Taqiyya ...

Taqiyya : one's way of exerting precaution in order to save his life when it is in jeopardy, Shi’as' way of trying to survive against the presence of sure perils Taqlid : the concept of following a mujtahid or an authority recognized as the a’alam , the most knowledgeable in Islamics Tashahhud : the testimony regarding Allah being the Lord and Muhammad (pbuh) being His Servant and Messenger; it is the uttering of "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa-Allah, wa anna Muhammad abdoho wa rasooloh" Tawatur : consecutive reporting, the tracing of one particular hadith to its respective chronological chain of narrators Tawhid : the concept of the absolute Unity of God, the belief that God is One and indivisible, One - and Only One - God Tawwabin : the penitent ones, those who repented their reluctance to go to the rescue of Imam Husain (as) when he was confronted with Yazid's armies and who enlisted under the military command of al-Mukhtar and pursued those who massacred Imam Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) and killed them Thiqat : plural of thiqah , a trustworthy authority ‘Ulema : plural of ‘alim , scholar-theologian Usül : the basics of jurisprudence Waqf : a piece of property dedicated for the promotion of any particular good cause Wilayat : supreme authority that combines both temporal and religious authority Zakat : Literally, it means "purification;" it is a compulsory 2.5% tax on one of three categories of wealth: 1) metal coins (gold, silver, etc.), 2) grain crops (barley, wheat, grain, rice, etc.), and 3) animals raised for food consumption.

Zakat is somehow a complicated issue, and for details, readers are advised to consult books dealing with fiqh . Among its types are: zakat al-mal (taxable wealth accumulated during one full year), and zakat al-fitr (a tax to be paid by the head of a household at the commencement of the fast of the month of Ramadan). And surely Allah knows best...…