Bareilawi: A tendency among Indian and Pakistani Muslims which stresses love of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and defends allegedly undesirable innovations. Named after Bareilly, the city in Uttar Pradesh in India where its founder, Imam Ahmad Rida (Raza) Khan, lived. (Also spelt Brelvi and a number of other ways; they all mean the same thing.)
Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem: In the name of Allah (God), the Merciful, the Compassionate. Muslims begin most actions (especially acts of worship) with these words.
Caliph (Khaleefah): The supreme secular authority of the Muslim empire, so-called because he is the vicegerent of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The first caliphs were the close companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but after this the position passed to the Umayyad and then Abbasid clans, and then the Ottoman Turks. In 1924, with the fall of Turkey to secular nationalism and of Mecca to the Saudis, the caliphate fell into disuse.
Deobandi: The chief opposition to the Bareilawi tendency mentioned above. Based at a madrassa (religious school) in Deoband in northern India. While they follow the Hanafi school and are Sufis, some of their scholars appear to have been influenced by Wahhabism.
Hadeeth: Reported saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). A Hadeeth Qudsi is a hadeeth which includes the words of God.
House Nigger: A term popularised by Malcolm X, meaning the slave who lives and works in his master's house, rather than living with the other slaves and working on the plantations. Because he is treated better by the master, he grows to love his master, and therefore has little desire for freedom. (The term obviously derives from 19th-century American slavery, not, as Faisal claims, from "ancient slavery" - where not all slaves were black - although this distinction may have existed then, of course.)
Ijma': Unanimous consensus of all qualified scholars.
Ijtihad: The effort made by scholars to arrive at the truth when making judgements about religious issues. Muslim scholars have said that a scholar receives one reward for his effort if he arrives at the wrong conclusion, and two if he arrives at the correct one. A qualified person who does ijtihad is called a mujtahid. There are different degrees of mujtahid, although the highest degrees among scholars have long since disappeared.
Jihad: The struggle between good and evil, between one's ego and the need to do what is right, and between the Muslims and their enemies, on the battlefield if necessary.
Kafir: A disbeliever in Islam; also means an ingrate. (Misused by white South Africans to mean 'nigger', but any non-Muslim is a kafir in Arabic, whether white or black.)
Karaama: Means a grace from God. Generally used to mean supernatural occurrences which happen around saintly men and women. (This is not to be confused with mu'jiza which are miracles manifested to back up a prophet's claims.)
Khariji or Kharijite: A sect of early Muslims who left the main body of Muslims over mainly political matters, declared other Muslims as non-Muslims and used their classification as an excuse to massacre, enslave and rape them. (Plural: Khawarij)
Kufr: Disbelief, especially disbelief in Islam.
Madhhab: A way of working, or school of thought. (Plural: madhahib)
Masjid: Arabic for mosque. Derives from sajda meaning the act of prostrating oneself before ones Lord.
Mi'raj: The journey of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) to Jerusalem and into the Heavens, towards the end of the Meccan period. It all took place within the blink of an eye.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad: A false prophet who appeared in the Indian Subcontinent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was probably the most bizarre false prophet to appear in Islamic history, variously claiming to be Jesus (peace be upon him), the Virgin Mary (peace be upon her) and the Hindu idol Vishnu. He made a number of prophecies which failed to materialise. Called the people who rejected his "mission" "children of prostitutes". Died in a toilet in Punjab in 1908. His followers today are to be found in the Ahmadiyya movement, which Muslims generally call Qadianis after the town where Ghulam Ahmad came from.
Musaylima: Bogus prophet who appeared towards the end of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Was a tribal leader of one of the eastern Arabian tribes. Notorious for his cruelty. Eventually killed by the Muslim army.
Qadi: A judge of the Islamic empire.
Rasoolullah: Arabic for "Messenger of God", meaning the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Salaat: The five daily prayers which are obligatory on all Muslims except in certain circumstances.
Salafi: Originally, a member of one of the first three generations of Muslims. These days, a sect which falsely claims to follow the way of these three generations - they are commonly called Wahhabis among other Muslims.
Shirk: Acts or beliefs which involve associating partners with God in any of His characteristics. All religions beside Islam contain aspects of shirk, even if it is not immediately obvious.
Tablighi Jama'at: A movement arising out of the Deobandi school, which sends groups from mosque to mosque to encourage Muslims to practise their religion, and sometimes deliver basic religious teachings.
Tawheed: In this context, the belief in the one-ness of God. (Salafis believe that there are three or four different "categories" of tawheed, but mainstream Muslims reject these classifications.)
Ulama: Religious scholars.
Umm al-Mu'mineen: Mother of the Faithful - what we call the wives of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings upon him).