Muslim Burials: Glossary

The following Arabic terms are used in this handbook for reasons of brevity and conciseness.

Awrah: The private parts of an individual

Azan: The call to Salat

Bida'h: An innovation in religion

Dua: Prayer or supplication

Dua al Mayyah: Ceremonial prayer for the deceased

O Allah! Forgive our living and our dead, those of us who are present and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah! Whoever you keep alive, keep him alive upon Islam, and whoever you take away, take him away in a state of Iman. Allah is Great.

Fard Kifayah: A religious obligation which, if performed by a few Muslims, absolves the rest of the community from this responsibility. If no one discharges the obligation, then the entire Muslim community is considered jointly accountable in the eyes of Allah.

Ghusl al Mayyah (Ghusl, for short): Washing or bathing of a body.

Hadith (pl: Ahadith): A tradition or a saying of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

Ibraheemiyah: The following invocation recited after certain Sujud in Salat:

Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa-ala ali Muhammadin kama sallayta ala Ibraheema wa-ala ali Ibraheema, innaka hameedun majeed. Allahumma barik ala Muhammadin wa-ala ali Muhammadin kama barakta ala Ibraheema wa-ala ali Ibraheema, innaka hameedun majeed.

O Allah! bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You have blessed Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem; verily, You are Praiseworthy and Honorable. O Allah! bestow Your grace upon muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You bestowed your grace on Ibraheem and the family of Ibraheem; verily You are Praiseworthy and Honorable.

Imam: One who leads a prayer

Iqamah: The call immediately preceding a congregational Salat

Janazah: A deceased or a dead body. Also sometimes used for Salat ul Janazah

Kafan: Shroud for the dead burial

Lahd: The hollow made in the wall of a grave on the Qiblah side in which the body is placed

Mahram: A person to whom marriage is expressly prohibited by the Shariah

pbuh: Acronym for "peace be upon him", traditionally affixed with the name of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

Qiblah: The direction of prayers in Islam

ra: Acronym for "radi Allahu anhum" (Allah be pleased with him) or "radi Allahu anha" (Allah be pleased with her).

Ramadan: The ninth month of the Islamic calendar in which Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk

Ruku: The act of bowing in Salat

Sajdah (pl: Sujud): The act of prostration during Salat

Salam: The invocation "Assalam o Alekum wa rahmat Allahu wa barakatuhu" (Peace be on you, and Allah's mercy and His blessings) recited at the termination of Salat

Salat: Individual or congregational prayers

Salat ul Janazah: Salat offered for a deceased before burial

Salat ul Janazah al Gha'ib: Salat ul Janazah in absentia i.e., for a Muslim who dies in an other land

Sana: The following invocation recited at the beginning of a Salat:

Subhana kallahumma wa bi hamdika wa tabarakasmuka wa ta'ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuka.

Glory and praise be to You, O Allah! Blessed be Your name, exalted be Your splendor, and there is no deity except You.

Shaban: The eighth month of the Islamic calendar

Shaqq: The usual grave consisting of a rectangular hole in the ground

Shariah: Islamic Code of Law based on The Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

Sunnah: A saying or an act of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

Surat ul Fatihah: the opening chapter of The Quran

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful: Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds; Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. Thee do we worship, and thine aid do we seek. Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

Surah Yaseen: The thirty sixth chapter of The Quran

Takbeer: The invocation "Allah o Akbar" (i.e., Allah is Great)

Takfeen: The process of wrapping the body in Kafan

Tashmeet: To say "Yarhamuk Allah" (i.e., may Allah have mercy on you)

Wudu: Ceremonial ablution for Salat

Zakat: A portion of property bestowed in charity or alms as a sanctification of the remainder. It is one of the five pillars of Islam

Zina: Adultery and fornication