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Glossary and References
Allusions to the Qur‘an can be paraphrases as well as familiar English versions.
Quotations from the Sahifa are given in Prof. William Chittick’s luminous translation, published by the Muhammadi Trust.
Quotations from the Nahj al-Balagha are sometimes based on and frequently informed by the translation in preparation by Dr Amjad Hussain Shah Naqavi, but in places I have modified them for literary reasons.
The most familiar names for real public figures are used; they may be noms de plume or noms de guerre, or use the Muslim convention of ‘Abu+name of eldest child’ rather than the official given name, if that name is better known.
786, The value given in a numerological system to the phrase, ‘Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim’. ‘In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate’. Some consider it a special number; others a superstition and ‘bida’, a (forbidden) innovation.
A
A thirsting ambition for truth, Johann Georg Hamann, Socratic Memorabilia, II, 63:31-37, translated by Gwen Griffith-Dickson, Johann Georg Hamann’s Relational Metacriticism, de Gruyter, 1995.
Abduh, Muhammad Abduh (1848-1905), Muslim scholar, reformer, modernist.
Abdul Aziz al-Enezi, said to be an al-Qa‘ida ideologue, author of their manifesto on oil.
Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s father-in-law and close companion, succeeded him in leadership and thus is considered the first Caliph.
Abu Hamza, Abu Hamza al-Masri, well-known in the extremist scene in London, not least for his missing eye and hands (replaced by hooks), now jailed.
Action! action! Then the aim, From Ali ibn Abi Talib’s Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 175.
adab, morality, etiquette, decency, decorum
Age of Ignorance, Muslim term for the pre-Islamic period.
Agha, title of respect.
Ahl al-Sunnah, the people of the Sunnah, Sunni Muslims.
Akhal Teke, Hot-blooded horse breed of Turkmenistan, said to be the most ancient hotblood breed in the world. See the stock image gallery at Animal Photography; search: Akhal Teke.
akhlaq, Islamic ethics, the practice of virtue, good character.
alaihi salaam, peace be upon him.
al-Afghani, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (1839-1897), Muslim scholar and activist.
al-Baghdadi, Abu Bakr, (born 1971) became the head of the ‘Islamic State of Iraq’, later ‘IS’ (Islamic State), ‘ISIS’, etc.
al-Banna, Hassan al-Banna (1906-1949) Egyptian thinker and reformer, a founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.
al-Karradah, a Shi‘a neighbourhood in Baghdad.
al-Hakim, a Divine Name, the Wise.
alhamdulillah, exclamation, praise be to God! all praise is due to God!
Ali ibn Abi Talib The Prophet’s cousin, son-in-law, and close companion; was the fourth to succeed him in leadership; source of the Shi‘a party. Father of Hassan and Husayn. His shrine is in Najaf, in modern Iraq. Author of the Nahj al-Balagha, his collected sermons.
Allah embraces everything in compassion and knowledge, Qur‘an 40:7.
Allahu akbar!, exclamation, God is great! [or ‘greater’].
al-Oudah, Sheikh Salman al-Oudah, a popular Saudi scholar, who has recently criticised Bin Laden.
Al-Sahifat al-Sajjadiya, see Sahifa
al-Sharif, also known as ‘Dr Fadl’, a major figure in Egyptian Islamic Jihad with Zawahiri, with whom he had sharp clashes. From prison has written a book Rationalization of Jihad, a sharp criticism of al-Qa‘ida and its actions.
al-Zarqawi, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, (1966-2006) Jordanian militant who spearheaded violent actions in Iraq, changing his organisation ‘al-Tawhid wal-Jihad’ to ‘al-Qa‘ida in Iraq’. Killed by American action.
al-Zawahiri, Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri (b. 1951), prominent leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad which merged into al-Qa‘ida. Said to be second in command of al-Qa‘ida until the death of Osama Bin Laden, now the named successor as head.
Amaal e-Ashura, Prayers for the day of Ashura.
Amir al-Mumineen, ‘Commander of the Faithful’ or ‘Leader’; used by the Shi‘a to refer to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib. Sunni use of the term is much broader.
And God has power over all things, Qur‘an 2:109.
