Swahili Religious Terms

Author(s): Jan Knappert

Source: Journal of Religion in Africa, Vol. 3, Fasc. 1 (1970), pp. 67-80
Published by: BRILL
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 SWAHILI RELIGIOUS TERMS')
BY

JAN KNAPPERT
(Schoolof OrientalandAfricanStudies,London)

More than two centuries of literary tradition have established a fixed

terminology of Swahili words for religious concepts. Most of these
concepts are virtually identical with those found in other parts of the
Islamic world, but some have developed along their own lines within
the boundaries of the Swahili culture. When Christian missionaries
arrived, they rejected some of these terms and adopted others for their
translations of works on Christian theology. The difficulty in assessing
the similarity in meaning between the Islamic term and a concept known
in Christian theology arises from the fact that the logical basic content
of the word may be the same while the sentimental overtones or the
cultural applicability of a word may be entirely different. Consequently,
two terms may have the same philosophical definition and yet have
entirely different meanings.
The following is a list of some of the most important Swahili religious
terms. They are important for one of two reasons: either they are
extremely frequent in Swahili literary or colloquial usage, or else their
meaning is a special one and requires some explanation in order to be
properly appreciated.
ADHABU - 'Punishment', in hell or in the grave. When a person has
been buried, as soon as the mourners have left the graveyard, two
angels will arrive and question the dead man regarding his beliefs
and deeds. 'Who is your God? Who is your prophet?' To this he
should reply la ilaha illa Allahu wa Muhammadu Rasulu 'llahi -
'There is no God but Alah and Muhammad is His Prophet.' This
is the most important part of the examination; if the dead man also
has a good record of praying and fasting, he will further be left in
peace. But if he cannot remember this formula, it shows that he did
not care to learn about God, and the two death angels will come with
iron rods, glowing hot, and castigate him with these, until the day

I) This is a revised version of a vocabulary which aopeared in Dini na Mila

(Department of Religious Studies, Makerere University) used by permission of
the Editor.

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68 Jan Knappert

of Judgement. After Judgement, the souls of the incurable sinners

are thrown into the fires of Hell, where even more atrocious punish-
ment awaits them.

AHERA - 'The other world, the Hereafter', the opposite of dunia,

'this world, the life in which we live now.' Ahera, the next life, is
the important part of our existence, because it will be eternal. In this
life we stay only for a short span, but the next one will have no end.
It is therefore well worth our while to prepare properly for that next
life, even at the expense of all the pleasures this world can offer us.
Daily prayers and fasting at the correct times are essential. Virtuous
behaviour and charity towards the poor are the most emphasized
qualities of men. Endurance of whatever suffering God sends us,
patience without any complaint, until this life is over, will bring the
soul to the gates of Paradise.

AJALI - This word is mostly translated by 'fate, accident'. It can even

mean 'death', just as in English we say 'He met his fate', meaning
that he died in an accident. The word ajali is connected with the
verb -afili 'to postpone'. The implication is that God can postpone
our fate as long as may please Him, but that He as it were, keeps
it in stock for us. The accident in which a man dies has been waiting
for him since it was "written down" by God.

ALLAH, ALLAHU, God, unique and absolute, none is like Him,

ILAHI -

nothing limits His power.

AMRI -
'Order, commandment'. This word also means 'a thing', for
everything exists because God simply ordered it, "be", and it was.
This type of creation is called takwini 'calling into existence', from
kauni 'existence'. We all exist only by order of the Almighty.

BALAA (also baa and balua or belua) 'trial, ordeal'. During our life
-

in this world, God will send us temptations and all forms of

suffering
in order to test us. Every form of hardship and misfortune can there-
fore be called balaa, 'trial'.

BARAKA The usual translation 'blessing' does not do justice to the

-

peculiar meaning of this word, as it also denotes all the effects of

divine blessing upon a person. If a man is good and pious and leads

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 Swahili religious terms 69

a virtuous life, if he spends his days praying to God and studying the
Qur3in and the Holy Traditions, he acquires baraka, i.e. God has
apparently blessed him with many virtues so that he is less exposed
to the dangers of temptations. Devout believers will travel far to
come, and visit him, just to sit reverently in his presence and listen
to his words. They certainly hope that his words will give them some
of the wisdom he has gained in his many hours of study. But it is
also believed that the mere presence of such a shaikh radiates baraka,
that the good-will of the Almighty emanates from his person and
helps us on the thorny path of life. Even people blessed with material
goods, with many healthy children, are thought to have baraka, for
the Lord has clearly showered His generosity upon them.

