Glossary of Terms
ashraf : those who trace their lineage to the Prophet; adopted later to refer to participants in Muslim religious associations.
Ayatollah : the highest rank in the Shi'ite hierarchy of scholars who are qualified to give independent judgment in religious matters.
Babis (pl.) : followers of the Bab.
faqih : scholar of Islamic law.
hajj : annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Imam : leader of prayer.
jihad: war in accordance with the Islamic law against unbelievers, also, the inner struggle against base impulses.
Mahdi : Personage who will appear at the end of the days and establish Islam over all unrighteous forces.
mujahhid: renewer, restorer, reformer of Islam; a leading figure believed to come once every century.
mujahid : (pl. muhajidin) warrior for the faith.
Majlis : parliament - est 1906.
sayyid : descendent of Husayn, son of the Prophet's daughter, Fatima.
Shari'a : Islamic law; more broadly, the totality of Muslim belief and practice.
sharifs : Descendants of Fatima's son, Hasan. (see sayyid)
Shi'a : those Muslims who held to the rights of 'Ali and his descendants to leadership in the community.
Sufi : follower of a mystic path.
Sunnis : the majority of Muslims, who accept the authority of the first generation of Muslims and the validity of the historic succession of caliphs.
ulama : learned man, especially in the law and other religious matters.
umma : the totality of Muslims forming a community following Muhammed.
*Most of the definitions for these terms were taken from: Edmund Burke, III and Ira M. Lapidus, eds. Islam, Politics, and Social Movements. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. p.p.317- 319.