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| Aammah: | term used to refer to the common people who without thinking follow the beliefs spreading in the general public. |
| Ab'waa: | A town between Mecca and Medina in which Amina (the mother of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) died and Imam Al-Kadhim was born. |
| Abu Bakr: | The first Khalifa of the Al‑Khulafaa Al‑Rashidoon. |
| Abu Hanifa: | Head of the Hanafi School of Thought, who was a student of Imam Ja'far Al-Saadiq for two years. |
| Abu Muslim (Al-Khurasani) | The capable leader who led the massive revolt in Khurasan (Persia) against Benu Umayya leading to their extinction. |
| Abu Yusuf Al‑Qadhi: | Student of Abu Hanifa and later appointed as Supreme Justice by Khalifa Haroon Al-Rashid. He appoint only Justices subscribing only to the emerging Hanafi school of thought thus was very instrumental in spreading the Hanafi school. |
| Ahlul Bayt: | Fatima and the Designated twelve Imams from Ali to Al‑Mahdi (a.s.), who safeguarded the teaching of Islam and conferred it to the Ummah as Muhammad (pbuh) had taught it. |
| Al‑Aammah: | General term used to refer to the common people who without thinking follow the beliefs spreading in the general public. |
| Al‑Ah'kaam: | The detailed rules and regulations of the Shari'ah, according to the Ij'tihaad of the Jurist. |
| Al‑Baqii: | The area in which many of the Designated Imams and Sahaaba are buried. |
| Al-Barmaki: | An influential family in the politics and government of Benu Abbas, used to be Buddhist monks in Balk. |
| Al-Dhah'hak: | Al-Dhah'hak was in charge of an expedition, he took Imam Al-Ridha to Maru in Khurasan. |
| Al‑Hasan: | Son of Ali and Fatima, the second Imam, he was poisoned by Mu'awiya. |
| Al‑Hijaz: | The area near Medina and Mecca, was an intellectual center for about two centuries. |
| Al‑Husain: | Son of Ali and Fatima, the third Imam, the hero of Karbala, by whose sacrifice he saved Islam as a whole. The Muslim Ummah is indebted to him. |
| Al-Kadhim: | The 7th of the Designated Imams. |
| Al‑Khaassah: | The term used for the Shi'a to mean: The Special, The Distinct, or The Elite; generally referred to the devotees of Ahlul Bayt. |
| Al‑Khallal: | An ardent supporter of Ahlul Bayt, and the first appointed Wazir of Benu Abbas, (the second strongest man after the Khalifa) over the country. Al-Khallal was a highly learned person and an extremely efficient administrator. |
| Al-Khillani: | Mosque and burial site of Muhammad Ibn Uthman, the second Safeer (of Imam Al-Mahdi). |
| Al‑Khulafaa Al‑Rashidoon: | The four Khalifas who followed the Prophet (pbuh): They were Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman, and Ali. |
| Al-Kindi: | The first great philosopher of pure Arabic blood, contemporary to Imam Al-Haadi. |
| Al‑Maghrib: | The western provinces of Islamdom, meaning North Africa. |
| Al‑Mansoor: | The second ruler (Khalifa) of Benu Abbas and the effective establisher of their rule. |
| Al‑Masjid Al-Nabawi: | Masjid of the Prophet (pbuh) in Medina |
| Al‑Mu'watta: | Dissertation written by Ibn Malik (head of the Maaliki school of thought) in response to a conditional request of Khalifa Al-Mansoor that Ibn Malik does not quote or mention Imam Ali at all. |
| Al-Nafs Al-Zakiyah: | A great leader who revolted against the oppressive rule of Khalifa Al-Mansoor. |
| Al‑Qiyas: | (The analogy) Methodology of thought often referred to by Abu Hanifa's school of thought. |
| Al‑Raa'y: | (The Opinionated) Methodology of thought often referred to by Abu Hanifa's and some other schools of thought. |
| Al‑Rasikhoon fi Al‑I'lm: | Quranic description of those persons highest in Islamic knowledge, meaning Ahlul Bayt. |
| Al‑Saffah: | The first ruler (Khalifa) of Benu Abbas. |
| Al‑Sawaad: | Iraq, because its soil was so rich and productive that it was black, and its land was crisscrossed by canals for cultivation. |
