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Fatwas Regarding Women

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful


Glossary

Asr, Salat al-: This is the obligatory afternoon prayer.

Aurah: This is a reference to the portions of a person's body that are to be covered and covered properly. Under different circumstances, a person's aurah will be different. For example, for women, their aurah in the prayer when no men are around is different from their aurah when they go out in public which is yet different from their aurah when they perform the pilgrimage.

Dhuhr, Salat al-: This is the obligatory midday prayer.

Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr: These are the two Islamic festivals. One occurs at the end of the pilgrimage while the second occurs at the end of the fasting of the month of Ramadhan.

Fajr; Salat al-: This is the obligatory dawn prayer.

fiqh: Islamic jurisprudence.

ghusl: This is the complete ritual washing of the body. It is required, for example, after sexual intercourse or after a woman has completed her menses.

Hajj: This is the Major Pilgrimage. It is obligatory upon every Muslim to perform this once in his life if he has the means to do it. It is made up of specific rites and is performed at a specific time of the year.

Hasan: This is an acceptable hadith although it does not reach the level of authenticity of a sahih hadith. It is still considered an authority in Islamic Law.

hijab: Herein it is a reference to the proper dress of a Muslim woman which cover her completely.

iddah: This is the woman's waiting period. It could be the result of divorce or the result of becoming a widow. In both cases, there are special rulings that she must abide by.

Ifadha, Tawaf al-: This is the circumambulation of the Kaaba which is performed on the Tenth of Dhul-Hiijah. It is one of the pillars or essential acts of the Hajj.

ihram: Herein it is a reference to the inviolable state of the Pilgrimage. In this state, one is not allowed to perform certain acts that on another occasions he may be able to do.

Isha, Salat al-: This is the obligatory night prayer.

Istihaadha: This is a prolonged or continuos flow of blood from the vagina or a flow of blood of outside of the monthly menses.

jilbab: This is the outer cloak that woman are commanded to wear in Surah al-Ahzab. It covers the woman's entire body from her head to her feet.

Maghrib, Salat al-: The is the obligatory prayer said immediately after sunset.

mahram: In general, it is used herein as a reference to a woman's husband and all the men that are within the prohibited degrees of marriage, such as her father, brothers, father-in-law and so forth. It is allowed for a woman to be alone with such men, travel with them and so on. It can also be used in reference to a man's wife and all the women relatives within the prohibited degrees, such as his mothers, sisters and so forth. He is allowed to be alone with such women, travel with them and so forth.

mustahaadha: This is in reference to the physical condition of a woman characterized by the condition of istihaadha.

qiraan: This is where a person performs Hajj and Umrah at one time, with one intention, and entering the state of ihram only once.

rakah or rakat: This is a "unit" of the prayer. For example, the Fajr or Morning Prayer consists of two rakats.

sa': This is a measure of food. It is approximately equivalent to three kilograms of specific types of foods. In reality, it is four times what a person can hold when he cups both of his hands together.

sahih: This is an authentic hadith, a hadith of the highest level of authenticity. It is an authority in Islamic law.

Salat al-lstikhaarah: When a person has a choice between doing a particular act, he asks Allah to guide him to that act if it is better for him and to take him away from that act if it is not good for him, and to bring him what is good for him. This is done by performing two rakats of voluntary prayer and then making a special supplication afterwards.

Shariah: This is the Islamic Law; in particular, what is stated in the texts of the Quran and sunnah.

tahajjud: These are the voluntary late-night prayers. They are said between the performance of the Night (Isha) Prayer and the Dawn (Fajr) Prayer.

tamattu': This is where a person performs the Umrah during one of the months of Hajj. Then he leaves the inviolable state and re-enters it to begin his Hajj.

tayammum: This is the ritual cleansing with soil in the absence of water.

Umra: This is the "Minor Pilgrimage." It has less rites than the Major Pilgrimage. In general, it may be performed at any time of the year. Some scholars also say that this is a mandatory act upon every Muslim once in his lifetime. However, in this case, its obligatory nature is not agreed upon.

wudhu: This is the ritual washing or ablution that is required for the performance of prayers and other acts. It differs from the major washing which is known as ghusl.

Zakat: This is the poor-due that makes up one of the five pillars of Islam.


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