Ramadan Glossary

Adhan
Definition: (noun) the Islamic call to prayer

A.H.
Definition: "Anno Hegirae" or "After Hijrah."  Hijrah means "emigration."  The Islamic calendar starts from the day the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, emigrated (made hijrah) from the cit of Makkah to the city of Madinah in 622 A.D.  

Alhamdulillah
Definition: A phrase that Muslims often use in conversation, meaning "Praise be to Allah."

Assalamu alaikum
Definition: A common greeting among Muslims meaning "Peace be with you."  Extended forms include "Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah" (May the peace and mercy of Allah be with you) and "Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh" (May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you).

Eid
Definition: "Festival," one of the two Islamic holidays

Eid al-Fitr
Definition: "Festival of Fast-Breaking," an Islamic holiday that falls at the end of Ramadan

Eid Mubarak!
Definition: A phrase of greetings said among Muslims to congratulate each other on holidays.  It literally means, "Blessed Festival!"  The appropriate answer is, "Allah yubarak feek!" (May Allah bless it for you also!)

Fajr
Definition: One of the five daily Islamic prayers, performed before the break of dawn

Hilal
Definition: The very slight crescent moon that is first visible after a new moon.  Muslims look for the hilal when determining the beginning and end of Islamic months.

Iftar
Definition: A meal served at the end of the day during Ramadan, to break the day's fast.  Literally, "breakfast."

I'tikaf
Definition: A spiritual retreat in the mosque, usually performed during the last ten days of Ramadan.  A person "making i'tikaf" will spend the evening and night in the mosque, devoting his or her time to worship and reading the Qur'an.

Juz
Definition: A section of the Qur'an equal to 1/30 of the text.  During Ramadan, one section is read each day during taraweeh prayers, so that by the end of the month, the entire Qur'an has been read through once.

Leyla al-Qadr
Definition: "The Night of Power" - a special night that falls during the last ten days of Ramadan.  It commemorates the night when the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad, peace be upon him.  Leyla al-Qadr is said to fall on one of the odd-numbered nights of the last ten days of the month (21st, 23rd, 25th, or 27th of Ramadan).  The Qur'an describes it as a night that is more valuable than a thousand months.  For this reason, many Muslims spend the entire last ten days in extra worship or retreat in the mosque.

Maghrib
Definition: One of the five daily Islamic prayers, performed just after sunset

Masjed
Definition: Mosque; a Muslim house of worship.  Literally means "place of prostration" (in prayer).

Qur'an
Definition: Islam's holy book; Allah's final revelation

Ramadan
Definition: The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims spend the daylight hours in a complete fast

Sadaqah
Definition: Charitable giving, or the money given in charity

Sadaqah al-Fitr
Definition: An amount given in charity to the poor at the end of Ramadan, to ensure that everyone has enough to eat during Eid al-Fitr.  This amount is traditionally paid in food goods (rice, barley, flour, dates, etc.), collected locally, and distributed before the morning prayer on the day of Eid.

Sawm
Definition: Fasting.  As practiced in Islam, this means a complete fast: no food or drink at all during the daylight hours.  Married Muslims refrain from intimacy as well, and all those fasting are to steer away from anger, bad language, and bad deeds.  The fasting person's complete attention is to be on worship and devotion to God.

Suhoor
Definition: A small meal traditionally eaten before dawn during Ramadan; the final meal before the day's fast begins.

Taraweeh
Definition: Special evening prayers performed during Ramadan.  During each night's prayer, one juz (1/30) of the Qur'an will be recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an will have been read.

Zakat
Definition: Almsgiving; one of the five "pillars" of Islam.  Muslims who have wealth remaining over the year must pay a certain percentage to aid those in need.  While it can be paid anytime during the year, many people prefer to pay it during Ramadan.