| Al-Sheybani: | A student of Abu Hanifa; who like Abu Yusuf had his own Fiqh and was instrumental in establishing the Hanafi school of thought. |
| Al‑Zuhri: | A highly respected scholar and graduate of the Institute of Ahlul Bayt who was one of the teachers of Al‑Shafi'i and Al‑Hanbali in later years. |
| Alawi: | A person who is related to Ahlul Bayt. |
| Ali: | Imam Ali was the prominent person after the Prophet, the first Ma'soom Imam, and father of Al‑Hasan and Al‑Husain. Benu Umayya, as their State policy, enforced cursing Ali on the pulpits for as long as they ruled (except for Omar son of Abdul Aziz). |
| Amir: | Prince, or ruler. |
| Ammar son of Yasir: | A highly revered Sahaabi (Companion). |
| Anatolia: | The rugged mountainous area in Asia Minor [Turkey today]. |
| Aqeeqah: | Sacrificing a sheep when a baby is born to a family (Mus'tahab; preferable). |
| Aw'qaaf: | Trusteeship, usually of land. |
| Ayah: | Verse of the Holy Quran. |
| Ayah of Tat'heer: | Ayah on behalf of Ahlul Bayt (Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hasan, and Al‑Husain). It specified their Ismah. |
| Baghdad: | The town built by Al‑Mansoor to be the capital for the Abbasi regime. |
| Basrah: | A town in Iraq used to be an intellectual center for 2-3 centuries. |
| Benu Abbas: | Descendants of Ibn Abbas [who was a highly scholarly person tutored by Imam Ali]. Benu Abbas established their rule after toppling Benu Umayya. |
| Benu Hashim: | The family or the clan of Muhammad (pbuh). |
| Benu Umayya: | A clan in Mecca who were the adversaries of Muhammad (pbuh), then accepted Islam. Afterwards they became the rulers of the Islamic nation. They consisted of Benu Sufyan and Benu Marwan. |
| Berbers: | Unruly tribes in North Africa, converted to Islam and conquered Spain. |
| Bogha: | Originally a slave, became very powerful in the government at the time of Imam Al-Haadi. |
| Books of Usool: | The famous 400 basic books written by the graduates of the Institute of Ahlul Bayt and were used as references afterwards. |
| Bukhari: | The famous person who collected the Hadiths after a high degree of scrutiny. His book is one of Al‑Sihaah Al‑Sittah. He died in the year 256H. |
| Byzantine: | The Christian superpower of the time which was conquered by the Muslims. |
| Corpus of Islamic knowledge: | The books Imam Ali wrote after the Prophet (pbuh) had died. They were to become the very source of reference for the Imams afterwards. They were voluminous, dealing with all aspects of Islam. |
| Deen: | (Religion) The way of life as enjoined by Allah (swt). |
| Designated Imam: | The Designated Imams (12) from Ali to Al‑Mahdi (a.s.) who safeguarded the teachings of Islam and conferred it to the Ummah as Muhammad (pbuh) had taught it. |
| Dhimmi: | A person who is either Christian or Jew under the protection of the Islamic government. |
| Du'aa: | Prayer or supplication, can be said in any language and at any time. |
| Du'aas: | Pleural of Du'aa. |
| Egypt: | A well known country in Africa and a seat of learning. |
| Fatimi: | Dynasty of Isma'ili-Shi'a rulers who ruled in Egypt for several centuries and established Al-Azhar University. |
| Fiqh: | Rules and regulations of Islam. |
| Ghulaat: | The exaggerationists who falsely attributed un‑Islamic attributes to some Imams. |
| Golden Chain of Narration: | The narration of Hadith and other Islamic matters by the persons of Ahlul Bayt. |
| Hajib: | Chief of Protocol of the Khalifa. |
| Hadith: | Saying and recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). |
| Haj: |
One of the pillars of Islam; pilgrimage to Mecca. |
| Hakimah: | Great-aunt of Imam Al-Askari who tended the birth of Imam Al-Mahdi. |
| Halal: | What is ritually permissible in Islam. |
| Hameeda: | Wife of Imam Al‑Saadiq and mother of Al-Kadhim, said to be Spanish or from North Africa. |