André Simon, (1877-1970) French wine expert who spent much of his life in England.
aqidah, Islamic doctrine or creed.
aql, Intellect, intelligence, reason.
Ashura, For Shi‘a Muslims, a pre-eminent date in the religious calendar, tenth day of the month of Muharram; commemorating the death of Imam Husayn (the Prophet’s grandson) with his followers and family in the Battle of Karbala.
Awakening, a movement among Sunni Iraqis, begun in Anbar Province in 2005, in an intended alliance against insurgency and al-Qa‘ida violence. Salaries were received by the US army. The Iraqi government took over financial responsibility in 2008, controversially.
ayat e-karima, a hadith reports that the Prophet said this was the prayer recited by Jonah in the belly of the whale; and if anyone prays these words, his supplication will be accepted. (Hadith source is Tirmidhi).
Ayatollah Sadr, Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr (1935-1980), highly respected Shi‘a scholar based for most of his life in Najaf, murdered by Saddam Hussein. Developed the concept of wilayat al-ummah.
Ayatollah Sistani, Ali al-Husayni Sistani (b. 1930) Grand Ayatollah and highest ranking Shi‘a cleric in Iraq, based in Najaf; though born in Mashhad, Iran.
B
B’Tselem, Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
Barelvis and Deobandis, these and others in the list name denominations, traditions, schools of law, and ethno-religious groups in Islam.
beings by participation, from Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, question 44, article 1, answers to the objections. ‘Therefore all beings apart from God are not their own being, but are beings by participation. Therefore it must be that all things which are diversified by the diverse participation of being, so as to be more or less perfect, are caused by one First Being, Who possesses being most perfectly.’
Beit Midrash, literally ‘house of learning’ or ‘interpretation’, a Jewish study hall, often attached to a synagogue.
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, Arabic, ‘in the name of God, the all-merciful, the all-compassionate’; the phrase is in frequent use and also forms the opening verse of most of the chapters (surah) of the Qur‘an.
Blya, Russian swear word.
Bozhe, Russian for ‘God!’
Bozhe moy, Russian for ‘My God!’
By the morning brightness, Qur‘an 93:1-11.
C
Caliphate, leadership of the Muslim community; variously understood as political, religious, or both; a much-debated concept.
Chyort voz’mi, Russian swear word.
Clothe me in Thy well-being, from the Sahifa (see below), ‘His Supplication when he asked God for Well-Being and Thanked Him for it’, 23:1.
CONTEST 2, the current UK counter-terrorism strategy.
D
Daily Office, the Catholic schedule of daily prayer.
Dar ul-Ulum, An Islamic seminary or religious college, literally ‘house of knowledge’.
deen, religion.
Distilled dew and honey, attributed to André Simon (see above).
Divani Shamsi Tabriz, collection of mystical poems by Rumi (see below).
diwaniyya, reception room, living room
DOD, United States Department of Defense.
Dua Alqama, Prayer recited on the day of Ashura by Shi‘a Muslims.
E
Eid, Muslim religious festival celebrating the end of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr; another Eid, Eid al-Adha, concludes the pilgrimage season); dated by the sighting of the moon.
F
Fajr, first prayer of the day, prayed between first light of dawn and sunrise.
fard, compulsory; i.e. Muslim religious obligation.
Farewell Sermon, the sermon given by the Prophet Muhammad on his final pilgrimage.
fatwa, plural fatawa, legal verdict.
Fear Up, Ego Down and Futility, three ‘approaches’ to interrogation outlined in the US Army Field Manual 34-52 for interrogation, Appendix H. Respectively, Fear Up heightens fear; Pride and Ego Down attacks self-worth; and Futility seeks to persuade that resistance to telling the truth is futile.
FSB, Federal Security Bureau, Russian organisation which is one of the successors to the KGB.
Fighting is enjoined upon you, Qur‘an 2:216. In Shakir’s translation, ‘Fighting is enjoined on you, and it is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know.’
fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence, See Usul al-fiqh.
fitna, in this context, discord between Muslims.
FM 34-52, The US Army Field Manual 34-52 on interrogation (see above under ‘Fear Up’).
G
galabiya, male Muslim dress, a long shift.
ghazi, Muslim warrior against infidels.
goyim, non-Jews.
goyische, not Jewish.
