• ‘Afw: Forgiveness.


• ‘Ahd: Covenant.


• ‘Amal: Work, Service.


• ‘Amm: General.


• ‘Aqd: Contract.


• ‘Aqilah: The paternal relatives who pay the blood money. The doctrine of al-'Aqilah had been practiced among the ancient Arab tribes, in which it was an implied mutual agreement among the tribes that, if anyone is killed unintentionally by a person of a different tribe, the slainer’s paternal relative used to take the responsibility to make a mutual contribution for the purpose of paying the blood money on behalf of the slainer, to the victims' relatives. This doctrine later got recognition by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) in one of his judgments against a woman from the tribe of Huzail. This is a foundation doctrine based on which today’s Islamic insurance practices have been developed.


• ‘Ilm: Knowledge.


• ‘Iwad: Consideration.


• ‘Ulama: Scholars, jurists, academicians. (Islamic).


• ‘Umr: Age.


• ‘Urf: Custom, usage, common practice.


• Ahkam: The plural of hukum, which means rules, provisions and laws.


• Amanah: Trust.


• Ansar: The helpers, the people of Madinah who welcomed the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and his companions who migrated from Makkah and other places to the city of Madinah.


• Asl: Origin.


• Ayat: A verse of the Holy Qur'an.


• Badr: A place near to the coast about 95 miles to the south of Madinah, where in the second year of Hijrah calendar, the first battle took place between the Muslims and the non believers.


• Baitul mal: Treasury.


• Baligh: Person who has attained the age of puberty.


• Bani: The tribe or clan.


• Batil: Void, falsehood, nullity.


• Bay: Sale.


• Bayyinah: Evidence, proof.


• Da’wah: Claim.


• Dalalah: Astray.


• Dalil: Authority.


• Daman: Liability for making up any loss, responsibility, guarantee, warranty, surety.


• Daun: Disease.


• Dawa’: Medicine.


• Dayn: Debt, liability.


• Dharurah: Necessity.


• Dhawu al-Arham: Relation connected through female, a term used in law of inheritance for a specific group or person for the right in inherited property.


• Dhawu al-Faraid: Referring to a specific person whose shares in inheritance have been determined in the Holy Qur’an.


• Dhimmah: Responsibility.


• Dhimmi: A non-Muslim living under the protection of Muslim ruler.


• Din: Religion.


• Dinar: Islamic currency.


• Dirham: Islamic currency.


• Diwan: The finance department of early Muslim stage.


• Diyat: Blood wit, blood money, a monetary compensation against unjustified manslaughter.


• Fadl: Excess, additional, surplus.


• Faidah: Additional.


• Fallah: Success, victory, achievement.


• Fals: Currency.


• Faqih: Jurist.


• Faqih: Jurists.


• Faqir: Poor, destitute, needy.


• Faqr: Poverty.


• Fara: The individual case of the law as distinguished from the original sources.


• Faraid: Inheritance.


• Fardu: Obligatory.


• Fasid: Invalid.


• Fatwa: Juristic opinion , juridical decision.


• Fidyah: Compensation.


• Fiqh: A knowledge of Shari’ah, that is Islamic law.


• Gair Mamluk: Unowned thing in which no ownership title, a thing belongs to none.


• Gani: Wealthy.


• Ganimah: Things appropriated without difficulty.


• Garam: Damage, loss.


• Garar: Uncertainty. A transaction under Islamic law should be held invalid, if it involves the element of Garar.


• Garim: Insolvent, principal debtor, bankrupt.


• Hablul habl: A kind of uncertain sale practiced during the pre-Islamic era of ignorance.


• Hadith: The tradition of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).


• Hajj: Obligatory pilgrimage.


• Halal: Lawful, valid.


• Haq: Right.


• Haram: Unlawful.


• Hawalah: Transference, assignment.


• Hibah: Gift.


• Hijrah: Migration.


• Hisbah: The institution of ombudsman.


• Hudud: Plural of had, which means fixed punishment contained in the Divine sanction for some specific offences.


• Hujjah: Proof, evidence.


• Hukum: Rule, injunction, sanction, order, decree.


• Huzail: Name of a tribe in the ancient Arab era.


• Jaez: Lawful.


• Jahannam: Hell.


• Janin: Foetus.


• Jihad: Fighting in the cause of Allah (s.w.t.).


• Jizyah: A kind of tax imposed on non-Muslim living in an Islamic state.


• Jumhur: Majority of the Islamic jurist.


• Junun: Insanity.


• Kaffarah: Compensation, explanation.


• Kafir: Unbeliever.


• Katib: Clerk.


• Khairat: Donation.


• Khamr: Liquor.


• Kharaj: Land tax.


• Khiyar: Option.


• Khulafa ar-Rashedun: The rightly guided four companions namely Sayyidina Abu Bakar (r.a)., Umar (r.a)., Uthman (r.a) and Ali (r.a)..


• Khutbah: Religious speech specially before the Jumaah prayer and the prayer of two Eid festivals.


• Kifalah: Surety ship, bail, guarantee.


• Lajnah: Committee, Council.


• Lazim: Obligation, necessary, fully binding.


• Li‘an: Oath which is taken by both the wife and the husband when the latter accuses his wife of committing unlawful sexual activity and she denies it.


• Maaqil: Mutual insurance societies of pre-Islamic Arabia constituted to collect a common mutual fund known as al-Kanz to insure against loss or damage.


• Madhab: School of jurisprudence.


• Mahrum: Deprived.


• Maisir: Gambling.


• Majnun: Insane, unsound mind.


• Makhluq: Creature.


• Makruh: Reprehensible, abominable, disapproved.


• Mal: Wealth, property; thing.


• Mandub: Recommended.


• Maqasid: Purpose.


• Mard: Illness.


