HowStuffWorks "Islam - Encyclopedia Entries"

Aga Khan

Aga Khan is the title of the imam (spiritual leader) of the Nizari Ismaili Shiites, a small group of Shiite Muslims who broke away from the larger group of Shiites in the 700's.

Allah

Allah, AL uh or AH luh, is the Arabic word for God or the Supreme Being.

Dervish

Dervish, DUR vihsh, is a member of one of the mystical religious orders of the Islamic religion.

Fatimah

Fatimah (605?-633) was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and the wife of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Hajj

Hajj, haj, also spelled hadj, is a holy pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy city of the Islamic religion.

Hamka

Hamka (1908-1981) is the name of an Indonesia religious leader and Islamic scholar.

Hijra

Hijra is the name given to Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina in 622.

Husayni, al-Hajj Amin al-

Husayni, al-Hajj Amin al-, hoo SAY nee, ahl hahj ah MEEN ahl (1895?-1974), was a Palestinian leader.

Id al-Ad-ha

Id al-Ad-ha, IHD uhl ahd HAH, is one of the two major festivals in Islam.

Id al-Fitr

Id al-Fitr, IHD uhl FIHT uhr, is the first of the two major festivals in Islam.

Ikhwan

Ikhwan, ihk WAHN, is an Arabic term meaning brothers or brotherhood.

Imam Bonjol

Imam Bonjol (1772-1864), was an Indonesian Muslim who led a war against the Dutch in Sumatra.

Islam

Islam, ihs LAHM or ihz LAHM, is the name given to the religion preached by the Prophet Muhammad in the A.D.

Ismaili Muslims

Ismaili, ihs may EE lee or Ismailis, Muslims are a worldwide religious community belonging to the Shiah branch of Islam (see Islam).

Jihad

Jihad is an Arabic word that refers to an effort or struggle on behalf of the religion of Islam.

Kaaba

Kaaba, KAH buh, also spelled Caaba, is the most sacred shrine of Islam.

Mohammed, Warith Deen

Mohammed, Warith Deen, moh HAM ehd, wawr EETH deen (1933-...), succeeded his father, Elijah Muhammad, as the leader of the original Nation of Islam in 1975.