History Of Islam In Africa

Glossary

G1ossaM1 adhan-Call to prayer. 'alim (pI. 'ulama' )-A scholar. baraka-Blessing, spiritual grace. bori-Spirit possession among the Hausa. daira or dahira-ln Senegal, religious associations of the Muridiyya brotherhood. dar al-harb-"The land(s) ofwar," part of the world not governed by Muslims and the shari'a (q.v.). dar al-Islam-"The la~d(s) of Islam," referring to the part of the world governed by Muslims and the sharia (q.v.). dara or daara-Community, used in particular in Senegal of the agricultural communities of the Muridiyya brotherhood, in contract with the mostly urban da'iras of the same country. dhikr-"Remembering" God, reciting the names of God; a religious service practiced by all mystical brotherhoods. faqih (pI. fuqaha')-An 'alim who is learned infiqh (q.v.). fatwa-A legal pronouncement handed down by a Muslim jurisconsult. fiqh-The science of religious law (shari'a, q.v.). hadith-Prophetic tradition; an account ofwhat the Prophet said or did; second in authority to the Quran. hajj-The pilgrimage to Mecca; one of the five pillars of Islam. hajji-A pilgrim, or a sobriquet of one who completed the hajj. hijra-The emigration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina; emigration from land(s) of unbelief (kufr). ijaza-Authorization given by a mentor to transmit knowledge, or to teach a specfic text. jama'a-Community, often used of agricultural settlements. jeli-Maninka hereditary profession, oral historian-musician. Also known as griot. jihad (fi sabil Allah)-"Struggle for God's sake"; mostly used for religiously sanctioned war. Tn West Africa, common name for a series of Fulani-based revolutions from Senegal to Cameroon in the nineteenth century. jizya-The poll-tax levied on non-Muslims by Muslim authorities. khalifa (pI. khulafa· )-"Represenrative"; the Arabic word for "caliph," it also means a regional leader or head of a breakaway branch within a sufi brotherhood (higher than muqaddam and shayh, qq.v.) khalwa-A retreat, often for forty days. khutba-The sermon given during the Friday prayers by a mosque official, the khatib. madhhab-"Rite" or "school of law"; one of the four major divisions of Sunni Islam, which differ in some points of law and performance of the ritual prayers. madrasa-A college, where the Islamic sciences are taught. mahdi-"The rightly guided one"; the restorer of religion and justice, who will rule before the end of the world. mallam-Hausa, from Arabic mu'allam (teacher): Islamic scholar (alim). marabout-Saint and charismatic religious personality, derived from murabit, a warrior-monk who inhabited a ribat (q.v.). Equivalent of shaykh (q.v.); sufi leader. mawlid-Celebration of the birthday ofthe Prophet, a saint, or a sufi shaykh (q.v.). mganga-Swahili term for a ritual specialist and/or healer. mu'adhdhin-The one who does the adhan (call to prayer). mudir-A specialized Swahili term applied to mid-level officials of the Zanzibar Sultanate. mufti-A jurisconsult who gives fatwa (q.v.). muqaddam-Leader of a sufi brotherhood. murid-Studenr, follower of a sufi brotherhood. AIt.: tilmidh (pI. talamidh). mwalimu or walimu-A Swahili term for a religious teacher of any kind. mwanavyuoni or wanazuoni-A more specialized Swahili term for a religious scholar ('alim, q.v.). nazir-Supervisor. pepo-Swahili term for a spirit that "visits" one possessed. qadi-A Muslim judge, a scholar who is employed by an Islamic regime to render judgments in a court based on the shari'a (q.v.). qasida (pI. qasa'id)-A verse form often associated in AtI·ica with eulogies of important religious leaders. ribat-Originally, a fortifIed convent on the frontiers ofIslam; one of the terms (like zawiya, q.v.) denoting the residence of mystics. sama'-A concert ofspiritual or devotional music. sanduq-In Sudan, rotating credit associations. shahada-Islam confession of faith, which states that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His messenger." shari'a-The religious law of Islam. sharif (pI. shurafa"}-This refers to a putative descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, or of his near family. shaykh-An honorific term applied informally to a highly esteemed (male) personage. A patriarch or a religious scholar, or head of a sufi lodge (zawiya, g.v.). sufi--A Muslim mystic, who often belongs to one of the mystical brotherhoods. sunna-A normative custom of the Prophet or of the early Muslim community, as set forth in the hadith (g.v.). tafsir-Exegesis of...