H
hadith, a traditional account of the Prophet’s words or acts.
hajj, Muslim pilgrimage.
halal, permitted according to Islamic law.
haram, forbidden according to Islamic law.
He has dug a well where no water is, Babylonian proverb from Ashurbanipal’s Library. For a source that compares them to Biblical proverbs, see George A. Barton, Archaeology and The Bible, 7th Edition revised, American Sunday School, 1937, pp. 506-507.
He is altogether good, Babylonian proverb from Ashurbanipal’s Library, as above.
He is only a madman, Qur‘an 23:25, here taken wildly out of context.
He scatters the proud-hearted, The Magnificat, Gospel of Luke 1:46-55.
He threw away his sword on the battlefield, a tradition about Ali ibn Abi Talib abruptly ceasing a successful attack when personally insulted.
He was ruined by the sound of footsteps, hadith attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib.
He who was a light, from the Lamentation of Rabab, wife of Husayn, translated by Lynda Clarke, from Al-Serat, Vol XII (1986).
hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, an explosive substance that can be home-made, thus used in home-made bombs.
hijab, Muslim female dress: often used to refer specifically to the headscarf.
Hillsborough, a tragedy at a football stadium in England where many spectators were crushed to death due to mistakes or poor judgement in crowd control.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group espousing the establishment of an Islamic form of government, which is banned in some countries but not in Britain.
Hojjat al-Islam, literally ‘Proof of Islam’ or ‘Authority’, it is a title in Shi‘a Islam, for the stage of learning below mujtahid (interpreter), itself below Ayatollah.
hudud, the corporal punishments in Islamic law.
Husayn, see Imam Husayn
I
I have no fear for myself, Sahifa, ‘His Supplication in Confession and in Seeking Repentance toward God’, 12:16.
I kept a curtain between myself and the Caliphate, from Sermon 3 of the Nahj al-Balagha (see below).
I seek refuge in Thee, Sahifa, ‘His Supplication against that which he Feared and Dreaded’, 60:5-10.
I stood for you on the path of truth, from Sermon 4 of the Nahj al-Balagha (see below).
I swear by the fig and the olive, Qur‘an 95:1-6.
I swear by the pen, Qur‘an 68:1-6.
ibadat, ibadah, acts of worship.
Ibn Rushd, (1126-1198) also known in the West as Averroes, one of Islam’s greatest philosophers and a polymath, an Aristotelian who lived in Andalusia.
Ibn Taymiyyah, Taqih ad-din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah, Islamic scholar; advocate of returning to the purity of the sources, rejecting innovations and accretions into the religion, and of the importance of jihad. He was a strong opponent of the Shi‘a and of Christians; and remains influential today in certain circles. Rastani in attributing a view to Ibn Taymiyyah is following the interpretation of Khaled Abou el Fadl, Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law, Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 63f.
If only there were evil people, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago Part I, The Prison Industry, Chapter 4, ‘The Bluecaps’.
ijazah, a certificate indicating that the scholar is authorised to transmit a subject of Islamic knowledge or a text.
Ikhwani, Arabic for brothers; here is meant membership of the Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood.
imam, a leader; a general term for religious leadership in Sunni tradition, but in the Shi‘a tradition is restricted to the Twelve Imams descended through Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and his sons, thus descendents of the Prophet.
Imam Ali. See Ali ibn Abi Talib
Imam Husayn, Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (626-680); son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet. Considered by the Shi‘a to be the third Imam. Martyred in the Battle of Karbala (see Ashura above).
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq, (702-765) the sixth Shi‘a Imam; respected by Sunni as well for his scholarship in many fields including science. Founder of the Shi‘a school of law or fiqh, the Ja’fari school of jurisprudence.
Imam Musa al-Kazim, (745-799) son of Ja’far as-Sadiq, and the seventh Shi‘a Imam. His mother was an African slave, bought and freed by his father, and trained as an Islamic scholar.
inshallah, ‘God willing’, ‘if God wills it’. A common expression.
irfan, a branch of mystical knowledge in the Shi‘a tradition.
Isa, Islamic name for Jesus.
Islamic Salvation Front, an Islamist political party in Algeria, currently banned.