| Hanafi school of thought: | One of the major Sunni schools of thought in Islam. |
| Hanbali: | School of thought as led by Ibn Hanbal. |
| Haram: | What is Islamicly unlawful and not allowed, and is punishable. |
| Hijaz: | The province including Medina and Mecca, was an intellectual center for about two centuries. |
| Ibadah: | Features of worship. |
| Ibn Abbas: | Highly scholarly person, tutored by Imam Ali. |
| Ibn Al-Ak'tham: | Supreme Justice of the time whom Benu Abbas chose to contest the teenager Imam Al-Jawaad, and was soundly defeated by Al-Jawaad. |
| Ibn Al-Mu'qaffa': | A gifted administrator who shaped the policy of Khalifa Al-Mansoor. Eventually he was executed for being Zandeeq (the socially abhorred heretic). |
| Ibn Hanbal: | The head of Hanbali school of thought, originally known as As'haab Al-Hadith. |
| Ibn Hirthama: | Man in charge of expedition that escorted Imam Al-Haadi from Medina to Samur'raa. |
| Ibn Omar: | A learned person who was the head of a school in Medina. |
| Ibn Shaahik: | Chief of police and the killer of the imprisoned Imam Al-Kadhim. |
| Ibrahim Ibn Al-Aghlab: | Of Benu Abbas, made governor over Tripoli, was the establisher of Aghlab dynasty. |
| Idrees Ibn Abdullah: | Establisher of the Idreesi dynasty in Morocco, of the progeny of Imam Ali. |
| Idrees II: | Ruler of Morocco of the Idreesi dynasty, active in Islamic missionary work, builder of Fas. |
| Ih'yaa: | Being awake all night in prayer and Du'aa. |
| Ij'tihaad: | Ij'tihaad was extremely instrumental in the development of the Fiqh and stimulation of thought and was practiced from the time of the Prophet (pbuh) onward. |
| I'lm: | Knowledge of the ways of Muhammad (pbuh), Sunnah, Hadith, Tafseer of the Holy Quran, Fiqh as well as the Prophet's Traditions. |
| Imamah: | A fundamental component of the Five Pillars in Islam according to the Imamiyah-Shi'a. |
| Imamah‑Asserters: | The specific Shi'a who believe that Imamah is a pillar of the Islamic faith. |
| Iraq: | Iraq as a province was the breadbasket of the Middle East, called Al‑Sawaad because its soil was very rich and productive, and its land was crisscrossed by canals for cultivation. |
| Ismah: | Means that Allah has safeguarded all the Prophets and the Specified Imams after Prophet Muhammad from, a) religious error, b) sin, and c) forgetfulness. |
| Isma'ili-Shi'a: | Followers of Isma'eel, the son of Imam Al-Saadiq who died while his father was still alive. |
| Jabriah: | Believers in absolute predestination. |
| Jahiliya: | Way of life before Islam. |
| Jah'miyyah: | A movement that glorified Mu'awiya to almost Prophethood level. It soon died out because of lack of support. |
| Janaaza Salat: | Special Salat performed in congregation before the burial of the dead person (while still in the coffin). |
| Jiziah: | Taxation levied on non‑Muslims, used for their protection and defense. |
| Jumu’ah Salat: | Obligatory Salat on Friday noon. |
| Kaatib: | Secretary, usually of the Khalifa or other important personnel. |
| Karbala: | The fateful and tragic confrontation between Jahiliya and Islam in which Islam triumphed but at the expense of the life of Imam Al‑Husain and his camp. |
| Khaassah: | The term used for the Shi'a to mean: The Special, The Distinct, or The Elite; generally referred to the devotees of Ahlul Bayt. |
| Khalid Al‑Barmaki: | Highly regarded person who tutored Haroon Al-Rashid and cared for him, was a convert to Islam from Buddhism. The Barmaki family had been Buddhist priests of Balkh. |
| Khalifa: | The head of Islamdom who during Benu Umayya and Benu Abbas were usurpers of power in the form of monarchs. |
| Khan Al-Sa'aleek: | It is said that when Imam Al-Haadi arrived in Samur'raa he stayed in this Inn. |
| Kharaaj: | A tax levied on produce of land. |