BATINI - 'Interior, esoteric.' Every word of the QurAin, and indeed

every creation of God has a double significance; one is its outer
appearance (dhahiri), the other is the interior or hidden meaning,
disclosed only to a few philosophers and mystics whose long hours
of meditation have brought them closer to the secrets of the Om-
niscient. They are able to see every creature as an expression of
divine beauty and goodness.

BILISI - (also ibilisi), 'the Satan', from Arabic Iblis, itself a loan
word from Greek diabolos. Satan is a servant of Allah and cannot
tempt us illa bi-idhinihi 'unless with His permission'. The temptations
which we have to resist in this life in order to earn Paradise, are
therefore ordered by God. If the attempts of the Satan to tempt us
are successful, it is that God has willed it so. We have disobeyed
His commandments only because He wanted us to. The Satan is
merely a tool in His hand. We must be extremely cautious while
walking upon this earth, for anything that happens to us may be a
trick of the Satan, and any person we meet (especially women) may
be a disguise of the Satan.

BINADAMU -
'Man, the son of Adam'. Man owes his existence to
Adam's original sin. If it had not been for Adam, we should never
have been born and Adam and Eve would still be in Paradise.
Throughout Swahili literature there is a note of sadness about human
existence: suffering is Man's lot. Man is foolish and blind; only
the assiduous study of the Qurin can bring light and guidance. The
whole attention of pious Muslims is led away from Man's life in

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70 Jan Knappert

this world to the expectations of the next. The "human condition" is

never viewed as a philosophical problem in its own right; our state
in this world is entirely conditioned by our outlook ion the next.

-CHEZA 'to play'. Swahili writers of pious literature speak with

-

contempt about all those activities of man which are not intended to
bring him closer to God, as 'playing'. The Qurdn says: 'Say: "Allah"
and leave them at their futile games.' (6 : 91). All our earthly business
is futile. To work hard in order to collect material wealth is useless,
unless one spends it to feed the poor, support orphans and build
mosques. 'Everything perishes except His Face' (28 : 88). That,
therefore is the only worthwhile target of our pursuits. All pleasure-
seeking, enjoying life, dancing and sporting, is a vain diversion
from the straight road to salvation.

DHAHIRI - 'apparent'. The word dhahiri denotes the opposite of

batini; dhahiri is the exterior of things and people, their outer form,
which is perishable and therefore deceptive.

DHAMBI -
Sin is everything that leads us away from God. All sin is
basically disobedience or even rebellion against God's commandments.
It is punished in principle with removal from God's presence, with
banishment to the farthest part of the Universe, Hell. Not to believe
in Allah, and to worship other gods, is the worst of all sins. Nobody
sins unless God has willed it so.

DHATI -'Essence'. Dhati, the innermost of everything, its real being,

that which makes it into what it is and which lives on after it has
shed its visible form. In Man, dhati is the soul, that which makes
him live, his real self which lives on after death. Dhati is often used
as a name of God, because God lives in everything and everybody.
God is the essence of all essences, the indivisible Unity of all existence.

-DHUKURU - 'to mention', - especiallyto mentionthe Holy Names

of God. This verb is sometimes confused with -shukuru - 'to thank,
to be grateful', because it is often used in the sense of 'to remember
God's goodness'. It is customary to remember God not only when
one receives good gifts from Heaven, but also when God gives us
pain to endure, for we must be grateful that He deigns us worthy
of being tested. It is essential to mention God's Name in every event
of Life and never to forget Him. His Name keeps away evil.

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 Swahili religious terms 71

DIMI - (I) 'Religion', (2) 'Judgment'. The Last Judgment is the

motivation for the Muslim's 'surrender', i.e. obedience, religion.

DUA - 'Prayer' - but not one of the five daily ritual prayers which
are called salk, or salati (also swala, swalati). A dua has a fixed text
in Arabic or Swahili, and is prayed at given times after the salati
or other ceremonies. Ombi is an individual prayer, a request.

DUNIA - 'The world, our life on this earth'. The world was created
by God in order to test us. In youth, this earth may seem a pleasant
place to live in, but it will deceive us, for this world has a secret
(siri). The secret, the trick of the world is that it will not last. Our
parents and protectors will die, our strength will diminish, our wealth
may vanish any day. The beauty of women does not stay, nor does
their love or loyalty. Pleasure and enjoyment do not last, but will
soon be replaced by pain and remorse. One must therefore not rely
on this world but pray and fast and give away one's wealth for charity
in order to invest in an assured place in the next world.

