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GLOSSARY
Al Abbas: An Uncle of and an ardent supporter of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  He embraced Islam when the Muslim forces were  ready to enter Mecca.
Abdullah: Father of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), he died before Muhammad was born.
Abdul Mut'talib: Grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and his guardian until he died when Muhammad was only eight years old.
Abu Bakr: A great companion of Prophet Muhammad his friend and supporter and the first Khalifa.  His daughter A'isha was married to the Prophet.
Abu Jahl: An uncle of the Prophet (pbuh).  A grave enemy of Islam, and a self appointed leader of opposition.  He was killed at Badr.
Abu Lahab: An Uncle of the Prophet (pbuh).  A grave enemy of Islam and a self appointed leader of opposition.  He was specifically condemned in the Holy Quran.
Abu Sufyan: A grave enemy of Islam, and a self appointed leader of opposition.  He converted to Islam when he had no choice, when the Muslims were ready to enter Mecca.
Abu Talib: Uncle of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his ardent supporter.  He was the father of Ali and Ja'far.
Ab'waa: Place between Mecca and Medina where Amina, the mother of Muhammad (pbuh) died.
Addas: A Christian slave, who saw Muhammad (pbuh) bleeding after being chased by the children and slaves of Ta'if.  After some questions and answers he converted to Islam.
Aqaba: Place near Mecca where some people from Medina pledged their loyalty to Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  The agreements were called the first and second pledge of Aqaba, since the pledge took place twice, at one year apart.
Al‑Ghifari: A searcher for the truth, originally from Medina, converted to Islam in Mecca, was mercilessly beaten by the disbelievers of Mecca at the time.
Ali: Beloved cousin of the Prophet (pbuh) and his son‑in‑law, the most ardent supporter of Islam, the legendary hero of most military engagements, and the fourth Khalifa.
Al‑Lat: Idol in Ta'if.
Amr ibnil Aas: Representative of the disbelievers to King Negus in Abyssinia against the Muslims. Converted to Islam a short while after Khalid ibn Al‑Waleed did.
Amina: The mother of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), died when he was six years old, at a place called Ab'waa.
Ammar ibn Yasir: One of the famous companions of the Prophet (pbuh).
Asmaa': Daughter of Abu Bakr.
Athan: Call for the prayer (Salat).
Aus: A large tribe in Medina, which was constantly at odds with Khazraj, but as both tribes converted to Islam, they became like brothers.
Benu Abdul‑Mut'talib: Clan of Abdul‑Mut'talib, part of Quraish.
Benu Hashim: Clan of Hashim, part of Quraish.
Benu Sa'ad: The tribe Halima belonged to, she was the one who took care of Muhammad (pbuh) until he became five years old.
Benu Thaqif: A tribe in the town of Ta'if.
Buhaira: The Christian monk who predicted the future for Muhammad (pbuh) when Muhammad was twelve years old.
Buraq: The horse which was provided for the Prophet (pbuh) by Gabriel during Israa and Mi'raaj.
Busrah: The town in which Buhaira used to be.
Dar‑ul‑Nadwa: The house in which an important meeting by the disbelievers took place to plan the murder of the Prophet (pbuh).
Fatima: The beloved daughter of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and the wife of Ali, and the mother of Al‑Hasan and Al‑Husain.  Called by the Prophet:  The Princes of all Women.
Fujjar war: When only fifteen years old, Muhammad (pbuh) joined in this war but never participated actively.  He had a good chance to observe, and feel the futility of killing and the great suffering.
Gabriel: An archangel who revealed the Message of Allah to the Prophet, be it Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, Ibrahim, etc., may peace and blessings of Allah be with them.
Gad'an: It was in the house of Gad'an that the League of Fudul took place.
Ghadeer Khum: A place near Mecca when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) delivered a famous speech after the occasion of the farewell Pilgrimage.  The speech was specifically for the support of Ali as the man to have the authority after him, and it was delivered in front of a very large crowd.
Ghifari: A dedicated Muslim, a Companion of the Prophet (pbuh).
Haj: Pilgrimage to Mecca, a requirement of every Muslim, at least once in a lifetime, if he is capable and able to afford it.
Halima: The lady who took care of Muhammad (pbuh) in the first five years of his life.
Hamza: Uncle of the Prophet (pbuh), an ardent supporter, hero of Badr, was killed in Ohod and his body was severely mutilated by an enemy woman by the name of Hind (the wife of Abu Sufyan).
Hiraa: A small cave in the Mount of Noor, where Muhammad (pbuh) received his first Revelation from Angel Gabriel.  The cave is near the top of that mountain and it faces the Ka'ba, and it commands a breath taking panorama of the area.
Idols: Objects made by man so that a pagan worships them as a means to Allah.
Israa: The phenomenon in which Muhammad (pbuh) was taken by Gabriel from Mecca to Mount Sinai, then to Jerusalem.  This was followed by Mi'raaj.
Itban: This gentleman took the status of brother to Omar when the Muslims emigrated to Medina.