Islamist, a contentious and disputed term; broadly, one who believes that the religion of Islam impels one to political engagement and involvement, and/or believes that Islam itself constitutes a political system. Those described as ‘Islamist’ (particularly by others) can range from al-Qa‘ida and other groups taking violent action, through to nonviolent activists who believe their faith requires political engagement.
istishhad, witness or martyrdom in Islam.
J
Janjaweed, describes militiamen in Darfur. Currently accused of genocide against the Darfurian people.
Jannah, Paradise, the Islamic concept of heaven.
jihad, literally ‘struggle’; often armed struggle or warfare is intended, but also capable of a broader range of means of struggle for the sake of Islam. Sometimes divided into internal and external, or lesser and greater; the greater jihad is said to be the struggle against hatred in one’s heart.
Jihad is enjoined on us, alludes to the Qur‘an 2:216. See above, ‘fighting is enjoined on you.’
jihadi, casual term (compared to ‘mujahid’) for one keen on waging jihad.
Johannes Metz, (b. 1928), German Roman Catholic theologian. Worked on ‘political theology’, where political should be understood broadly; meaning a rejection of the tendency for theology or the church to be ‘privatised’, focused on the individual, rather than on society. Christianity should be committed to responsible action.
K
kafir, unbeliever in Muslim terms.
kameez, tunic in Asian dress.
Kara Kum, the large desert in Turkmenistan.
Karbala, city in Iraq; scene of the Battle of Karbala of Imam Husayn against the tyrant Yazid. See also Ashura.
Karkuk, also Kirkuk or Kerkuk, city and governorate of Iraq. Both the Kurdish and the Turkmen or ‘Turkoman’ minorities in Iraq view it as their capital.
kettling, a controversial and unpopular police crowd control tactic in which protestors are contained in a confined area and not allowed to leave, or only through one exit point.
Khaled Abou El Fadl, (b. 1963), a Kuwaiti-born academic currently at UCLA where he is a professor of law.
Khuda Hafiz, ‘Hafiz’ means protection in Arabic and ‘Khuda’ God in Persian; a traditional farewell, roughly ‘May God be your protection’. Common in Iran and amongst Shi‘a, though also used in the Indian subcontinent by Sunni as Khuda has become a loanword into Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. Socio-politico-religious trends seem to be dictating that many Asians are shifting to ‘Allah Hafiz’.
khums, a Shi‘a tithe.
khutba, sermon.
kosher, permissible in Jewish law.
kuffar, plural of kafir, unbelievers in Muslim terms.
kuffiyeh, scarf of a characteristic chequered pattern.
kufr, unbelief; denial or rejection of God.
L
liberation theology, a development in Christian, chiefly Catholic, theology pioneered in Latin America; arguing that salvation is not merely a question of the afterlife and the supernatural but also includes liberation from political oppression.
the Light verse, ayat an-Nur, a verse in the Qur‘an 24:35: ‘God is the Light of the heavens and the earth; A likeness of His Light is a niche; within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass; The glass as it were a glittering star; Lit from a Blessed Tree; An Olive, neither of the East nor of the West; Whose oil is alight though no fire has touched it; Light upon Light. God guides to His Light whom He will. And God speaks in metaphors to the people, and God has knowledge of everything.’
M
Madina Sadr, A Shi‘a district of Baghdad.
madrassahs, Islamic religious schools.
Management of Savagery, published in 2004 under the name of Abu Bakr Naji. It sets out an international military and terrorist strategy.
manhaj, method, methodology.
Maimonides, (1137/8-1204) also known as Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, affectionately nicknamed in the Jewish tradition ‘the Rambam’. A great philosopher and Torah scholar; like his Muslim contemporary Ibn Rushd his philosophical orientation was Aristotelian.
Marja i-Taqlid, Source of Emulation, one’s legal authority in Shi‘a Islam whom one follows.
mashallah, literally ‘what God has willed’; a gracious way to receive or give a compliment, often believed to avert envy or the evil eye.
masjid, mosque.
May Allah make our reward, traditional greeting on Ashura.
mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of Makka (Mecca) to orient the believer for prayer
MOIS, Iranian intelligence, Ministry of Intelligence and Security, or VEVAK Vezarat-e Ettela’at va Amniat-e Keshvar.
