The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from both Islamic and Arab tradition, which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Islam all in one place.
In Islam, shirk is the sin of practicing idolatry or polytheism, i.e. the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides the singular God, i.e. Allah. Literally, it means ascribing or the establishment of "partners" placed beside God. It is the vice that is opposed to the virtue of Tawhid (monotheism). Those who practice shirk are termed mushrikun. Mushrikun are those who practice shirk, which literally means "association" and refers to accepting other gods and divinities alongside the god of the Muslims - Allah. In Islamic law shirk as a crime, can just be attributed to Muslims, since only a Muslim is legally responsible not to associate any partner to Allah.
Tawhid is the indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam. Tawhid is the religion's central and single-most important concept, upon which a Muslim's entire faith rests. It unequivocally holds that God is One and Single ; therefore, the Islamic belief in God is considered Unitarian."
Al-ḥamdu lil-lāh or Alḥamdulillāh is an Arabic phrase meaning "praise be to God", sometimes translated as "thank God." This phrase is called ḥamdala, and taḥmīd.
ʾIn shāʾa llāh, also inshallah, in sha Allah or insha'Allah, is the Arabic language expression for "God willing" or "if God wills". The phrase comes from a Quranic command which commands Muslims to use it when speaking of future events.[Quran 18:24] The phrase is commonly used by Muslims, Arab Christians, and Arabic-speakers of other religions to refer to events that one hopes will happen in the future. It expresses the belief that nothing happens unless God wills it and that his will supersedes all human will.
Haram is an Arabic term meaning forbidden. This may refer to: either something sacred to which access is forbidden to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowledge; or to an evil thus "sinful action that is forbidden to be done". The term also denotes something "set aside", thus being the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew concept קודשqadoš, and the concept of sacer in Roman law and religion. In Islamic jurisprudence, haram is used to refer to any act that is forbidden by Allah, and is one of five Islamic commandments that define the morality of human action.
Theology of Twelver Shias contains five principles of the Shia Islam religion known as Uṣūl ad-Dīn. Usul al-dín is an Arabic Islamic term which literally translates as 'foundation of the faith', roughly interpretable as 'theology'.
In Islamic philosophy, the qalb, or heart, is the origin of intentional activities, the cause behind all of humans intuitive deeds. While the brain handles the physical impressions, qalb is responsible for apprehending. Heart and brain work together, but it is the heart where true knowledge can be received.
A Qareen, is a spiritual double of human, either part of the human himself or a complementary creature in a parallel dimension. Due to its ghostly nature, the Qareen is classified among the Jinn-type creatures, although usually not actually a Jinni. The Qareen as an accompanying spirit should not be confused with the Qarinah as a female "childbed demon" also existing in Middle Eastern faith.
Sufi philosophy includes the schools of thought unique to Sufism, a mystical branch within Islam, also termed as Tasawwuf or Faqr according to its adherents. Sufism and its philosophical traditions may be associated with both Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. It has been suggested that Sufi thought emerged from the Middle East in the eighth century, but adherents are now found around the world. According to Sufism, it is a part of the Islamic teaching that deals with the purification of inner self and is the way which removes all the veils between divine and man. It was around 1000 CE that early Sufi literature, in the form of manuals, treatises, discourses and poetry, became the source of Sufi thinking and meditations. Sufi philosophy, like all other major philosophical traditions, has several sub-branches including metaphysics and cosmology as well as several unique concepts.
Tazkiah (تزكية) is an Arabic-Islamic term alluding to "tazkiyah al-nafs" meaning "purification of the self". This refers to the process of transforming the nafs from its deplorable state of ego-centrality through various spiritual stages towards the level of purity and submission to the will of Allah. Its basis is in learning the shari'ah and deeds from the known authentic sunnah (ilm) and applying it in your own deeds through life resulting in spiritual awareness of Allah being the highest level of Ihsan. Another mostly similar word of the term is Islah.
‘Iṣmah or ‘Isma is the concept of incorruptible innocence, immunity from sin, or moral infallibility in Islamic theology, and which is especially prominent in Shia Islam. In Shia theology, ismah is characteristic of prophets, imams, and angels. When attributed to human beings, ismah means "the ability of avoiding acts of disobedience, in spite of having the power to commit them". Along with a pure constitution, excellent qualities, firmness against opponents, and tranquility (as-Sakinah), ismah is a divine grace bestowed by God.
Batil is an Arabic word meaning falsehood, and can be used to describe a nullified or invalid act or contract according to the sharia.
Qadar is the concept of divine destiny in Islam. It is one of Islam's six articles of faith, along with belief in the Oneness of Allah, the Revealed Books, the Prophets of Islam, the Day of Resurrection and Angels. This concept has also been mentioned in the Quran as the "Decree" of Allah.
In Islam, God is the God, the absolute one, the all-powerful and all-knowing ruler of the universe, and the creator of everything in existence. Islam emphasizes that God is strictly singular : unique, inherently One, also all-merciful and omnipotent. God is neither a material nor a spiritual being. According to Islamic teachings, beyond the Throne and according to the Quran, "No vision can grasp him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things."
In Islam, animals are conscious of God. According to the Qur'an, they praise him, even if this praise is not expressed in human language. Baiting animals for entertainment or gambling is prohibited.
According to the 5th century BCE Greek historian Herodotus, Orotalt was a god of Pre-Islamic Arabia whom he identified with the Greek god Dionysus:
They believe in no other gods except Dionysus and the Heavenly Aphrodite; and they say that they wear their hair as Dionysus does his, cutting it round the head and shaving the temples. They call Dionysus, Orotalt; and Aphrodite, Alilat.
Fasad is an Arabic word meaning rottenness, corruption, or depravity. In an Islamic context it can refer to spreading mischief in a Muslim land, moral corruption against God, or disturbance of the public peace.
Prophets in Islam include "messengers", bringers of a divine revelation via an angel Arabic: مَلَائِكَة, malāʾikah); and "prophets", lawbringers that Muslims believe were sent by God to every person, bringing God's message in a language they can understand. Knowledge of the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith, and specifically mentioned in the Quran.