• Mard al-Maut: Death sickness; bed ridden.


• Marid: Ill.


• Masadir: Sources.


• Masalih al-Mursalah: The doctrine of public interest.


• Maslahah: Utility or benefit, which necessitate protection of faith, life, progeny, property and nationality.


• Maut: Death, demise.


• Miaath: Inheritance.


• Milk: Ownership.


• Miskin: Destitute, needy.


• Mithl: Similar; substitute; fungible.


• Mu‘amalah: Commercial transaction.


• Mubaah: Permissible.


• Mudarah: Harm, injury.


• Mudharabah: Co-partnership where at least two parties are involved in a commercial transaction, in which one party provides capital, while the other offers skill in carrying out the business successfully in view of sharing the subsequent profits or loss accordingly. This is a financing technique adopted by all the Islamic financial institutions and in commercial activities in the contemporary world as opposed to the Riba (interest) based financing technique.


• Munfa‘ah: Advantage, yield.


• Musarakah: Partnership.


• Mushaqqah: Hardship.


• Mushrik: Polytheist.


• Nafkah: Maintenance.


• Nafs: Self, life.


• Najsh: Offering a high price for something without having the intention to buy it, but just to cheat somebody else who really wants to buy it. Such a person may agree with the seller to offer a higher price before the buyer cheat them, in which case both this man and the seller are sinful. The seller may falsely tell the buyer that he (i.e. the seller) has previously bought the goods at a certain price, which is in reality higher than actual price. (Sahih al- Bukhari, (trans.Eng.) by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, op. cit. Vol. III. at p. x).


• Naqd: Money, coin.


• Nas: Text, definitive implication of the text.


• Nasab: Relative, descendant.


• Nasib: Luck.


• Nasl: Lineage, progeny.


• Nikah: Marriage.


• Niyat: Intention.


• Nizam: Discipline.


• Qabul: Acceptance.


• Qada’: Judgment(s), judiciary(s).


• Qadr: Fate; predestination.


• Qanun: Law, regulation, principles, rule.


• Qard: Loan.


• Qard al-Hasanah: A gracious loan.


• Qarib: Recent.


• Qarn: Century.


• Qat’I: Definite.


• Qatl: Homicide.


• Qaul: Expression, opinion, view, speech.


• Qawaid ul-Fiqhyyah: Juristic rule.


• Qazf: False accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse.


• Qiblah: The direction, in which Muslim turn their faces in prayer.


• Qirad: Commenda agreement.


• Qisas: Retaliation.


• Qiyas: Analogy; legal reasoning.


• Quraish: Most respectable tribe among the ancient Arab tribes, in which the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was born.


• Qur'an: The Holy Book revealed by Allah (s.w.t.) through the Angel Gibrael (a.s). to the last Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w.) as a complete system for mankind.


• Rabbul Mal: The capital provider in a profit and loss sharing financing technique. (al-Mudharabah).


• Raka'ah: A unit of prayer.


• Rasul: Messenger.


• Riba: Usury, interest which is unlawful in the Islamic Shari’ah. It is therefore, unjustified or uncompensated excess in the exchange of counter values in the transaction of exchange when the excess revealed either through weight or measure or through benefit arising from delayed delivery. Today, most of the commercial transactions under conventional economy revolve around the elements of Riba.


• Rizq: Livelihood; subsistence.


• Rushd: Age of discretion, maturity, puberty, majority.


• Sabab: Cause.


• Sabi: Infant.


• Sabr: Patience.


• Sadaqah: Charity.


• Sadaqatul Jariah: A form of charity.


• Safih: Prodigal.


• Saghir: Minor.


• Sahih: Valid, sound, authenticity.


• Sajadah: The position of prostration in the prayer.


• Salam: The finishing action of prayer.


• Sanat: Year.


• Sarf: Monetary.


• Sayyid: Master, leader.


• Shahadah: Witnessing.


• Shahr: Month.


• Sharat: Condition, term, warranty.


• Sharb: Drinking.


• Shari’ah: Islamic Law.


• Sharikah: Partnership.


• Shifa’: Cure.


• Sidduzzara: The plugging of lawful means to an unlawful end.


• Siyasah al-Shari’ah: Administration of justice.


• Sultan: Governor, head of the state, ruler.


• Sunnah: The saying, the action, and the approval of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).


• Surah: A large unit of the Holy Qur’an. There are 114 Surah contained in the Holy Qur’an.


• Ta‘am: Food.


• Ta’min: Insurance.


• Tabarru’: Donation, charity.


• Tabqah: Stage.


• Tafsir: Interpretation, commentary.


• Tahqiq al-Manat: The verification of the attributes of an established case in a new case re-offered for examination.


• Tahrim: Prohibition.


• Takaful: Mutual responsibility, an alternative term to Islamic insurance.


• Talaq: Divorce.


• Tamlik: Ownership.


• Taqlid: Following the view of another without further question.


• Tariqah: Path, system.


• Tawakkul: Depending, putting trust.


• Thaman: Cost, value, price.


• Thawab: Reward in the hereafter.


• Tijarah: Trade, business.


• Ummah: The nation (Islamic).


• Wadia’h: Deposit.


• Wajib: Obligation, compulsory, mandatory.


• Wakalah: Agency.


• Wala’: A kind of relationship between the master who frees a slave and the freed slave.


• Wali: Guardian.


• Waqf: Charity, religious endowment testamentary bequest of real estate.


• Wasilah: Mediation.


• Wasiyah: Will, bequest.


• Yad: Hand.


• Yamin: Oath.


• Zahr: Unambiguous.


• Zakat: Compulsory tax imposed on certain categories of wealthy people.


• Zawj: Couple.


• Zulm: Oppression; suppression.

Source: Dr Mohd. Ma'sum Billah


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