Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

ن N

Nabi or Nebi, Nabee نبي

The meaning of the word Nabi is a prophet. To be a prophet he should receive a revelation from Allah that does not necessarily mean a revealed book. When a prophet is instructed to deliver his message to a certain group of people, he is a messenger. It is stated in the Qur'an that there are no more prophets and messengers after Muhammed (ص).

Naddaf نداف

cotton carder, cotton teaser, one who works cotton into some usable form

Nafaqa نفقة

Maintainence;nafaqa applies to the obligation of the husband towards the wife while they are married.Alimony, on the other hand, applies in the West to the "spousal support" which the ex-husband has to pay to his divorced wife.

Nafl نفل

optional, non-compulsory, supererog­atory, highly recommended act of worship; pluralnawafil

Najasa نجاسه

uncleanness, impurity; adjectivenajis

Nasab نسب

lineage or genealogy

Nasiha or Naseehah نصيحه

sincere good advice

Nathr نذر

one's pledge to do something to show appreciation for the Almighty's favorable response to his supplication and the attainment of his worldly wish

Noor نور

divine or celestial light

Nubuwwah نبوه

prophethood, the belief in prophets and their messages

P

P.B.U.H.

These acronyms refer to the phrase "Peace Be Upon/with Him" which mean in Arabic: "'Alaihis Salam " عليه السلام, an expression articulated when the name of a prophet is mentioned. This expression does not convey the meaning of "Salla Allahu 'Alaihi Wa Alihi wa Sallam " صلى الله عليه وعلى اله و سلم which means: Allah blesses him and his family and sends them His greetings."

ق Q

Qadi or Qadhi قاضي

judge.

Qa`ideen or Qa`idoon قاعدين أو قاعدون

people who remain inactive and do not actively fight. The opposit of mujahid .

Qani een or Qanitoon قانتون

those who constantly supplicate

Qanitun or Qanitoon قانطون

those who lose hope of the mercy of Allah

Qard قرض

a loan given for a good cause in the name of Allah, in hopes of repayment or reward in the Hereafter

Qari قاريء

someone who recites the Qur'an.

Qaa قضاء

compensatory, making up for a missed rite

Qibla قبلة

it is the direction that Muslims face when they perform their salat . It is in the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca.

Qisas قصاص

retaliation/reprisal in kind (an eye for an eye). In Islam, though, retaliation should be forgone as an act of charity; see Sura 5, Aya 48. According to some Muslim jurists,qiyas is a method, a yardstick, for measuring or reaching a legal decision on the basis of evidence (precedent) in which a common reason, or an effective cause, is applicable.

Qiyam قيام

standing (usually, but not necessarily, during the performance of the prayers)

Qiyama or Qiyaamah قيامة

Day of Judgment, resurrection

Qudat قضاة

plural form of qadi , judge

Qudsi قدسي

divine, related to the Almighty

Qunoo قنوط

supplication during the prayer rite's secondrek`at

Quraysh or Quraish قريش

the Arabian tribe to which the Prophet belonged

Qur'an or Koran or Kuran قرآن

The holy book of Islam is called the Qur'an. It was revealed to Prophet Muhammed (ص) through arch-angel Gabriel (Jibril) during a period of 23 years. There is only one Qur'an in the whole world and it is in Arabic. The Qur'an has one text, one language, and one dialect. It has been memorized by millions of Muslims in different parts of the world. The Qur'an is composed of 114suras (chapters). Rules and regulations apply to its methods of recitation and chanting. The authenticity and pristine originality of the Qur'an have been documented and recognized. It is the ultimate source of guidance for people in all aspects of their spiritual and material lives. It also is described as being bounteous, glorious, mighty, honored, exalted, purified, wonderful, blessed, and confirming the truth of previous revelations to prophets who preceded Muhammed (ص).

ر R

Rabb رب

Owner, master, head;Al-Rabb الرب refers to the Almighty, Lord, Creator, Master of all, the Adored One. In Arabic, He is referred to as "Allah" which literally means "the One and Only God":  It has no gender, and you cannot derive from it a plural form.

Rabeeb ربيب

foster-child, step-child, someone brought up by another parent or parents. Islam does not permit adoption but strongly encourages custody, and the guardian is not supposed to give his lastname to anyone other than children of his own loins.