Mossad, Israeli intelligence; Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.
mujahid, plural mujahidin, warrior.
Mulla Sadra, Sadr ad-Din Muhammad Shirazi (c. 1571–1636) a greatly revered scholar, theologian, philosopher in Shi‘a Islam.
murtad, plural murtadeen, apostate.
mushrik, plural mushrikeen, one who commits shirk (see below).
mustahab, recommended but not compulsory in Islamic law.
My capacity has been straitened, Sahifa, ‘His Supplication when Faced with a Worrisome Task or when Misfortune Descended and at the Time of Distress’, 7:10.
My Compassion surpasses My wrath, Rastani has woven this tale from two hadith (traditional narrations of or by the Prophet). One is a hadith in which at the start of creation the pen is instructed to write all that will be. The other, attested by the sources Bukhari and Muslim, tells that the words inscribed above God’s throne before the creation of creatures are ‘Verily, My Compassion overcomes My Wrath.’
My God, love-mad hearts are enraptured, Sahifa, ‘Whispered Prayer of the Rememberers’, 81:3.
My God, since Thou hast shielded me, Sahifa, ‘His supplication when he Asked Release from his Sins or Pleaded in Seeking Pardon for his Defects’, 16:32.
My hope has dismounted, Sahifa, ‘Whispered Prayer of those asking for Mediation’, 78:1.
My Master, Thou hast commanded me to supplicate, Sahifa, ‘His Supplication in Distress and Seeking Release’, 59:6-8.
N
nafs, self or soul.
Nahj al-Balagha, the sermons, letters and sayings of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib. Literally ‘Peak of Eloquence’.
Neturei Karta, (literally ‘Guardians of the City), a Haredi Jewish group that is opposed to Zionism, and therefore the State of Israel, because they believe that Jews are not to have their own state until the Messiah comes.
Never is He heedless of creation, paraphrase of the Qur‘an 23:17.
Never talk your enemy out of making a mistake. Attributed to Napoleon.
No one is nobler, a paraphrase of a saying in Bukhari attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas, XXXVII, 898, 899.
No state of affairs is permanent, philosophy attributed to the Chinese Book of Changes, I Ching, by Joseph Needham in his discussion of Chinese alchemy. Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, volume 2, History of Scientific Thought, Cambridge University Press, 1956, p. 331.
Nunc Dimittis, traditional Catholic name for the song of Simeon, a prayer found in the Gospel of Luke 2:29–32; ‘Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace…’
O
O God, carry us in the ships of Thy deliverance, Sahifa, ‘The Whispered Prayer of the Obedient Toward God’, 75:2.
O God, O Shelter of the shelter-seekers!, Sahifa, ‘The Whispered Prayer of those who Hold Fast’; a succession of phrases from prayer 82 run through this passage.
O He who gives answer to the cries, Dua Alqama (see above).
O my Allah put an end, Dua Alqama (see above).
Open for me, my Lord, Sahifa, ‘His supplication when Faced with a Worrisome Task or when Misfortune Descended and at the Time of Distress’, 7:8.
Open for them the doors of “the beginning”, from the prayers on Ashura.
Our Philosophy, work of philosophy by Ayatollah Sadr (see above).
P
Paki, British racist epithet to taunt Pakistanis.
Peshawar, region of Pakistan, capital of the North-West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan.
PMC, private military company.
Q
Qiyamah, the Day of Resurrection in Islam.
Qom, a city in Iran, a centre for theological learning.
R
Rafidah, Rafidi ‘rejectionist’, a hostile epithet for Shi‘a.
Ramadan, the holy month of fasting in Islam.
Rasulallah, the Prophet of God.
Rationalization of Jihad, a work by al-Sharif or Dr Fadl (see above) while in prison, published serially.
Rejectionists, see Rafidi
Remove your differences and strengthen your ties, from the Last Will of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Repel evil with that which is better, Qur‘an 41:34.
Rumi, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi thirteenth century mystic, poet, and theologian.
S
Sahifa, Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, sometimes referred to as ‘The Psalms of Islam’ or ‘The Psalms of the Household of the Prophet’. A book of 54 supplications, 7 additional supplications, and 15 ‘whispered prayers’ from the great-grandson of the Prophet , known as ‘Zayn al-Abidin’ (Ornament of the Worshippers). Cited repeatedly throughout this book, in the excellent English translation by Prof. William Chittick, published by the Muhammadi Trust and also available online at www.al-islam. org.
