Testimony of the Holy Quran — Page 172
172 TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY QURAN Holy Quran The final and per- fect Scripture revealed by Allah for the guidance of mankind for all times to come. It was revealed word by word to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sas over a period of twenty-three years. 'Ishā' Lit. evening. Refers to the night Prayer before going to bed (one of the five daily Prayers in Islam). Khalifah Caliph/Successor. In Is- lamic terminology, the word right- eous Khalifah is applied to one of the four Khulafa' who continued the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sas. Khalifatul-Masih Ahmadi Mus- lims refer to a successor of the Promised Messiahas as Khalifatul- observe purdah (veiling), lowering of gaze, etc. Marfū Applied to those ahādīth whose chain of narrators reaches up to the Holy Prophetsas himself. Muttasil Lit. 'Continuous' or 'unin- terrupted. Applied to those ahā- dith where there is no break in the chain of narrators. Muqallidīn Plural of muqallid, lit- erally means 'followers' or 'disci- ples. The term was originally ap- plied to the followers of one of the four Imams: Abu Hanifah, Mālik, Shafi and Hanbal. All four of these Imams were true muwahhidin, be- lievers in the Unity of God, who spent their entire lives interpreting the true teachings of Islam. Masīḥ. Khulafā' is the plural of Muwahhidin Plural of muwah- Khalifah. Maghrib Refers to the evening Prayer, immediatley after sunset (one of the five daily Prayers in Is- lam). Mahram Close relatives of the op- posite sex who have been granted sanctity and thus may not marry one another and are not subject to the requirements of veiling etc. Non-mahram are the class of peo- ple from whom Muslims must hid, literally meaning a believer in the Unity of God. All Mus- lims, by virtue of subscribing to the Kalima-e-Tauhid are muwah- hidin. However, the term muwah- hidin, has been adopted by some Muslims who consider the Quran and hadith to be sufficient sources of guidance and do not follow any Imam. Rak'at Plural of rakah, which refers to one cycle of the formal Prayer, consisting of standing, bowing, sitting, and prostration.