Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 537
Glossary 537 Nafs-e-amm a rah The self that incites to evil. The lowest of three spiritual states; also an-nafsul-amm a rah. Naww a b An honorific title ratified and bestowed by Mughal emperors to semi-autonomous Muslim rul- ers of princely states in South Asia. The female equivalent is ‘Begum’ or ‘Naww a b Begum’. Nik ah the announcement of marriage in Islam. Niyog The Arya Samaj practice allow- ing a married woman to indulge in conjugal relations with other men in order to have children. P i r(s) Literally, ‘old’ (in Persian). Gener- ally refers to a spiritual leader at whose hands students have taken an oath of allegiance. Title is commonly used for leaders of Sufi orders. Prayer and Prayers Three Islamic terms, all sometimes translated as ‘prayer’, should be distinguished. The first term is du’ a prayers or supplica- tions made to God Almighty. Du’ a can be made at any time and in any language. It does not require any for- mal prescribed posture. Du’ a is trans- lated in the text as ‘prayer’ or ‘supplica- tions’. Secondly, S al a t refers to the five daily Prayer services prescribed for all Muslims. Unlike du’ a , S al a t has fixed timings and modes of performance. We have retained the term S al a t in the translation or have used the term ‘pre- scribed Prayer’, or ‘Prayer’. Promised Messiah as A title given to the Reformer prophesied to appear during the Latter Days, by the Holy Prophet Muhammad s as ; see also About the Promised Messiah on page xxv). Qiblah Qiblah Direction of the Ka‘bah in Makkah, toward which Muslims face to offer formal prayers. The first Qiblah in Islam was Baitul-Muqaddas in Jerusalem. Quran see Holy Quran. Qu t b The polar star. Metaphorically applied to a saintly leader who guides people out of darkness. Rabb Lord, Master, Creator; One who sustains and develops; One who brings to perfection by degrees. Rabbul-‘ A lam i n An attribute of God as mentioned in S u rah al-F a ti h ah. Meaning: ‘Lord of all the worlds’. Rafa‘a Arabic term meaning to phys- ically raise or to spiritually exalt in rank. When the subject is Allah Ta‘ a l a , the term invariably refers to spiritual exaltation. Ra hi m Merciful. An attribute of God as mentioned in S u rah al-F a ti h ah and throughout the Holy Quran. The verbal noun of this attribute is Ra hi miyyat. Ra h m a n Gracious. An attribute of God as mentioned in S u rah al-F a ti- h ah and throughout the Holy Quran. The verbal noun of this attribute is Ra h m a niyyat. Rak‘ats Rak‘at A unit of formal Prayer ( S al a t ). Pl. Rak‘ a t.