Salaam aleikum, also assalamu aleikum, traditional greeting, ‘may peace be with you’.
Salafi, an orientation or denomination within Islam, believing in a strict return to Islamic belief and practice as they conceive it, often opposed to Sufi or Shi‘a traditions as deviating from what they see as pure Islam.
salik, spiritual ‘wayfarer’.
sallallahu alaihi wasalaam, ‘May Allah bless him and grant him peace’, used specifically for the Prophet.
Say: “Nothing will happen to us, Qur‘an 9:51.
Schedule 7, The Terrorism Act 2000 in the UK, Schedule 7 deals with port and border controls and outlines the powers to stop, question and detain persons entering the country.
Shahadah, witness, testimony; can refer to uttering the creed as an act of faith; can also refer to an act of martyrdom though currently the word ‘istishhad’ is more commonly used for martyrdom.
shahid, martyr in Islam.
shalwar, Asian trouser style.
shalwar kameez, tunic and trousers.
Shari‘ah, Islamic law.
Shaytan, the devil in Islam.
shirk, the sin in Islam in associating anything as God’s equal or partner.
Shul, (Yiddish) term for synagogue more often used by Orthodox Jews.
Sin is like a headstrong horse, from Sermon 16 of the Nahj al-Balagha (see above).
So, my Patron and Master, Sahifa, ‘His supplication in Distress and Seeking Release’, 59:6-9.
So whoever has assaulted, Qur‘an 2:194.
Source of Emulation, Marja i-Taqlid, legal authority in Shi‘a Islam that one follows.
Spetsnaz, Russian Special Operations groups, either in the military or intelligence.
Sufi, Islamic mystic.
Supreme excellence consists in, Sun Tzu in The Art of War.
Sura or surah, a chapter of the Qur‘an.
Surat al-Ikhlas, Chapter 112 of the Qur‘an, dealing with God’s unity; traditionally recited repeatedly, 1000 times or as many times as possible, on Ashura.
Surat al-Inshirah, 94th chapter of the Qur‘an.
Surely with difficulty comes relief, Qur‘an 94:5-8, in a conflated translation, mainly using Shakir’s.
SVR, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki, formerly the First Directorate of the KGB.
Systema, ‘the System’ (Russian), unarmed combat system developed by Russian special operations groups.
T
Tabatabai, Allamah Syed Muhammad Husain Tabatabai (1892-1981), a great philosopher and Qur‘anic scholar in Shi‘a Islam, based in Qom.
takfir, takfiri, takfir means to pronounce someone ‘kafir’, i.e. unbeliever; in other words to excommunicate or anathematise another Muslim. Consequences can be particularly serious if it is believed that it then becomes permissible to kill that person, whereas one might refrain from killing a fellow Muslim. ‘Takfiri’ is a term commonly in use now particularly by Muslims to designate groups that non-Muslims might describe as ‘fundamentalist’, ‘extremist’, etc.
Talmud, historic collection of rabbinic writings, on law, ethics, etc. and a central body of texts for Judaism.
taqiya, taqiyah, taqqiyah, the principle that one may conceal things if one’s life is at stake; for example, when Shi‘a were at risk of death from persecution, it was not required to reveal oneself as a Shi‘a. Currently the term is misused by certain non-Muslims as a tactic to accuse Muslims of being extremist or terrorist despite appearances or in the absence of proof, claiming that in their religion Muslims can lie, dissimulate, and thus might be concealing their ‘true’ extremist or ‘terrorist’ inclinations.
taqwa, God-awareness, God-consciousness, mindfulness of God, piety. A rich concept in Islam.
taruq, plural tariqa, a Sufi mystic order.
tawhid, in Islam, the absolute oneness of God.
Thames House, headquarters of the British Security Service, also known as MI5, on the banks of the River Thames overlooking Thames Bridge.
thawab, spiritual reward given by God for good deeds.
thawb, dishdasha, traditional dress for Arab men, a long robe.
