Remembrance of Allah — Page 138
138 prostration Sajdah. The prescribed Prayers have three components: Far d , those enjoined by Allah; Sunnah , those offered regularly by the Holy Prophet s as and enjoined by him; and Nafl , the voluntary components (discussed below). Nafl means to do more than is required by duty or obligation i. e. voluntary. Naw a fil is the plural of Nafl. Naw a fil , which are similar in form to S al a t, may be offered independently or in conjunction with a prescribed Prayer. Perfor- mance of Naw a fil , though not obligatory, is highly meritorious. One Nafl Prayer of great merit is Tahajjud , the late night Prayer. See also Sunnah. Promised Messiah This term re- fers to the founder of the Ahmadi- yya Muslim Community, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as of Qa- dian. He claimed that he had been sent by Allah in accordance with prophecies of the Holy Prophet s as about the coming, in latter days of a Mahdi (the Guided One) and Messiah from among the Muslims. Q a dir An attribute of Allah, which means the All Powerful. Qiblah Direction of the Ka‘bah in Makkah, toward which Mus- lims face to offer formal Prayers. The first Qiblah in Islam was Baitul-Muqaddas in Jerusalem. Qudd u s An attribute of Allah, which means the Holy. Ruk u ‘ The bowing down position in the Prayer. Sahib A title of respect similar to diverse English terms like Mister, Honourable, and Reverend. Sajdah The prostration position in the Prayer. Shariah Religious law of Islam. The term is also used in the general sense for any revealed law. Sunnah In the context of the formal Prayer, refers to those rak‘ a t that the Holy Prophet s as offered but are not prescribed as obligatory and are dropped while travelling. Sun- nah rak‘ a t are offered regularly by practicing Muslims. S u rah A chapter of the Holy Quran. Ta h m i d Praising Allah by reciting Al h amdulill a h (All praise belongs to Allah). Takb i r Proclaiming the Greatness of Allah by reciting, All a huAkbar (Allah is the Greatest).