ELIMU - Often translated 'science' or 'education', this word means in

the first place the knowledge of the QurOin and the Muslim tradition,
i.e. knowledge of our path to Paradise.

-EPA - 'To avoid', especially to avoid evil, which of course may lurk
in any disguise anywhere in this tricky world. It is therefore best
to avoid everything one does not know well, everybody who is not
known to be a good Muslim and thus a safe guide on our way to
Heaven.

FAKIRI - 'a poor man'. This word has come into English from India
as fakir, meaning 'an ascetic'. Poets often call themselves fakiri in
their poems, not in the first place to beg for a fee, but rather to
indicate that they are pious men who have given up the pursuit of
earthly goods in order to devote themselves to the acquisition of
learning. Consistent abstention from earthly pleasure will make a
Muslim scholar into a fakiri, an ascetic. A fakiri is therefore not
poor in the sense that he must be pitied; the word for that is a mas-
kini ya Mungu, a person who is poor because God provided him with
no means in order to test our feelings of compassion.

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72 Jan Knappert

FAKIRI - 'to depart', often in its full form:- fakiri dunia 'to depart
from this world'. See mauti.

GHURURI 'illusion, deception'. Everywhere in this world there is

-

illusion. We are constantly being deluded as long as we believe that

what we see around us on this earth has any value. Kingdoms will
crumble, tyrants will fall, cities will decay to dust. Ghururi is the
power of the Satan, the charm with which he deceives us in order
to tempt us and lead us astray. Everything is ghururi which does not
lead us on the straight road to Paradise and to God.

GIZA -
'darkness', the opposite of nuru. Darkness is associated with
ignorance, blindness and suffering, light with knowledge of the
right path to Heaven. Darkness is especially associated with the
grave, it is, like blindness, a punishment from God. So, if a person
has led a pious life, he will not find his tomb dark, for soon after
he has been laid down in it, an angel will come with a lamp from the
light of Paradise to keep him company until Judgement. Giza also
refers to the state of ghadhabu 'wrath', because anger and loss of
temper are regarded as induced by Satan.

HADITHI 'tradition'. In modern Swahili this word generally means

-

'a story', but in traditional Swahili literature it is always used for the
Holy Tradition. The most important collection of hadithi is Bukhari's.
There are several small collections of hadithi in Swahili about the
most important subjects of life, such as marriage, funeral rites etc.

HALALI -
'licit', denotes everything one can do, eat, drink or other-
wise enjoy.

HARAMU 'illicit, taboo', denotes everything forbidden by Islamic

-

law. Women are halali for a man if he is allowed to marry them,

otherwise they are haramu, such as the wives of others. Haramu is
everything one must avoid for fear of going to Hell. Haramu is
what the Satan will try to tempt us with, such as alcohol or dancing
with women.

HIJA - 'pilgrimage', the fifth of the five main duties of a Muslim.

The importance of the pilgrimage to Mecca cannot be overestimated.
In addition to all else it is a meeting point of all those men who when

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 Swahili religious terms 73

they come back in their own village will have the prestige of a haji
(hajji) a person who knows the holy places, to whom one goes for
advice in all matters of religion and ceremonial.

HILALI -'crescent'. The new moon has to be observedevery 29 or

30 days by two adult, honest men, to know whether the new month
has begun.

HIYARI -
'choice, volition, free will'. In spite of the fact that God has
decided many centuries ago what will happen, man has the free-
dom to choose his way in life.

HURUMA - This word is commonly translated 'pity, compassion', but its

original meaning is 'respect', consideration'. We can only have pity
on a person if we respect him as a human being. To feel commisera-
tion is to cease thinking of someone as an object and to see him as
a fellow man, as equal in the sight of God.

IDHINI 'permission', in particular God's permission without which

-

nothing can happen. See also Bilisi.

INNALILLAHI WAINNA ILAIHIRAJIUNA-- QurTn 2: 156. 'See, we are

of God and to Him we shall return'. This formula is customarily
pronounced when someone has died. God gathers the souls of men
whom He has let live on earth for a while, back to Himself.

INSANI - 'Man, mankind'. See Binadamu.