The CEO of one firm, A good source on the real-life figures is the annual ‘Executive Excess’ report published by the Institute for Policy Studies in the USA, ips-dc.org. The 2006 issue, ‘Defense and Oil Executives Cash in on Conflict’ is particularly relevant; co-authored by Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh, Institute for Policy Studies, and Chuck Collins and Eric Benjamin, United for a Fair Economy.
The good deed and the evil deed, Qur‘an 41:34.
The Qur‘an speaks of Allah appointing humanity as ‘vice-regents’, this passage is ‘fictional’, i.e. written by the author as Rastani’s.
There is no god – but You, the ayat e-karima, see above, a supplication in distress recommended by the Prophet according to the hadith collection by Tirmidhi.
Thomas Aquinas, Christian philosopher and theologian (c. 1225-1274).
Through us you were led, from Sermon 4 of the Nahj al-Balagha (see above).
Today I am making these dumb things speak, from Sermon 4 of the Nahj al-Balagha (see above).
Turkmen, Turkoman, the designation often used for the Turkmen people of Iraq, semi-nomadic with Central Asian origins.
turn your blood to wine, from Rumi’s poem in Divani Shamsi Tabriz, see above.
U
Ulama or ulema, community of scholars in Islam.
ummah, the community of the faithful .
Usul al-Fiqh, Islamic study of the principles of jurisprudence.
V
Vauxhall, in ‘Downpour of Voices’ this refers to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, popularly known as MI6.
Verily the absolute right of legislating, Qur‘an 12:40. The context is the story of Joseph as told in the Qur‘an. At this point worship of one God alone is under discussion, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Ibrahim, Ishaq, Yacqoub. Joseph tells his fellow prisoners that if they worship anyone else, they only worship names that they have named (in other words: not real beings). Then follows this phrase. Standard translations are: Yusuf Ali: ‘the command is for none but Allah; He hath commanded that ye worship none but Him’; Pickthall: ‘The decision rests with Allah only, Who hath commanded you that ye worship none save Him’; Shakir: ‘judgement is only Allah’s; He has commanded that you shall not serve aught but Him’. Frequently deployed at the present time by some to claim that democracy, legislating, and voting are forbidden in Islam.
Von Clausewitz, Carl Philipp Gottfried, (1780-1831), Prussian soldier and military strategist, author of On War. Source of the phrase ‘the fog of war’, perhaps his best-known epigram is that war is the continuation of politics by other means. Source of the maxim, ‘First secure your base.’
Von Moltke, Helmuth Karl Bernhard, Graf von Moltke (Count von Moltke), (1800-1891), Outstanding Prussian military strategist who, while seeing the value of planning, also coined the epigram that no plan survives contact with the enemy. What is required of officers in the field is the ability to grasp the complexity of the battlefield, and take decisions based on deeply experienced intuition (‘Fingerspitzengefühl’, literally ‘fingertip feeling’).
W
Wa aleikum salaam, return of the standard greeting, ‘and peace be with you’.
We belong to God, Qur‘an 2:155-6
Whosoever kills a person, see Qur‘an 5:32, this is my paraphrase.
wilayat al-ummah, governance by the people, a theology of Islamic governance principally developed by Ayatollah Sadr (see above) and, fictionally, by Ayatollah Rastani.
wilayat al-faqih, a contrasting theology of governance, governance placed in the hands of Islamic jurists, developed in particular by Ayatollah Khomeini.
Y
Yasenevo, location of the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (see SVR above)
Yazid, corrupt ruler, son of Abu Mu‘awiya, who desired the Caliphate, political leadership of the people, and demanded Husayn ibn Ali’s allegiance. He led his army against Husayn at the Battle of Karbala.
You dispel the clouds of sorrows, from the Dua Alqama.
You shall all come to Me, a free rendition by Rastani of part of Qur‘an 5:48.
Z
zanjir, special flail used for self-flagellation on Ashura.
Zayn al-Abidin, Ali ibn Husayn, son of Husayn, grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib. ‘Ornament of the Worshipers’. He survived the massacre at Karbala because he was ill with a fever and forbidden to fight. He was the fourth Shi‘a Imam, and author of the book of prayers, Sahifa (see above).
Ziarat al-Ashura, prayer on Ashura.