| Khariji (deviators): | The group that was in Ali's camp, decided to stop the fight in Siffin, then defected and blamed Ali for Siffin consequences. They rose against Imam Ali and caused a great deal of turmoil in the Ummah for many centuries. |
| Khayzaran: | A powerful woman in politics and the mother of two Khalifas, Al-Haadi son of Al-Mahdi and his brother Haroon Al-Rashid. |
| Khilaafah: | Rulership of the Islamic Ummah, supposed to be representing Muhammad (pbuh) after him. However, with the advent of Benu Umayya the Khilaafah became as a mundane rulership no longer based on Taq'wa. |
| Khurasan: | An area in Persia from which the general revolt against Benu Umayya took place. |
| Khutba: | Sermon, (usually) before Salat. |
| Kufa: | Kufa was the new capital of the Islamic Ummah during the times of Imam Ali, and it became an intellectual center for 2‑3 centuries. |
| Maaliki: | A school of thought headed by Anas Ibn Malik. |
| Majlis: | A social meeting to inform people about and discuss the happenings of Karbala. |
| Malik Ibn Anas: | Founder of the Maaliki School of thought and a student of the Institute of Ahlul Bayt. |
| Manicheans: | Followers of a religion regarding light and darkness to represent good and evil respectively. |
| Marji': | Religious reference. |
| Maru: | Capital city during part of Al-Ma'Moon's Khilaafah, located in Khurasan. |
| Marwan the Ass: | The last of Benu Umayya rulers, spent much of his time fighting. His last battle was at the Zaap Battle after which he was arrested then beheaded. |
| Ma'soom: | See Ismah, a person whom Allah safeguards from religious error, sin, and forgetfulness, (Prophets and the 12 Imams). |
| Mawaali: | Usually the converts to Islam, but also a bought servant. |
| Mary [Maria Al-Qubtiyyah]: | Wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and mother of his son Ibrahim. |
| Medanese: | Of Medina. |
| Medina: | The major town in which Islam grew and from which it spread under the leadership of the Prophet (pbuh). |
| Mu'awiya: | The man from the Umayya clan who produced many unwholesome changes to Islam, worst of which was changing the mode of Khilaafah to monarchy. |
| Mubaahala: | The Quranic challenge to the Christians who came from Najran to question the Prophet (pbuh). |
| Muharram: | The month in which Karbala happenings took place. |
| Munaafiq: | Waverer or hypocrite. |
| Munajaat: | Poetic whispered personal supplication. |
| Murji'ah: | An ideology encouraged by Benu Umayya since it held to the notion that Benu Umayya's rule was legitimate from Shari'ah viewpoint. |
| Musa Ibn Naseer: | Leader of the forces that conquered Spain; an Imamah-Asserter. |
| Mus'haf Fatima: | Tafseer of the Holy Quran as written by Imam Ali. |
| Mu'tazila: | An intellectual movement (branching out of the Murji'ah) that stimulated a good deal of Islamic thought. |
| Najaf: | The town in which Imam Ali was buried. |
| Narjis: | Mother of Imam Al-Mahdi, whose lineage came from Simon, the disciple of Prophet Jesus. |
| Oxus: | Area of central Asia. |
| Persia: | The seat of great superpower before Islam, and the area from which sprang the revolt that toppled Benu Umayya. |
| Piety‑minded: | The community ideology that evolved as spearheaded by Zainul Abideen, became powerful in their call for Islamic practices. They consisted of the school of Ahlul Bayt, Ibn Omar, Ibn Abbas, Al‑Basri, and many others. |
| Qadariyah: | Believers in unlimited free will. |
| Qum: | Seat of learning in Persia, an intellectual center. |
| Safeer: | Ambassador to Imam Al-Mahdi. |
| Sahaaba: | Companions of Prophet (pbuh). |
| Sahaabi: | Companion of the Prophet (pbuh). |
| Saheefa of Ali: | The books of Hadith as Imam Ali had recorded them after the Prophet (pbuh) had died. They form part of the Corpus of Knowledge Imam Ali left. |
| Salat of Tahajjud: | Special Salat performed at certain time of the night. |
| Samur'raa: | A town built by Khalifa Al-Mu'tasim to be the capital of Benu Abbas for some time. |