INSHALLA -'If God wills'. Arabic: in 'if' + sha 'wills' + Allah. It is

dangerous for a Muslim to refer to anything in the future without
adding this formula. Man should not presume that he can predict
the future, for only God knows the future and if it please Him He
may take us away tomorrow. No Muslim can therefore be pressed
to say 'yes' to the question 'Will you do it tomorrow?', for fear of
incurring the wrath of the Almighty. Inshalla is all we can say.

ISILAMU - 'Islam'. This word is connected with salama 'peace, safety',

and so means, 'to make peace, to surrender oneself to God'. The
word Islam is a noun of action, not a state; it means a continuous
submission to the will of God and finding peace with Him.

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74 Jan Knappert

-JAALI- 'to grant'. God has to grant us time to live and to act, other-
wise nothing is possible.

JAHILIA- 'Ignorance, the time of ignorance before Islam'. Non-

believing peoples are still living in Jahilia.

JAHIMU- One of the seven levels of Hell, like Jahannamnuand Nari

'the Fire'.

JANABA- 'State of impurity after carnal intercourse'. One cannot say

one's prayers in this state and has to perform the ritual ablutions first.
One Swahili writer says: "It is better to pray at night than to have
intercourse".

JANDO --'circumcision'. This word is of Indian origin; the other word

for circumcision, tohara 'state of purity' is of Arabic origin. It is
probable that circumcision was not originally a Bantu custom.

JANNA - 'garden'. There are several beautiful gardens in Paradise,

which is larger than the earth.

JIBURILI - 'the angel Gabriel', also called Mualimu 'teacher', because

he taught Muhammad the Qur'in. Of course Jiburili is only a
servant of God.

JIHADI- 'The Holy War'. It is the duty of every Muslim to fight in

a Holy War.

KABURI- 'the Grave', the place where every man will spend an unkown
period of time between his burial and the Resurrection. See giza and
adhabu.

KALAMU- 'the Pen'. It is believed that in Heaven there is a Pen which

writes everything God has decided so that the angels can read it and
carry out His orders. What has been written is called Makutubu
'fate', literally, 'it was written'.

KALIMA- 'the Word', especially God's word, sometimes personified

as Muhammad himself, though this is clearly not an orthodox idea.

KIYAMA - 'Resurrection'. The 'Day' as it is often called by Swahili

writers, is the most important day in all history, the Day for which
we all live.

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 Swahili religious terms 75

KUDURA 'power'. This term has often been misunderstood. Since

-

everything is in God's power, kudura comes to mean 'fate'.

LA HAULA WA LA KUWWATA ILLA BILLAHI - 'There is no strength and

no power except with God'. This formula is often pronounced when
something disastrous happens.

LOHO (or lauhu) the writing board, on which the Pen (kalamnu)
--
writes God's commandments. According to some it is rather like a
magic bowl on which future events can be seen pictured exactly as
they will happen later. The loho contains all the decisions of the
Almighty; if God changes His decision, the relevant writing vanishes.
The loho is situated under the Throne.

MAGHUFIRA - (or ghufurani) 'Pardon'. Repentance (toba) is always

accepted by God. It is seen as return to God. Acceptance (kabuli)
is granted and the contrite repentant is forgiven.

MALAIKA (plural of malaki) 'angels', but often used as a singular;

-

a Swahili abstract can be formed, ulaika 'the angel world'. Only God
knows how many angels there are and how many different forms
they have. For each of us there is a protecting angel (hafidhu). The
devils in Hell who torture the sinful souls are also called malaika.
The angels live in Heaven (mbinguni); they were created of pure
light, they can neither lie nor sin, they serve men and God lovingly.

MALI - 'Wealth'. Swahili writers of pious literature are unanimous in

condemning the possession of wealth. It will only be a burden on our
way to Parasdie. The best thing to do with it is to buy an assured
place in Heaven by giving it away to the poor. Every cent will be
remembered by the beggars who will plead for the giver on the Day
of Judgement.

MAUTI - 'Death'. Iziraili is the angel of death, the 'taker of souls'. He

will not wait till we are ready to die, but at once, after having
announced the moment of death to a man, he will seize the soul
through the mouth of the dying man and pull her out of the body.
Souls of ascetics are easy to sever from the body because they have
prepared themselves properly, but the souls of life-enjoyers have to
be painfully torn away from the body to which they cling with all
their desire for life.

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76 JanKnappert

MIZANI 'the Scale'. On the Day of Judgement all our deeds will be
-

weighed on the mizani, the good deeds on the right side, the bad ones
on the left.

