The Perils of Joy: Contesting Mulid Festivals in Contemporary Egypt

Glossary of Arabic Terms

209 Glossary of Arabic Terms The transliteration of Arabic names and words orients in part on standard Arabic and in part on Egyptian Arabic, depending on the primary context of usage. The Arabic letter jim is transliterated as j in standard Arabic usage and as g in colloquial Egyptian usage and Egyptian proper names. adab: The command of cultivated social conduct, good manners; literature. ahl al-bayt, also al al-bayt: Family and descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. ‘alim: A Muslim scholar. ’araguz: A satirical puppet play, derived from the Turkish karagöz; name of the main figure in the play. awliya’: See wali. al-Azhar University: Egypt’s oldest and most important institution of Islamic learning. Since its nationalization in 1961, al-Azhar has offered not only religious learning, but also a wide curriculum in sciences and the humanities. baraka: Blessing; a beneficial power that emanates from God and that is transmitted through pious deeds, saintly persons, and holy places and objects. barzakh: The in-between state between this world and the hereafter, where the dead dwell until Judgment Day. batin: Invisible, esoteric. See also zahir. bid‘a: An illegitimate innovation in religion. darwish: Dervish, a person fully devoted to the Sufi path. dhikr: Invocation of God; Sufi ritual of ecstatic meditation. farah: Wedding; mulid celebration; literally “joy.” fatwa: A legal opinion or advice expressed by a religious expert. gallabiya: A long robe worn by men, today associated with rural or lower-class habitus. guza: A simple waterpipe that is often used to smoke hashish. 210  Glossary of Arabic Terms hadith: A saying or act by the Prophet Muhammad recorded in a canonical collection ; the canonical corpus of the Prophet’s sayings. hadra: Ritual gathering of a Sufi group. al-hagg (fem. al-hagga): Honorific title of a person who has undertaken the pilgrimage to Mecca; polite address toward elderly persons. halal: Ritually permissible. haqiqa: Truth; the esoteric truth of Islam underlying its exoteric ritual obligations. See also shari‘a. haram: Ritually prohibited. higab: A Muslim woman’s head scarf; a covering regime of dress understood to be an obligation upon Muslim women. ‘id: Feast; generic term for the two canonic Islamic feasts of fast breaking and sacrifice. ‘id al-adha: Feast of sacrifice at the end of the hajj. ‘id al-fitr: Feast of breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan. inshad: Devotional singing. karama (pl. karamat): Grace, miracle. khedive: Viceroy; the title of Egypt’s rulers from 1805 (formally from 1867) to 1914. khidma: A service of free food or drinks at a mulid; a tent or apartment where celebrations at a mulid take place. kuttab: A traditional school that teaches reading, writing, and memorizing the Qur’an. kutub al-bida‘: A genre of mediaeval scholarly tractates against innovations. Lower Egypt: Northern Egypt, “lower” because located down the river Nile. ma‘allim (pl. ma‘allamin, fem. ma‘allima): Master of a craft or a traditional trade. madhhab: A tradition of Muslim legal-ritual learning and practice; often translated as “school of law.” maqsura: A wooden or metal cage around a Muslim saint’s tomb. mawlid: Standard Arabic pronunciation of mulid. mizmar: A wind instrument similar to the medieval European shawm, the predecessor of the modern oboe. muhibb (pl. muhibbin): A person attached to Sufi spirituality without being formally attached to any group. mulid: A Muslim or Christian saint’s festival in Egypt; literally “birthday, birthplace.” mulid al-nabi: The prophet Muhammad’s birthday, 12 Rabi‘ al-Thani. munkar (pl. munkarat): An immoral act prohibited by religion. Glossary of Arabic Terms  211 munshid: Singer leading a Sufi gathering. murid: Follower of a Sufi sheikh. nafs: Ego, self; the animal soul in opposition to the spirit in a three-part model of body and soul. See also ruh. qiddis: Christian saint. qutb: An axial saint to whom Sufi groups trace themselves. ruh: The spirit in opposition to the animal soul in a three-part model of body and soul. See also nafs. saha: Open square where festivals and markets take place; a space where regular gatherings of a Sufi group take place. salat: Muslim ritual prayer. al-sayyid: “Lord”; honorific title of descendants of the prophet Muhammad and of Muslim saints. al-sayyida: “Lady”; honorific title of female descendants of the prophet Muhammad and of female Muslim saints. sha‘bi: Popular, of the people; a style of wedding dance music with a fast beat. shari‘a...