the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

Ijaza: Certification.
Ijtihad: Independent reasoning.
Imam: (1) In both Sunni and Shi‘a Islam this the leader of congregational prayers who may
also deliver the Friday prayer (Jum’a) sermon; more generally, a person of authority within
the community. (2) In Shi‘a Islam this exclusively refers to a series of people, descended
from the Prophet Muhammad, who by lineage are considered divinely guided spiritual
leaders.
Imamate: The position or institution, in Shi‘a Islam, that is comprised of a series of divinely
guided Imams.
Iman: Faith in God.
Islam: Submission to God’s will.
Ka’ba: The large cubic building in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, adorned in gold
embroidered black fabric, referred to by Muslims as the ‘House of God’. This structure
marks the direction in which Muslims pray and is central to the Hajj pilgrimage when
it is circumambulated, a practice rooted in pre-Islamic Arabia when it contained idols
subsequently removed by the Prophet Muhammad.
Khateeb: One who traditionally delivers a sermon; orator.
Khawerij : A group of Muslims in early Islamic history who went against the larger
community and became outsiders. A term used to describe political deviants.
Khums: Literally, 1/5 in Arabic; a religious tax of 1/5 of one’s income owed by followers of
Usuli Twelver Shi‘a to a very senior cleric.
Madhabs: Traditional schools of Islamic legal methodology (e.g. Hanbali, Maliki, Shafi’i,
Hanafi, Jafari), that draw on the teachings and followers of four highly regarded scholars.
Madrassa: The Arabic word for ‘school’. Can refer to a religious school.
Marja/Marjaiyya: The highest position of authority in the Usuli school of Twelver Shi’i fiqh.
Also referred to as marja taqlid, meaning literally one who is worthy of being imitated.
Masjid: Arabic word for 'mosque'.
Maturidi: The school of Sunni Orthodoxy named after the followers of the 9th century
scholar Muhammad Abu Mansur al Maturidi (853-944 CE).
Mufti: A Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give rulings on religious matters.
Muqri: A reciter of Qur’an.
Murid: Follower of a Sufi guide or order.
Mutabarrik: Supporter or affiliate of a Sufi guide or order.
Mu’tazili: An almost obsolete school of Sunni Islam, popular in the 8th century, that
advocates the belief that the Qur’an was created—as opposed to the Orthodox Sunni view
that it is eternal and uncreated.
Nasheed: Religious song traditionally performed without musical instruments.
Qibla: The direction in which Muslims make their five daily prayers; the direction of the
Ka’ba in Mecca.
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