorce
kufr infidelity, disbelief
lazim binding
li`an divorce by exchanged oaths after spouse's
accusation of adultery
madhhab (pl. madhahib) "school"
of religious law
maharim (pl. of mahram)
mahdar minutes, the written record of proceedings
before the qadi
mahr nuptial gift
mahram (pl. maharim) person related to
another within the forbidden degrees
majalla the Ottoman Code of Obligations based
on Shari`a, enacted in 1876
mal property; res in commercio
mal mutaqawwam a property possessed of a value in sight
of the law
mal ribawi property susceptible to riba
manfa`a benefit; right of use
marsum "decree", term for legislation
by ruler
masalih mursala "unrestricted"
utility, utility not enjoined or excluded by revelation
maslaha interest, utility; public interest
mashru` lawful; legitimate
maysir a game of hazard
mayta animals not ritually slaughtered
mazalim see nazar fil-mazalim
mithl just mean, average, fair
mu`amalat transactions among men, opposed to `ibadat,
or acts of worship; sing. mu`amala; euphemism for `ina
mubah indifferent (not obligatory, recommended,
reprehensible, or forbidden)
mubara'a a form of divorce
mudaraba sleeping partnership
mudarib active partner in mudaraba
mufti a specialist in religious law issuing legal
opinions
muharaba or hiraba, crime of "war
against God and His Prophet,... spread[ing] corruption on earth"
[Q 5:33], usually understood as highway robbery
muharram forbidden
muhsan never married, chaste
muhtasib the Islamic official charged with amr
bil-ma`ruf, including inspection of the market
mujahid one who carries out jihad
mujtahid one qualified to practice legal ijtihad
mukallaf legally responsible under the religious
law
mumayyiz "intelligent", "discriminating"
minor
munkar rejected; improper; evil
muqallid one practicing taqlid
murabaha sale for cost plus a percentage
murtadd apostate
musharaka partnership
mustahabb recommended
mut`a temporary marriage, indemnity payable in
certain cases of divorce by the husband
mutawatir category of hadith report; narrated
from generation to generation, at each stage by such a large number
of narrators as to preclude their collusion
nabidh something thrown or cast; a drink made
from steeping fruits in water
nafaqa maintenance and support among family members
nafy banishment
nahy `an al-munkar forbidding the
evil, lit., the "rejected"
nass lit., "text," technically, can
mean either a text of the Qur'an or Sunna, or a legal rule explicitly
given by a text or ijma`
naskh abrogation or repeal (naskh, repealing
passage, mansukh, the one repealed)
nazar fil-mazalim "investigation
of complaints"; ruler's jurisdiction to right wrongs
naw` species
nikah marriage
niyya intent
nizam, nizam-name "ordinance",
used of modern, secular regulations
nukul refusal (to take the oath, &c.)
qabd possession
qada' the art of adjudication, delayed satisfaction
of religious obligation
qadhf false accusation of unlawful intercourse
qadi Islamic judge
qadi al-qudah the chief qadi
qanun "law", used of secular acts and
administrative law
qanun-name a text containing one or several qanuns
qard loan of fungible objects for consumption
qasama a kind of compurgation
qat` al-tariq highway robbery
qat`i beyond doubt, apodictic, certain, opp.
zanni
qatl homicide
qawad retaliation
qawa`id rules, technical principles of fiqh,
subject of special works
qisas retaliation
qiyas analogy
rabb al-mal capital investor or sleeping partner in
mudaraba
rahn pledge, pawn, security
rasul messenger, prophet
ra'y "opinion", individual reasoning
riba interest; usury; unjust enrichment
ribawi susceptible of riba
riba al-fadl riba by way of increase or excess
in exchange
riba al-Jahiliyya riba of period before Islam
riba al-nasi'a riba by way of delay in payment
rida` foster or milk relationship
ridda apostasy
sadaq nuptial gift
sadaqa charity
sahih valid, legally effective
sakk (pl. sukuk) written document
salam contract for delivery with prepayment
sanad same as isnad
sarf currency exchange
sariqa theft
shahada testimony, evidence of witnesses
shahid (pl. shuhud) witness
shar`, shari`a divine law
shari`a divine law
sharika, shirka society, partnership
shurut stipulations in contracts; legal formularies;
prerequisites; formal requirements
shaykh al-Islam the chief mufti
of the Ottoman Empire
shuf`a pre-emption
shuhud (pl. of shahid) witness
shura consultation
shurb al-khamr wine-drinking
sijill written judgment of the qadi
siyasa "policy", administration
siyasa shar`iyya siyasa within
the limits assigned to it by the shari`a
suftaja bill of exchange
sukuk (pl. of sakk)
sulh amicable settlement
sultan authority, dominion, ruling power, ruler
sunna precedent, normative legal custom; recommended
sura chapter of the Qur'an
ta`addin violation of trust (amana)
tafriq a judicial dissolution of marriage
taghrir misrepresentation
tahlil device to remove an impediment to marriage
takaful mutual responsibility; mutual guarantee
talaq divorce by the husband's declaration
talfiq combining the doctrines of more than one
school
ta`liq al-talaq declaration of conditional
talaq
taqiyya dissimulation
taqlid relying upon the opinion of another, not
practicing ijtihad
tarika estate
tasarruf legal right to act as to, of disposal
over, property
tawatur narration of a report from generation
to generation, at each stage by such a large number of narrators
as to preclude their collusion, adj. is mutawatir
tawba repentance
ta`zir punishment discretionary with the qadi
tazkiya accreditation of witness as `adl,
lit., purification
`udul (pl. of `adl) professional witnesses,
notaries
`ulama' the religious scholars of Islam
`ulum (pl.of `ilm) sciences
`umara' (pl. of amir) commanders, rulers
`urf custom
usul (sing.asl) lit., roots (opp. to
furu`), the sources of fiqh (as usul al-fiqh)
usul al-fiqh roots or sources of fiqh,
science of legal reasoning and derivation
wajib obligatory, definite, binding, due
wakala agency
wali legal guardian
wali al-amr "one in charge of affairs",
general term for de facto ruler of state
wali al-dam the next of kin who has the right to demand
retaliation
waqf pious foundation, mortmain
warith heir
wasaya (pl. of wasiyya)
wasi executor and/or guardian appointed by testament
wasiyya (pl. wasaya) legacy
watha'iq (pl. of wathiqa)
wathiqa (pl. watha'iq) written document
wilaya competence, jurisdiction
yamin oath
zahir the literal meaning (of Qur'an and Traditions),
apparent, "outward" state
Zahiri "Literalist," follower of the
Zahiri school of law
zakat alms-tax
zann surmise, guess, probable truth
zanni see qat`i
zina adultery, unlawful intercourse
1. In preparing this glossary, use was made
of the glossary included in J. Schacht, Introduction to Islamic
Law (1964).
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