Glossary

This is where brief descriptions and definitions of difficult words are listed:

Aqidah – belief

Blasphemy – a belief, saying or act that makes one a non-Muslim

Hashawiyyah – a group of deviant people that believe Allah has attributes like that of bodies, such as being in a direction or a place, or having parts (such as a limb), or that any of His attributes have a beginning or change or renew.

Istawa – an Arabic word mentioned in the Qur’aan with many meanings. When referring to Allah it does not mean sit, establish, or any other meaning that applies to bodies or any meaning that suggests change in Allah or His attributes. Its real meaning depends on the context, and there are several possible interpretations.

Jabriyyah – a sect generally considered to have been founded by a man named Jahm. They say that human actions are like the actions of a leaf in the wind, without choice. Since this contradicts sensory reality, it did not last long or grow much in number of followers.

Jahmiyyah – These are the followers of Jahm. They have several blasphemous sayings. For example, they deny attributes of Allah, such as knowledge, claim that the torture in Hell will end even for blasphemers, and say that Allah is literally everywhere (whereas Muslims say that He existed before it and still exists without it.)

Kafir – a non-Muslim

Kufr – blasphemy (see above)

Kalam – the science of belief, the science of monotheism, the science of tawhid

Karramiyyah – An early sect that said that Allah is a body. Muslims, on the other hand, believe that Allah exists without a place.

Khalaf – scholars after the third century of the Hijrah.

Kursi – chair

Muhkamat – statements that have a clear or well known meaning that does not have the possibility of abbrogation.

Manhaj – way, method.

Mutakallim – a scholar of kalam (see above.)

Mutashabihat – statements that do not have a clear or well known meaning.

Mu`tazila – an early sect that is famous for the blasphemies of denying predestination of human action and claiming that Allah does not have an eternal attribute of speech that is not letters, sounds, language or sequential. Not all of them necessarily have these beliefs.

Qadariyyah – a sect that denies predestination of human action.

Salaf – scholars of the first three centuries of the Hijrah.

Salafi – wahabi (see below), they call themselves by this name to make people think that they follow the salaf (see above).

Shirk – believing that Allah has a partner, part or resembles His creation. This is all blasphemy (see above). What is sometimes referred to as “lesser shirk” is to perform acts of worship, such as prayer, in order to be praised by created beings. The so called “lesser shirk” is not blasphemy, but a very big sin.

Sifaat – attributes

Tajsim – saying or believing that Allah is a body. This is a blaspemous belief. Muslims must believe that Allah does not resemble His creation.

Tashbih – the act of likening Allaah or one of His attributes to anything created. Muslims must believe that Allah does not resemble His creation.

Tawhid – the belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah, i.e. that He does not have a partner, part or a like.

Ta’wil – interpreting a statement according to what the speaker meant.

Wahhabi – a member of the wahabi sect, generally known for believing that Allah has physical attributes, but also a number of other heresies. Their main strategy is to present their heresies as the real beliefs of Sunnis, like someone selling wine under the label of “grape juice.” Their deviant ideas are mostly taken from the books of a 8th century deviant scholar by the name of Ibn Taymiyyah. While his books are clearly full of kufr, some scholars believe that he repented. Others considered this far fetched based on his history of pretend repentances.

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