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib: A cousin of Muhammad (pbuh) and a brother of Ali, the leader of the Muslims in Abyssinia; also the second in command of the Muslims in Mu'ta engage­ment.  He was killed there after doing exceptionally well.
Khadija: The beloved wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), nick‑named the pure.  She was fifteen years older than him, married twice before, and lived to be his wife for twenty‑five years.
Khalid ibnil Waleed: A giant military leader of superb caliber; did an outstanding job for the disbelievers during Ohod engagement; was outmaneuvered by the Muslims before Hudaibiya.  He embraced Islam the seventh year of Hijrah, was a leader in Mu'ta, and of one of the Muslim battalions that entered Mecca.
Kharija: This gentleman took the status of brother to Abu Bakr when the Muslims emigrated to Medina.
Khazraj: A large tribe in Medina, used to be constantly at odds and warring with a challenger called Aus.  Both tribes became Muslim, and that changed them to be on very friendly terms.
Ka'ba: A large structure, cubicle in shape, originally built by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Isma'eel.  It is the focus towards which we turn as Muslims when we pray.  It is in Mecca.
League of Fudul: The first league that Muhammad (pbuh) participated in when he was 15 years old.  It was a pledge of doing the good towards fellow man.
Maysara: Khadija's servant who became an intimate friend of Muhammad (pbuh) during his trip to Syria.
Mecca: The birth place of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), where the Ka'ba is.
Meccans: People of Mecca.
Medina: A town north of Mecca by about 300 miles where Muhammad (pbuh) decided to emigrate, and where a great deal of Islamic activity took place.
Mi'raaj: Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) ascension to Heaven, where he was in the presence of the Almighty and saw many other things.
Mount Safa: A small mount near Ka'ba.
Mount Thaur: A rugged mountain, five miles south of Mecca, where Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr hid in a cave for three days.  This was a link in the chain of events of the brilliant escape from Mecca to Medina.
Mus'ab ibn Umair: The Muslim who was sent by Muhammad (pbuh) to Medina to teach Islam, after the Aqaba agreement.
Mu'ta: Battle between the Muslims and the Romans, where the Muslims were at least outnumbered fifty to one.
Nafisa: A lady who was a go‑between Khadija and Muhammad (pbuh) and who helped to arrange for their marriage.
Na'eem ibn Abdullah: The man who broke the news to Omar that Omar's sister and her husband had become Muslims.
Negus: King of Abyssinia.  He was Christian.
Najd: An area in Arabia that is far away from Mecca.
Nuaim: A negotiator between the disbelievers of Mecca and the Jews of Benu Quraidha, who succeeded in putting doubts in the minds of each side about the sincerity of each other.  His efforts helped the Muslims during the Ditch encounter.
Omar: A great companion of the Prophet (pbuh), a dedicated supporter of Islam and the second Khalifa afterwards.
Omrah: Haj, but not at its due time.
Qubaa: The first mosque, built in the outskirts of Medina, when Muhammad (pbuh) had just arrived to the area, following his brilliant escape from Mecca.
Quraish: The most influential tribe in Mecca; Muhammad (pbuh) belonged to it.  It was a grave enemy to Islam and it fought the Muslims off and on for almost 20 years.
Sa'eed: Omar's brother‑in‑law.
Salat: Prayer of the Muslims.
Sumayah: The first Muslim woman tortured to death by the disbelievers of Mecca.
Suraqah ibn Malik: The man who followed Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr as they were on their way from Mecca to Medina.  His intention was to kill the Prophet but instead he protected them from behind, after he had talked to the Prophet.
Tabuk: Place where a great Muslim force under the Prophet's leadership, came to face the Romans, but the Romans didn't engage in a battle.
Ta'if: A town about 60 miles from Mecca.
Tawaf: Going around the Ka'ba.
Ukadh gathering: A yearly fair in Mecca area, used to be a great meeting place of most tribes in Arabia.
Umm Ayman: A lady who went with Muhammad the boy and his mother to Yathrib (Medina).
Umm Hani: The first lady who was told the story of Israa and Mi'raaj by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Umm Jamil: Wife of Abu Lahab, and a mean enemy of Muhammad (pbuh).
Umm Kalthum: Daughter of the Prophet (pbuh) and wife of Uthman.
Ut'ba ibn Rabi'a: Representative from the Meccan unbeliev­ers who offered wealth and kingdom to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on condition that Prophet would stop his work for Islam.  The offer was rejected.
Uthman: A great companion of the Prophet (pbuh), a wealthy man, nick‑named Thul‑Noorain because he was married to a daughter of the Prophet at first, and when she died, he married her sister.  He became the third Khalifa.
Waraka ibn Naufal: A blind Christian who heard about the first Revelation to Muhammad (pbuh) by Gabriel, and became very excited.
Yasir: The first Muslim who was tortured to death by the unbelievers of Mecca.  His wife Sumayah had similar treatment.
Yathrib: The town we call Medina after the Prophet (pbuh) had settled in it.

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