** ** Fatawa...

** ** Fatawa: plural of fatwa, a religious edict or decision Fiqh: the science of Islamic jurisprudence Firdaws: Paradise Fitra: the amount (in cash or kind) paid to the needy at the end of the month of Ramadan; see text for more details Ghazwa: a military campaign, an invasion; invader: ghazi Ghusl: ceremonial bath hadith: (singular:) tradition, a statement made by ; plural: ahadith Hadi : sacrificial animals offered at Mecca’s holy precincts Hafiz: one who has learned the entire text of the Holy Qur’an by heart; plural: Huffaz Hajj: Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca during the prescribed period Halal: Islamically permissible, admissible, allowed Haram: Islamically prohibitive, inadmissible, forbidden Hijab: veil, curtain Hilal: crescent, singular of ahilla ** ** Hizb: literally, it means: party (plural: ahzab ); another meaning: the 60th part of the Holy Qur’an Hujja: proof, argument, authority Huri: heavenly wife with large lovely eyes married to the male residents of Paradise Ihram: pilgrimage garb, white unwoven cotton shroud worn by pilgrims Ijtihad: the degree one reaches in order to be qualified as a mujtahid , one who is capable of deriving religious decisions on his own ‘Illiyeen : the highest pinnacle of Paradise; see Holy Qur’an, 83:18.

** ** Imam: leader of an ummah , a group of people (small or big); he may be the one who leads others in congregational prayers, or a supreme relgious authority, or one of the Twelve Infallible Imams (as) Iman: faith, conviction Iqama: the prouncement of certain statements in preparation for the performing of the prayers, usually following the athan ‘Isha’: nighttime, evening Isnad: the method whereby one hadith is traced and in the end attributed to a muhaddith , traditionist, one who transmitted it the first time ‘Isyan: transgression against the Almighty’s Commandments.