Help! I Don't Know These Islamic Terms Quiz

Answer: Adhan

In Islam the followers are called to offer salat (prayer or worship) at five specific times during the day. The adhan, sometimes also spelled as azaan, is a call to prayer by the muezzin, a person appointed to call and then lead the prayer at the masjid (mosque), the Muslim house of worship. After this initial call, the iqama is recited, which signals the beginning of the prayers. The mihrab is a niche in the wall of the mosque which indicates the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. Muslims pray while facing in this direction.

The adhan is usually recited into the ears of a newborn baby so that it is the first words that the child hears calling him to the faith.

Answer: God is the greatest.

"Allahu akbar" is nothing but an Arabic phrase that translates to "God is the greatest". It is often recited by Muslims to give glory to God, and may be used in times of happiness and also as a cry for help in times of trouble. This phrase is also found on the flags of Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

Answer: Du'aa

Du'aas are prayers that are recited at specific occasions. These may be memorised from various Islamic texts, or be spontaneous ones prayed by any individual for his or her own specific needs.

Surah denotes a chapter of the Qur'an, zakat are alms given to the poor and hazrat is a title used to confer respect on a person.

Answer: Neck

Wudu is an important part of offering prayers or reading the Qur'an. It ensures that the followers are purified and hygienic before they undertake these important tasks. Fiqh, which is the Islamic jurisprudence, lays down the guidelines to be followed during wudu.

It is mandated that the hands, arms, feet, mouth, nostrils and head are washed with water. There is no specific command to wash the neck. Wudu is thus only a partial washing, while ghusl is a washing of the whole body. Mosques often have a provision for the faithful to perform wudu before joining in the prayers.

Answer: Dawah

The literal translation of the word 'dawah' can be taken as an 'invitation'. A dawah may be issued to help people understand the core beliefs of the Islamic religion, as is often done in the Western world to encourage mutual understanding of each other's religious beliefs and practices. It may also be taken as an invitation to follow the faith.

Juz is one of the thirty parts of the Qur'an, madrasah is a school or college where education is imparted according to Islamic traditions and qiyamah is the final Day of Judgement.

Answer: Friday

Friday is the holy day of the week for Muslims, and is called Jumah. The Jumu'ah are specific prayers held every Friday after noon. During the Jumu'ah, the khutbah or sermon is delivered, which could involve preaching on particular aspects of the religion or explanations of certain texts in the Qur'an. The person delivering the sermon is called the khatib.

Answer: Iftar

Ramadaan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and commemorates the month in which the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During this month, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from eating and drinking. Once the sun has set, the fast is typically broken by consuming dates. After this the Maghrib prayers are offered and then Muslims gather as a community to have the Iftar meal.

Ruh means spirit, sabr means patience and sawm is the Arabic word for fasting.

Answer: Hafiz

Hafiz literally translates to one who has memorised, and is used to describe someone who knows the entire Qur'an and can recite it without looking it up. Hafiza may be used for a woman who has achieved this task. Since the Qur'an was first received when not many people were literate and able to read for themselves, the hafiz played an important role in preserving and transmitting the message.

Imam is a person who leads the prayers or the salat at a mosque or other gathering. Maulvi is a title given to scholars or teachers of religion. Mufti is an individual who interprets the Islamic Sharia law and is allowed to impose a fatwa, which is a religious diktat.

Answer: Hadith

The Hadith is a collection of the Prophet Muhammad's words, actions and habits, and are deeply studied and revered by Muslims. Since the hadith were compiled many generations after the Prophet's death, the isnad were used to determine their veracity. The isnad is a chain of transmission which traces a particular hadith right back to the original occurrence. The Hadith are important texts for the clarification of various issues in Islamic jurisprudence.

Fajr is one of the five salat, the one offered at dawn; darud means blessing and Amin is the Islamic version of Amen which is used at the conclusion of a prayer.

Answer: Injil

According to the Qur'an, there are four holy books. These are the Qur'an itself, the Tawrat (the Jewish Torah), the Zabur (considered by some to be the Psalms found in the Old Testament of the Bible) and the Injil. The Injil is called the Gospel of Jesus.

However, it is not to be confused with the Gospels found in the New Testament of the Bible, which are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Muslims believe that the original Injil was revealed by God to Jesus, who then shared it with his disciples.

However, the original has been corrupted by translations over the centuries and the Four Gospels found in the Bible do not bear much resemblance to the original.