keywords

• tawid

  the 'oneness' of Allah. The basic muslim belief that there is only one god. this is a common belief to both sunni and shi'a muslims
• risalah

  'prophethood'

  • messengers of god
  • beginning with adam and ending with prophet muhammad
• halal

  actions or things which are permitted in islam such as eating permitted foods
• haram

  actions or things which are forbidden in islam such as eating forbidden foods
• jihad

  to 'strive'

  • greater jihad = daily struggle and inner spiritual striving to live as a muslim
  • lesser jihad = physical struggle or holy war in defence of islam
• masjid

  'place of prostration' for muslims

  a communal place of worship for a muslim community
• shari'ah

  'a way of life'

  • muslims believe that allah has set out a clear path for how muslims should live
  • shari'ah law is the set of moral and religious rules that put the principles set out by the qur'an and the hadith into practice
• ummah

  'muslim community'

  • the worldwide community of muslims who share a common religious identity
  • every muslim shares common beliefs such as tawid and the 5 pillars of islam
  • may have differences on both personal and denominational levels