MSIKITI
(=-
masijidi) 'the Mosque'. Though the Mosque belongs to
-

God, it is always stressed that God does not live in it because He is

everywhere.

MUHAFADHA - (= hifudhi) 'Keeping'. As long as God keeps us alive

we are safe, whatever may happen to us, but as soon as He has
decided that He will send us no more breath, how can we live on ?
Sailors on the ocean, soldiers on the battlefield, they are all in God's
hifudhi.

NAFUSI 'Soul'. The souls are pre-existent, they have been created by
-

God before He created matter. They reside in the primeval Light

(nuru) until the moment God has decided to place them in the womb
of their mothers. The virtuous souls return to the eternal Light after
Judgment.

NAJISI -
'impure'. All things which one is not allowed to eat or drink,
such as pigs and alcohol are najisi. A man is najisi after an effusion
of semen. A ritual ablution removes the state of unajisi. See janaba.

NAKIRI and MUNKARI - The two angels who come and visit a man in
his grave to question him about his religion and his deeds. Their
appearance will be hideous to whomever has led a life of sin, but
a virtuous soul will find their appearance comforting and friendly.

NARI -
'Hellfire',, where the souls of the sinners are grilled and
beaten. They can feel pain like people on earth.

NISIWANI - 'Women'. Women are regarded as being weak of character,

and prone to the emotions that lead away from God, such as carnal
love. They must therefore be protected against the temptations of the
Satan and stay indoors or walk about heavily veiled.

-
NURU 'Light'. Light was the first thing which God created. It is
called the Nuru Muhamaci, the 'Light of Muhammad'. Out of this
primeval Light God created first the soul of Muhammad, then the

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 Swahilireligiousterms 77

souls of his friends and successors, then the angels and the souls
of men, He alone knows how many. Nuru is sometimes used as a
name for God, because the human soul longs for His Light.

NUSURA -
'Help'. Without God's help we cannot do anything, hence
nusura comes to mean 'fate', 'luck', 'lucky escape', 'victory'.

PENDANO 'Mutual love'. Love must reign over all human relations.
-

Especially in worship there should be unison and concord.

PEPO -
(locative peponi) 'Paradise', where the chosen will live. It is
a land of light, much wider than earth, with beautiful trees, flowers,
fruits, and rivers of honey. People will live there in palaces of gold.
Five times a day they will all perform the ritual prayers, for the
souls who are there gathered are the ones that always loved to pray.

PEPONI - originally meant 'with the spirits', and was a pre-Islamic

word for the other world in the sky.

QURANI -
(or kuruani) 'the Qur:ln'. The recital (qiraa) of the
Qur:in is very popular. People will listen to it for hours on end;
the Word will give them baraka.

-
RASU;I 'Prophet' (= nabii). The word rasuli is exclusively used
for Muhammad, the last of the prophets who came with the final
word of God, the Qur'n. Muhammad was the first creature to be
created out of the Primeval Light. Indeed the whole world was only
created in order that Muhammad could be sent to it and deliver his
message to let his light shine forth in the darkness.

REHEMA - 'Mercy'. Without God's mercy we would all be condemned

for we are all negligent of our duties. Nobody is treated more
severely than he deserves, indeed we shall all receive more reward
than we deserve and be punished less severely.

RIDHUANI -
(cogn. radhi, -ridhia) God's pleasure and good will. Name
of the angel who guards the gate of Paradise.

RIZIKI 'Sustenance'. Everything we receive comes ultimately from

-

God and has been given to us on His orders. From the very first
breath of life, the first drink of water, every bit of food, every piece

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78 JanKnappert

of clothing we obtain comes from God. We do not have to look for

it, it will look for us, for God has ordered all the things which He
has decided to give us, to go and find us.

ROHO- 'life, soul'. See nafusi.

SABURI 'Patience'. Patience is emphasized by all Muslim writers

-

as a chief quality in man. All trials on earth must be patiently endured.

SALA - 'Ritual prayer'. Also swala or salati. It must be performed

five times a day. The salati is the most important religious duty of
Muslims.

SALAMA- 'Peace, safety, well-being'. See Isilamu.

SALAMU 'Peace, greetings'. Compulsory courtesy when meeting

-

someone or entering a room.

