9
votes
Accepted
Is to say "God" the same as to say "Allah"?
Yes and no.
"Allah" is the Arabic word for God. However, in Arabic there is a distinction between "Allah" (God, i.e. "The" God), and "Ilah" (god, i.e "a" god), a distinction which is easily lost in ...
- 12.2k
9
votes
What does a.s. mean?
"a.s." is short for "'Alayhi al-Salaam" (عليه السلام), which is an Arabic phrase meaning "Peace be upon him". It is often used by Muslims after the names of the prophets as a term of respect.
- 12.2k
6
votes
What does the attribute of Allah "shafiul mudhnibin" mean?
Due to the limitations of transliteration it's hard to tell exactly, but you're presumably asking about the Arabic phrase شفيع المذنبين (Shafi'u-l-Mudhnabin), which literally means the Intercessor of ...
- 12.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Does "nikah" mean "sex"?
It could mean either. For an Arabic speaker, there is a subtle distinction in the usage: If the name of a woman or a group is identified, then it is used in connection with lawful marriage. If the ...
- 14.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there a term to describe narrations from Sahaba?
The terminology used differs by region.
The majority of scholars use the term hadith to describe any such narration that either quotes a speech, describes an action, or documents an approval by ...
- 14.7k
5
votes
What is the literal meaning of the word "Qur'an"?
Beside the well known and among Muslims preferred meanings already explained here "The recitation" or "the continuous recitation" there are others one should know:
Of course if we ...
- 45k
5
votes
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What's a "Dweller of hell"?
I believe this refers to intercession (i.e., asking Allah to remove someone from hell); another version of the hadith highlights this:
That the Messenger of Allah said: "There are six things with ...
- 20.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Is it appropriate to use the term "Semite" for Muslims?
"Semite" is an ethnic description (originally referring to the peoples that spoke semitic languages), "Muslim" a religious one. The confusion only arises because "Jewish" is both an ethnic and a ...
- 2,001
5
votes
Accepted
Is it improper to describe Friday as "sabbath"?
Friday in Arabic is Jumu'ah. Sabbath is a Jewish holy day of rest from Friday evening to Saturday evening and the Christian holy day of rest is on Sunday. They are both on different days and different ...
- 4,689
4
votes
What exactly does being a Muslim mean?
A person who just believes in
oneness of Allah
Muhammad (PBUH) is the last prophet of Allah and all other prophets sent before him
the Day of judgment
all Angels
all Holy Books
Is called a believer. ...
- 479
4
votes
What does "Jazak Allah Khair" mean?
عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم "مَنْ صُنِعَ إِلَيْهِ مَعْرُوفٌ فَقَالَ لِفَاعِلِهِ جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا فَقَدْ أَبْلَغَ فِي الثَّنَاءِ"
Usamah bin ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Is it wrong for a Muslim to say hallelujah?
In regards to your inquiry that asked:
Is it okay for a Muslim to say Hallelujah
So, in case even it supposedly can be halal (God knows best), but there could be a significant point to pay heed. ...
4
votes
What is the antonym for the word 'kafir' in Urdu?
مؤمن (Mu`min) is the antonym for (Kaafir) كافر. it means believer, whereas kaafir means non-believer.
kaafir has another meaning which is ungrateful. In such a case, the antonym would be شاكر (...
- 551
4
votes
What is Isra' and Mi'raj?
Isra' is the spiritual night journey that Prophet took from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa via supernatural means (that is without ordinary physical relocation), and Miraj is the spiritual journey ...
- 3,911
4
votes
Accepted
What are the Arsh and Kursi of Allah?
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, may Allah bless you and your family and have mercy on you and your family in this world and in the Hereafter.
This is quite a long answer as it contains ...
- 66
4
votes
What does "obey" mean in "righteous women are devoutly obedient" in Qur'an 4:34?
Any real world examples what it means for a wife to be obedient?
A first insight can come from these two ahadith quoted in tafser al-Qurtoby (a well known Maliki scholar), where our Messenger (Peace ...
- 45k
4
votes
What does the attribute of Allah "shafiul mudhnibin" mean?
This is a more correct transliteration of what you mean: Ya Allahu يا الله, Ya Rahmanu يا رَحْمَنُ or يا رَحْمَان, Ya Rahim يا رَحِيمُ, Ya Rahmatan يا رَحْمَةً lil-'Alamin لِلْعَالَمٍينَ, Ya Shafi'...
- 45k
4
votes
Accepted
What are the complete writings of Islam? Qur'an, Hadith, Ahadith, Sunnah, Tafsir, etc? How do they relate to each other? Chart? Map?
The Quran:
Is the book or the words of Allah, it is a divine text.
Tafseer:
Refers to any kind of human interpretation of the Quranic text. It might be based on other Quranic verses, Ahadith, ...
- 45k
4
votes
What's a "Dweller of hell"?
This is the hadith you are referring to:
There is no one whom Allah will admit to Paradise but Allah will marry him to seventy-two wives, two from houris and seventy from his inheritance from the ...
- 14.7k
4
votes
What is the difference between 'Wahi' and 'Ilham'?
Linguistic meaning of wahy
In Arabic language both terms (al-Wahy الوحي and al-Ilhaam الإلهام) have a slight difference and can also be synonyms according the context.
Wahy الوحي: inspiration, ...
- 45k
4
votes
Accepted
Is there an Islamic synonym for 'parishioner'
A group of people offering prayers together is called a Jamaat or Jammah. Congregational prayer can be observed in any place as required, not necessarily a mosque; and a person joining a congregation ...
- 26.1k
4
votes
Accepted
What is "Taqleed"? And who should do complete Talqeed and who is not obliged to do taqleed?
Taqleed means imitation. Most Muslims fall under Taqleed since they "imitate"/follow a specific school of thought. (Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi, Shafi'i)
The average Muslim can free himself from a ...
- 759
4
votes
Accepted
What are the minimum requirements for someone to be a "student of knowledge"?
It is anecdotally mentioned that when one says one is a seeker of knowledge, one is tested by asking them to:
recite a juz' of the Qur'an,
mention the full narration chain of a hadith in Sahih al-...
- 14.7k
4
votes
Accepted
Conversion / converted or "Reversion" / "Reverted"?
Of course, this is a question that will draw opinion-based answers and anecdotal evidence, but I have not come across the word "revert" except in the West, too. Islamic literature, ...
- 14.7k
3
votes
Is the word "jihad" specific to holy struggles or is it a generic word?
Jihad comes from three arabic letter Ja ha dha(جهد), which means to "strive with great effort".
Do Quran use this word outside the context of war ? yes, In Quran there are number of verses this root ...
- 1,044
3
votes
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What are sins and what are mistakes?
“Verily, all actions are but driven by intention and for everyone is what he intended.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
From this hadith, we can conclude that everything comes down to your intention. If your ...
- 884
3
votes
Why are converts to Islam called reverts?
No Arab calls them reverts. This term was "deduced" by English speaking converts. Arabs refer to a person who has embraced Islam as "hadeeth al-'ahd bil-Islam" (recently come to Islam) or "Muslim ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
Can Christians use the word Allah according to Quran?
Even Quran quotes Christians using the word 'Allah'.
But the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allah and
His beloved." Quran 5:18
The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allah ";...
- 1,044
3
votes
What does a.s. mean?
As @goldPseudo correctly mentioned, "a.s." is the short form of "'Alayhi al-Salaam" (عليه السلام), which is an Arabic phrase and it means "Peace be upon him" and actually it is often used by Muslims ...
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