A
- adab أدب
- Right courtesy and conduct: towards Allah, the Messenger ﷺ, the shaykh, the fuqara and all creation.
- akhira آخرة
- The Next World, the life after death.
- 'amal عمل
- Action. The 'amal of Madina is the living practice of the people of Madina, inherited from the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions, which Imam Malik took as a source of law.
- amir أمير
- One who holds command and leads a community.
- awliya أولياء
- The friends of Allah, those near to Him. The singular is wali.
- ayat آية
- A sign; also a verse of the Qur'an.
B
- baraka بركة
- Blessing: the grace that Allah places in a person, a place or a thing.
- Bayt al-Mal بيت المال
- The treasury of the Muslims, into which zakat and other revenues are gathered.
D
- deen دين
- The life-transaction of Islam: worship, conduct and the whole way of living that Allah has revealed.
- dhikr ذكر
- Remembrance of Allah: invoking His names, alone or in gatherings, which is the foundation of the Sufi path.
- dinar دينار
- A gold coin, the measure of wealth in Islamic law, as the dirham is in silver.
- dirham درهم
- A silver coin, used with the gold dinar as money in Islamic law.
- Diwan ديوان
- A collection of poems. Among the fuqara, the Diwan of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib, whose qasidas are sung in the gatherings.
- du'a دعاء
- Supplication: calling on Allah and asking of Him.
- dunya دنيا
- This world, and attachment to it.
F
- faqir فقير
- Literally "poor one": one who travels the Sufi path, poor in need of Allah. The plural is fuqara.
- fatwa فتوى
- A legal opinion given by a qualified scholar in answer to a question.
- fiqh فقه
- The science of the law of Islam: worship, transactions and the rules of life.
- fitna فتنة
- Trial, sedition, civil strife.
- fuqara فقراء
- The poor in Allah: those who follow the Sufi path together. The singular is faqir.
- futuwwa فتوة
- Spiritual chivalry: generosity, courage and putting others before oneself.
H
- hadith حديث
- A report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved.
- hadra حضرة
- "Presence": the gathering of the fuqara for dhikr, often with the standing dhikr and the singing of qasidas.
- hajj حج
- The pilgrimage to Makka, a pillar of Islam.
- halal حلال
- What is lawful in Islam.
- haqiqa حقيقة
- Reality, the inward truth, as distinct from the outward law, the shari'a.
- haram حرام
- What is forbidden in Islam.
- hizb حزب
- A sixtieth part of the Qur'an; also a set litany of prayers.
- hubb حب
- Love: the love of Allah and of His Messenger ﷺ.
- hukm حكم
- A judgement or ruling.
I
- ihsan إحسان
- Excellence: "to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you." The third dimension of the deen, after islam and iman.
- ijtihad اجتهاد
- The effort of a qualified scholar to reach a ruling from the sources of the law.
- imam إمام
- One who leads the prayer; also a great scholar or leader of the Muslims.
- iman إيمان
- Belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and the Decree.
- isnad إسناد
- The chain of narrators through whom a hadith is passed down.
J
- Jumu'a جمعة
- The Friday congregational prayer.
K
- kafir كافر
- One who rejects faith in Allah. The plural is kafirun or kuffar.
- Khalifate خلافة
- The rule of the khalifa, the successor of the Prophet ﷺ in leading the Muslims.
- khalwa خلوة
- Spiritual retreat in seclusion, under the direction of a shaykh.
M
- ma'rifa معرفة
- Gnosis: direct knowledge of Allah.
- madhhab مذهب
- A school of fiqh, such as those of Imam Malik, Abu Hanifa, ash-Shafi'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
- mawlid مولد
- The birth of the Prophet ﷺ, and its celebration.
- Moussem موسم
- An annual gathering of a tariqa; for the fuqara, the yearly gathering of dhikr and discourse.
- mu'amalat معاملات
- Transactions: trade, contracts, money and the dealings between people.
- mumin مؤمن
- A believer, one who has iman. The plural is muminun.
- muqaddam مقدم
- One appointed by the shaykh to represent him and lead the fuqara in a place.
- murid مريد
- "One who desires": a student of a Sufi shaykh.
N
- nafs نفس
- The self, the lower self, which the Sufi path works to purify.
Q
- qadi قاضي
- A judge of the shari'a.
- qasida قصيدة
- An ode; among the fuqara, the songs of the Diwan sung in the hadra.
R
- riba ربا
- Usury, which Islam forbids.
- ruh روح
- The spirit.
S
- sadaqa صدقة
- Voluntary charity.
- safar سفر
- Journeying, outwardly and on the path.
- Sahaba صحابة
- The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
- salaf سلف
- The first generations of Muslims: the Companions, the Followers and those after them.
- salat صلاة
- The prayer, a pillar of Islam.
- shari'a شريعة
- The revealed law of Islam.
- shaykh شيخ
- A master of the Sufi path who guides the murid; also an elder or scholar.
- sira سيرة
- The life of the Prophet ﷺ.
- suluk سلوك
- Travelling the Sufi path under a shaykh's direction.
- Sunna سنة
- The practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
- surah سورة
- A chapter of the Qur'an.
T
- Tabi'un تابعون
- The Followers: the generation after the Companions.
- tafsir تفسير
- Commentary on the Qur'an.
- tariqa طريقة
- A Sufi order: the path of a shaykh and his fuqara.
- tasawwuf تصوف
- Sufism, the science of the purification of the self and of knowledge of Allah.
- tawba توبة
- Turning back to Allah in repentance.
- tawhid توحيد
- The affirmation and knowledge of the Unity of Allah.
U
- ummah أمة
- The community of the Muslims.
- usul أصول
- Roots or principles, as in the principles of fiqh.
W
- wali ولي
- A friend of Allah, one near to Him. The plural is awliya.
- waqf وقف
- A charitable endowment held for a good purpose. The plural is awqaf.
- wird ورد
- The daily litany a shaykh gives to his murids.
Z
- zakat زكاة
- The obligatory tax on wealth, collected and distributed by the amir, a pillar of Islam.
- zawiya زاوية
- A Sufi lodge where the fuqara gather for dhikr and teaching.