The Jewel Of Medina (56 page)

abi:
“my father”

afwan:
“Excuse me”; pardon

ahlan:
“Welcome”; a greeting

Ahlan wa sahlan:
“Welcome and as family”

al-Lah:
God

Al-Lahu akbar:
“God is great”

al-Ma’thur:
“The Legacy”; the name of Muhammad’s sword

al-zaniya:
adulteress

ansari:
“Helpers”; the Medina tribes who followed Muhammad

Assalaamu aleikum:
“Peace be with you”; a greeting

barid:
a unit of distance, about 20 miles

bint:
“daughter of”

dinar:
a gold coin, unit of currency

dirham:
a silver coin, unit of currency

djann:
plural of
djinni

djinni:
a mythical spirit inhabiting the Earth, with supernatural powers

durra:
“parrot”; the name for the
harim’s
second wife

fahisha:
whore

habib:
beloved

habibati:
my (female) beloved

habibi:
my (male) beloved

hajja:
a woman who has made the pilgrimage to Medina

hammam:
public baths

harim:
the inner sanctum where the women of the household reside

hatun:
“Great Lady”; the first-wife of the
harim

hijab:
the curtain or veil

Hijaz:
the Arabian western coast, bordering the Red Sea, including Mecca and Medina

hijra:
the emigration to Medina

houri:
a virtuous woman in Paradise with large, luminous eyes

hawdaj:
a curtained seat atop a camel

ibn:
son of

islam:
submission (to al-Lah)

jahiliyya:
the time of ignorance before
islam

Ka’ba:
cube; the name for the sacred shrine in Mecca

kahin:
pre-Islamic mystics

khatmi:
an herbal remedy made from the mallow plant

khuzama:
a sweet desert plant

kohl:
a black substance used to line the eyes

Labaykh al-Lahumah labaykh:
“We answer your call, our al-Lah”

latheeth:
delicious

ma’ salaama:
“with peace”; a farewell

majlis:
sitting room

marhaba:
a greeting

miswak:
a tree with an astringent quality whose sticks are used to clean the teeth

qur’an:
recitations; specifically, Muhammad’s recitations from al-Lah

raki’a (pl. raka’at):
bows in the ritual of Muslim prayer

sahab:
friend

samoom:
a violent windstorm that darkens the sky with sand

samneh:
clarified butter

shaykh:
an old man

suq:
market

tanbur:
a musical instrument, the precursor to the lyre

tharid:
a dish of meat and bread, reputed to be Muhammad’s favorite

umma:
the Muslim community of Believers; also, mother-land

ummi:
“my mother”

wa aleikum assalaam:
“and with you be peace”; a return greeting

wadi:
a (usually dry) riverbed

wars:
a yellow dye made from a Yemeni plant resembling sesame

yaa:
loose trans. “hey”; a word used before a person’s name to address him/her

zauba’ah:
“devils”; or pillars of sand formed in a
samoom

K
HADIJA
(K
A
-DEE-Z
SA
)

S
AWDAH
(SAUW-
DAH
)

A’
ISHA
(AH-
EESHA
)

H
AFSA
(HAF-
SAH
)

Z
AINAB
(ZAY-
NAB
)
BINT
K
HUZAINAH
(K
U
-ZAY-
NAH
)

U
MM
S
ALAMA
(O
OM
S
A
-LA-
MA
)

Z
AYNAB BINT
J
AHSH

J
UWAIRRYAH
(J
U
-
WAY
-
RI
-
YAH
)

R
AIHANA
(R
AY
-HA-
NAH
)

S
AFFIYA
(S
AF
-FEE-
YAH
)

R
AMLAH
(RAM-L
AH
)

M
ARYAM
(MAHR-
YAM
)

M
AYMUNAH
(M
AY
-MOO-
NAH
)

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