The call to prayer, recited aloud before each of the five daily prayers.

The afterlife; everything that comes after death, including the Day of Judgement, Paradise, and Hell.

"All praise is for Allah." Said in gratitude, after sneezing, and in answer to "how are you?"

The Arabic word for God, used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews as well. Not a different deity; the God of Abraham.

"Allah is Greatest." Opens the prayer and marks each movement within it; also an everyday expression of awe or joy.

The "Helpers": the Muslims of Madinah who sheltered and supported the migrants from Makkah.

Creed; the core beliefs of Islam, such as the oneness of God and belief in the prophets.

"I seek Allah's forgiveness." Said when repenting, or on witnessing something wrong.

A verse of the Quran. Literally "a sign". Plural: ayat.

Blessing; a quality of divine goodness in something, making a little go far.

"In the name of Allah." Said before eating, working, travelling: before beginning almost anything.

Inviting others to Islam; literally "invitation". Done, at its best, by example and gentle explanation.

Religion or way of life. Muslims speak of Islam as a deen because it covers all of life, not just worship.

Remembrance of Allah: short phrases like SubhanAllah repeated to keep the heart connected.

Personal supplication: talking to Allah in your own words, in any language, at any time.

Festival. Islam has two: Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha during the Hajj season.

The dawn prayer, the first of the five daily prayers, prayed before sunrise.

A scholarly legal opinion on a question of Islamic practice. Advice, not a decree.

Islamic jurisprudence: the scholarly working-out of how to practise, where the schools of law sometimes differ.

The full-body ritual wash required after marital intimacy and at the end of menstruation.

A recorded saying or action of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, graded by scholars for authenticity. Plural: ahadith.

Someone who has memorised the entire Quran. Millions of them are alive today.

The pilgrimage to Makkah, required once in a lifetime from those physically and financially able. The fifth pillar.

Permissible. Applies to food, income, and conduct; the default state of things unless scripture says otherwise.

Forbidden: the relatively short list of things scripture prohibits, like pork, alcohol, and interest.

The headcovering worn by many Muslim women, and more broadly the whole ethic of modesty, which binds men too.

The Prophet's ﷺ migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE; year one of the Islamic calendar.

The meal that breaks the fast at sunset in Ramadan, traditionally begun with dates and water.

Excellence in faith: "to worship Allah as though you see Him, for though you do not see Him, He sees you."

The person who leads the congregational prayer; also the title of a mosque's religious leader.

Faith; belief in the heart, spoken by the tongue, shown in action. It naturally rises and dips.

"If Allah wills." Attached to any statement about the future.

The night prayer, the last of the five daily prayers.

Seeking forgiveness from Allah, usually by repeating "astaghfirullah".

Hell; the punishment of those who knowingly rejected truth and did wrong. Cognate with the Hebrew Gehenna.

Paradise; literally "the garden". The eternal reward of the believers.

"May Allah reward you with good": the fuller Muslim thank-you.

Unseen beings created from smokeless fire, with free will like humans; some good, some bad. Origin of the English "genie".

The Friday congregational prayer that replaces Dhuhr, with a sermon (khutbah) before it.

The cube-shaped building at the centre of Makkah, built by Abraham and Ishmael; the direction all Muslims face in prayer.

The sermon delivered before the Friday prayer.

A school of Islamic law (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali). They agree on essentials and differ on details; all are valid.

The holiest city of Islam (Mecca), birthplace of the Prophet ﷺ and home of the Kaaba.

"What Allah has willed." Said in admiration or congratulation.

A mosque; literally "place of prostration".

The niche in a mosque wall marking the direction of Makkah.

The Islamic marriage contract: offer, acceptance, witnesses, and a gift (mahr) to the bride.

Making up a missed act of worship, such as a prayer or fast, once you are able.

The direction of the Kaaba in Makkah, faced in every prayer.

The final revelation, given to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ over 23 years. Literally "the recitation".

One unit of prayer: standing, bowing, and two prostrations. Prayers are made of two to four rakahs.

The ninth Islamic month, in which the Quran was revealed and Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.

Patience and steadfastness; one of the most praised qualities in the Quran.

Voluntary charity, beyond the required zakat. Even a smile counts, said the Prophet ﷺ.

The companions of the Prophet ﷺ: the first generation of Muslims.

The formal prayer performed five times daily; the second pillar of Islam.

Peace. "As-salamu alaykum" (peace be upon you) is the universal Muslim greeting; the reply is "wa alaykum as-salam".

Fasting: no food, drink, or marital intimacy from dawn to sunset. The fourth pillar, practised in Ramadan.

The biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The declaration of faith: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His messenger." Saying it sincerely makes you a Muslim.

Satan; also any devil. In Islam he whispers and tempts but has no power to force anyone.

Associating partners with God: the one unforgivable sin if died upon without repentance, and the exact opposite of tawhid.

"Glory be to Allah." Said in wonder, and repeated as dhikr.

The pre-dawn meal eaten before a day of fasting.

The Prophet's ﷺ example: his sayings, actions, and approvals. The second source of Islamic guidance after the Quran.

A chapter of the Quran. There are 114, from 3 verses to 286.

Voluntary prayer in the depth of night; the most beloved extra worship.

The rules of beautiful, precise Quran recitation.

Saying "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Greatest).

God-consciousness: living with the awareness that Allah sees you. The Quran's most repeated virtue.

Repentance: turning back to Allah. Requires regret, stopping the sin, and resolving to return to Him; always accepted while life remains.

The absolute oneness of God: the central idea of Islam from which everything else flows.

The worldwide community of Muslims, described by the Prophet ﷺ as one body.

The "lesser pilgrimage" to Makkah, performable at any time of year; shorter than Hajj and not obligatory.

The ritual washing before prayer: hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, and feet.

The obligatory annual charity of 2.5% of savings above a threshold; the third pillar of Islam.