Radhi Allahu 'Anhu or Razhi Allahu 'Anhu رضي الله عنه

This is an expression used by Muslims whenever a name of a good and respectful companion of the Prophet Muhammed (ص) is mentioned. Not all the companions of the Prophet are worthy of praise and veneration; contrarily, some of them are condemned by the Almighty in a Chapter in the Qur'an titled "Al-Munafiqoon  المنافقون", the hypocrites. These hypocrites were companions of the Prophet (ص) who was too nice to tell some leeches and seekers of interests to get off his back and go somewhere else. Believe it or not, some "companions" went as far as plotting to kill the Prophet by throwing rocks at him from mountains. They signed a pledge to commit their conspiracy and buried their covenant at one of the walls of the Ka`ba in order to swear to it solemnly. Keeping these hypocrites aside, not all believers will escape the fire of hell: Read verses in which the Almighty addresses the believers, those who believe, المؤمنون, or الذين آمنوا where there are stern warnings of the Almighty's wrath on them or where they are warned not to take their conviction إيمان for granted. One such verse is this: "O youwho believe [الذين آمنو ا يا ايها ]! Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which stern (and) strong angels are appointed, (angels) who do not flinch (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah but do (precisely) what they are commanded" (Qur'an, 66:6). So, let the believers watch their conduct, fear their Lord and not look down at others as being inferior to them or harm them or others (unbelievers) in any way at all. The road to Paradise is not strewn with rose petals but with thorns.

Rak`at or Rakat or Rek'a ركعة

an individual unit of sal at

Ramadan or Ramadhan or Ramazan رمضان

the holy month of prescribed fasting for the Muslims. It was during this month that the Qur'anic revelations began. For details about this month, refer to my book titledFast of the Month of Ramadan: Philosophy and Ahkam .

Rashid راشد

adult, adolescent, the age of distinguishing between right and wrong through commonsense and instinct, the age of responsibility, of accountability, of questioning on the Day of Questioning; it also means wise, sage.

Rasul or Rasool رسول

The meaning of the word Rasul is: a messenger. Allah sent many prophets and messengers to mankind. Amongst them, the names of twenty-five are mentioned in the Qur'an. From within the list, the Qur'an states the names of fiverasuls , messengers, who are the mighty ones and who are known as "ulul-azm ", prophets of determination and resolution: Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and Muhammed (ص). What is the difference between a Rasool and aNabi , prophet? A messenger carries a message for people, some people or all people, while the prophet does so and more: He foretells them of things to happen to them or to others, i.e. he prophecizes according to divine inspiration which he receives from the Almighty. The word "prophet" in Islam carries much more weight than it does in other religions.

Riba ربا

usury, lending for an exorbitant interest, which is prohibited in Islam for both giver and taker

Rijs رجس

defilement, uncleanness, evil or Islamically prohibitive thought or act; Satan is believed to be the source of inspiring such thoughts to people; so, beware of his insinuations!

Rooh or Ruh روح

spirit, soul, essence, an animating or life-giving principle or material. Some say that the origin of this word is ريح which means "wind" or "air": It cannot be seen but felt through motion. A human body is created of two main ingredients: the body and the soul. Most people look after their bodies while ignoring their souls, their need for spiritual nourishment, thus creating an imbalance between these two components which will eventually cause them either serious psychological or physical problems or both. In Islam, the soul never dies; only the material body does. Scientists tell us that bodily cells are constantly born and die. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. The soul has much more faculties than the body: Souls of the dead can see, hear, feel and react to causes and causations, but it they have no means to show all these faculties to us since the means, the body, has expired. What will happen to all the dead when the time comes for them to stand on the Day of Judgment to answer to what they had done in this life? Another question: How will life return to the dead when the resurrection process starts? Scientists tell us that the DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) never dies, is never extinct, indestructible. There are numerous verses in the Holy Qur'an which paint a picture of how all the dead buried in our planet will be brought back to life as the resurrection process starts in preparation for the big Day, the Judgment Day. One of these verses is 35:9 which reads: "It is Allah Who sends forth the winds so that they raise up the clouds, and We drive them [clouds] to a land that is dead, and revive the earth with them after its death:Even so (will be) the Resurrection! " Do you get the picture?! It seems that when that time comes, the Almighty will send a cloud the "rain water" of which will fall on the earth and will rearrange the DNA of each and every human being, and perhaps non-human beings, too, such as those of animals as we are told in 81:5 which reads: "And when the beasts (animals) are herded together (for Judgment)", in preparation for an enternal life. Just as a seed receives rain and it sprouts and brings about a new life, the dead will receive this "rain water", which most likely be different than water as we know it in this life, and life will start sprouting in them again. This water will infuse a new life in each DNA. At that time, the souls will be clothed with new bodies, forms, shapes, of some sort. How will these forms or shapes or bodies be, only the Creator knows. Will they be similar to ours? We do not know for sure, but we know that just as the soul during the barzakh برزخ period needs spiritual nourishment, these bodies will need food, fuel, something to keep them going. And we know that there will be eating and drinking in both Paradise and hell; so, will our stomachs be similar to the way they are now, we simply do not know; most likely they will not.

Ruku' or Ruku or Rukoo` ركوع

The root of this word israka'a ركع which means: to bow down. During prayers (salat), a Muslim make ruku' before Allah to express veneration to him, he bows forward at the waist, stands with the hands on knees and the back parallel to the ground. While in the position of Ruku', a Muslim glorifies Allah three times.

Ruahd رشد

adolescence, mental maturity, the ability to distinguish right from wrong

Rutab رطب

ripe dates, opposite: busr