SANAMU - 'Idol'. Pagan African tribes are known to worship sanamu -

which may be figures of spirits or statuettes of ancestors. Idols are
always suspected to be possessed by the Devil who is trying to
inspire evil in his adorers.

SAUMU - 'Fast'. The third of the five 'pillars of Islam'.

SHAHADA 'Testimony, witness, confession of faith.' To pronounce

-

'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet', makes

one a Muslim.

-SHUKURU 'to thank, be grateful'. We must be grateful to God for

-

whatever He sends us. See -dhukuru.

-SIUIMU- 'To surrender', become a Muslim. All the conquered peoples

must surrender, i.e. confess Islam.

SIRI - 'Secret'. The world has a secret: death. See dunia. Siri li-asirari
'the secret of secrets' is the secret of life which rests with God. Often
God Himself is referred to as Siri.

SUFIYA - 'Sufiism'. Sufis are highly respected in East Africa.

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 Swahilireligiousterms 79

SUNNA -'Custom'. Many Islamic laws - even circumcision - are

not supported by any verse in the Qurdn but arise out of hadithi.
So, sunna comes to mean orthodoxy.

SWIRATI- (also sirati) is often defined as the 'road to Paradise'. Most

writers agree that it is rather a bridge over the Pool of Fire. On the
Day of Judgment all the religious communities will be invited to
assemble behind the banners of their prophets: the Christians behind
Jesus and the Jews behind Moses. Muhammad will then first lead
all his faithful followers into Paradise without further delay. How-
ever, they have to cross the bridge and this will not be equally easy
for everybody. Some will pass it in the blinking of an eye, but for
some it will take 3000 years to crawl across. By the time they arrive
at the Pond of Life on the shores of Paradise, they are entirely
scorched and have to be purified in the pond. The incurable sinners
will not be able to cross but will be dragged down into the fire as
they have no good deeds to support them.

TAA -
(also twaa, as it ought to be written, since the pronunciation is
different from taa 'lamp'). 'Obedience', cognate with the verb -tii
(twii) 'to obey'. Another word taa means a 'lamp' and it is not
impossible that the two ideas have been confused in a religious sense.
Taa or Siraji 'lamp' are names often given to the Prophet, who was
created from Light (see Nuru). Whoever is obedient to God and the
lore of His Prophet has found the Light.

TAFAKURI -
'Meditation, reflection'. Pious Muslims spend many hours
in meditation in the mosque or a secluded place. The central point of
meditation is always the futility of life on this earth and the longing
of the soul for the eternal Light of God.

TAKABURI 'Pride', literally 'making oneself big'; always seen in

-
relation to God. It is one of the capital sins in a religion which
stresses humility towards God and complete submission to Him.

-
'Realization' literally becoming aware, awakening. An
TANABUHI
essential stage in our conversion to a pious way of life, is "to see
the Light".

TARIKA -- 'Religious brotherhood', community of Sufis who practise

mystic exercises.

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80 Swahilireligiousterms
Knappert,

TARIKI - 'Road', in particular the right road to God which consists in

a continuous effort to slacken the ties of desire for pleasures in this
world and to strive to come closer to God (wasuli). It is the origin
of the word Tarika.

TAUHIDI - 'Theology', literally 'Proclaiming the Unity of God'.

TAWADHA- 'Ritual ablution' - udhuu.

THAWABU 'Reward', which will be given to the souls of the virtuous

-

in the form of 'a good place in Paradise' (pema peponi).

TOHARA - see Jando.

UASI 'Rebellion, disobedience'. To disobey God's laws means that

-

one knows better than God, it is hybris (takaburi). Uasi is the com-
prehensive word for all other sins, for all sinning implies disobedience
of God's laws.

UMMA - 'Community', especially the community of the faithful, the

congregation of Muhammad, all the faithful (muumini) together.
The word is often translated "nation", correctly, as Islam tends to
inspire feelings of national solidarity.

usuiI - 'Elements'. Literally the roots, of a problem or a scientific

theory.

WAHI - 'Inspiration', especially the revelation of God to Muhammad.

WALII - 'Saint', a man noted for his learning and his abstemious life.

WASULI -
'Arrival', especially of the soul in the divine Presence. See
tariki.

ZAHIDI - 'Hermit', a person who lives secluded from society but

'purification'; the fourth duty of every Muslim. Its rate is 2Y'%2/of
all movable assets annually.

ZAKATI - 'Contribution to the fund for widows and orphans', literally.

receives alms in kind; he devotes himself to study and prayer.

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