| School of Ibn Abbas: | Islamic school of thought as led by Ibn Abbas, the student of Imam Ali. |
| School of Ibn Omar: | Islamic school of thought as led by Ibn Omar. |
| Shafi'i: | The founder of the Shafi'i school of thought, whose some of his teachers were Al‑Zuhri, Ibn U'yainah, and Ibn Malik who themselves were graduates of the Institute of Ahlul Bayt. |
| Shahr Banu: | Mother of Zainul Abideen and daughter of Yazdajird, the last Persian emperor. She died in child birth. |
| Sham: | Town in Syria and the capital of the Islamic Nation during Benu Umayya rule (Damascus). Sham is sometimes used to refer to Syria. |
| Shari'ah: | Islamic Constitution in the Quran. |
| Shi'a or Imamah‑Asserters: | Believers in the teachings of Muhammad (pbuh) as passed down by Ahlul Bayt, and that Imamah is an indispensable part of the Islamic faith. |
| Sibawayh: | A scholar of Basrah who produced the standard book of grammar. |
| Siffin Battle: | The battle imposed on Imam Ali by the defiant Mu'awiya. |
| Simon: | The Disciple of Jesus, from whose lineage was Narjis the mother of Imam Al-Mahdi. |
| Sirdaab: | Cellar used for worship by Imams Al-Haadi, Al-Askari, and Al-Mahdi. In it Al-Mahdi used to conceal himself to avoid Benu Abbas who were searching to arrest him. |
| Sowsan: | The mother of Imam Al-Hasan Al-Askari. |
| Spain: | Andalusia, where Muslims ruled for several centuries. |
| Subeyka: | The mother of Imam Al-Ridha. |
| Surah: | Chapter of the Quran. |
| Surba: | The town at the outskirts of Medina that Imam Al-Kadhim built. |
| Syria: | Country and seat of power of the Byzantines, was conquered by Islam then became the seat of political power of Benu Umayya. |
| Tafseer: | Interpretation of the Holy Quran. |
| Tahir: | General of Khalifa Al-Ma'Moon who conquered Baghdad, later established the Tahiri dynasty. |
| Taq'wa: | Absolute consciousness of the creator, the perfection of execution of the Islamic injunction. |
| Tariq Ibn Ziyad: | The general under Musa Ibn Naseer who conquered Spain. |
| Tawkii': | Pronouncement of Imam Al-Mahdi. |
| Tradition: | Ways and manners of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). |
| Transoxania: | Central Asia conquered by early Muslims. |
| Turkic Slaves: | The slaves emancipated by Khalifa Al-Mu'tasim and were given leading positions in the military and government, who later played havoc in the destiny of the Ummah and Khilaafah. |
| Ulu Al‑Amr: | Persons in charge of us religiously as the Quran has delineated, meaning Ahlul Bayt according to the Shi'a or Imamah‑Asserters. |
| Umm Al-Fadhl: | Daughter of Khalifa Al-Ma'Moon and wife of Imam Al-Jawaad. |
| Ummah: | Islamic society. |
| Wakeel: | Representative working under the Safeer of Imam Al-Mahdi. |
| Waseef: | Originally a slave, became very powerful in the government at the time of Imam Al-Haadi. |
| Wazir: | The second man in power after the Khalifa. Such post was started during Benu Abbas rule. |
| Wikaalah: | The underground Imamiyah-Shi'a organization spread nation wide. |
| Yazdajird: | The last emperor of the Persian empire, whose one daughter was the mother of Zainul Abideen, and the other daughter was the wife of Muhammad son of Abu Bakr |
| Yazid: | The despicable ruler who was imposed by his father (Mu'awiya) on the Islamic Ummah, and who was the cause of tremendous suffering. Of his progeny other Yazids ruled the Ummah later on, each was also evil in character, pleasure loving playboy. |
| Yemen: | The country in south west area of Arabia. |
| Zandeeqs: | Agnostic or atheist. |
| Zinj: | The Blacks who conquered south of Iraq for two decades and caused tremendous destruction and loss of life. |
| Zoroastrians: | A wide spread religion in Persia at the time of the advent of Islam. |
| Zubaydah: | Wife of Haroon Al-Rasheed, granddaughter of Al-Mansoor, mother of Khalifa Al-Amin. |
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