| Aalem: | Arabic for scholar. |
| Ahlulbait: | Muhammad and the Infallible members of his family, Peace be upon him and them. |
| Ahlulbayt: | See Ahlulbait. |
| Ahlulkissa: |
Fatimah and her father (Prophet Muhammad) and her husband (Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb) and her sons (al-Hassan and al-Hussein), Peace be upon them. |
| Alem: | See aalem. |
| Al-/al-: | Arabic for the. |
| Praise be to God: | Arabic for "absolute praise be to God." |
| Allah: | Arabic for God. The name of God in Arabic. |
| Arabic: | Arabic is the native language of the Arabs. It is language of the Qur'an, the holly book of Islam. |
| Ayatollah: | A title given to a Shiite scholar who has completed a particular high level of theological work. |
| Azakhana-e-Zahra: | An Islamic Shia center established by Syed Mudassir Ali Shah Moosvi and located in Milpitas, California. |
| BASMA: | The Business Association of the Shiite-Muslims of America™. |
| Ibn: | Arabic for "son of." |
| BOD: | Board of Directors. |
| Br.: | Brother. |
| Du'a: | Arabic for prayer or supplication. |
| Fortieth: | This is the fortieth day after the death of a person. |
| Al-Hajj: | An honorary Arabic title used to honor those who have performed the pilgrimage. To Muslims, the Hajj is the pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. |
| Hajj: | Arabic for pilgrimage. To Muslims, the Hajj is the pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca in Arabia. |
| Halaqa: | Arabic for ring or circle. Also, read about the Islamic Halaqa Program. |
| Ibnat: | Arabic for "daughter of." |
| ICA: | Iraqi Community Association. |
| ICCNC: | Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California. |
| Inshallah: |
Arabic for "God willing. Also spelled as Insha'Allah. |
| Irfan: | Arabic for recognition. In theological terms: Recognizing the divine knowledge residing in our hearts. |
| Ithar: |
Arabic for altruism. The act of giving up what one has and yet needs to others! |
| Jama'aah: |
Arabic for group. |
| Jama'aah prayer: |
Arabic for "group prayer." |
| M4: | M4 is the alternate name of the Islamic Halaqa Program. The Arabic motto of this project includes four main words starting with the letter 'm;' thus M4. |
| Light of Lights: | One of the titles and attributes of
Prophet Muhammad, PBUH&HF. |
| Mahdi: | The Guided. Al-Mahdi, PBUH, is the Twelfth Imam. He appears after the Earth has become filled with tyranny and oppression to fill it with fairness and justice. |
| Mahasen al-Akhlaqa: | Arabic for "the benevolent temperament." |
| Makarem al-Akhlaq: | Arabic for "the generous temperament." |
| Maulana: | ِAbbreviation of Maulana, which is Arabic for "our lord." |
| Muhajir: | Arabic for immigrant. |
| Mumin: | Arabic for faithful. Used to refer to the devout believer in the Islamic faith. |
| Mustahab: |
Arabic for recommended. More precisely, it is Arabic for "favored by God." |
| Salat: | Arabic for prayer. Example: Salat az-Zuhr (the Noon Prayer). |
| PBUH: | Peace be upon him/her. |
| PBUT&HF: | PBUH&HF. |
| PBUT: | Peace be upon them. |
| S: | Abbreviation of Salam or salawat of God be upon him/her. |
| Salam: | Arabic for peace. Peace is one of the 99 Qur'anic Holy Names of God. |
| Salawat: |
Arabic for blessings. Example: Fatimah, salawat of God be upon her. |
| Salat al-Maghrebain: | Arabic for "Maghreb and Esha prayers." |
| Sayyed: | Arabic for lord. An honorary title used to refer to a man who is a pious descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, PBUH&HF, through his daughter Fatimah az-Zahra, PBUH. |
| SFBASIC: | San Francisco Bay Area Shia Islamic Community. |
| Shia: | See Shiite. |
| Shiite: | A follower of the earliest branch of Islam. A Shiite is a follower of Ali ibn Abi Taleb, PBUH, the son in-law of
Prophet Muhammad, PBUH&HF. The Shiites of Ali, PBUH, existed during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH&HF. |
| SABA: | Shia Association of Bay Area. |
| Syed: | Same as Sayyed. |
| Tawfiq: | Arabic for "the concurrence of God." |
| Ulema: | Arabic: Plural of aalem, which Arabic for "Islamic Scholar." |
| Ummah: | Arabic for nation. |
| Urdu: | A language spoken by Muslims from India and Pakistan. |
| Vali-e-Faqih: | Farsi for "Supreme Islamic Shia Jurisprudent." |
| Al-Wali al-Faqih: |
Arabic for "Guardian Jurisprudent." |
| Zuhoor: | Arabic for appearance. |
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