• Ahlul-Bayt: Arabic, literally ‘People of the House’. Designation
in Islam for the family of the Prophet Muhammad, particularly his
daughter Fatima, her husbandAli, and their descendants. Shi‘as closely
identify this family with the Imams, whom they regard as the legitimate
holders of authority in the Muslim community and the infallible bearers
of sacred knowledge.
• Adhan:TheIslamiccalltoprayer, recited by the mu’azzin at prescribed
times during the day.
• Ayatollah:HonorifictitleinTwelverShi‘iIslam,assignedtooutstanding
legalscholars.
• Fada’iyan-e Islam: “Self-Sacrificers of Islam”, an Iranian Shi‘a group
with a strong political orientation, founded by Sayyed Navvab Safavi
in 1945.
• Hadith:Record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad,
revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral
guidance, second only to the authority of the Quran.
• Hawza ‘Ilmiyya: ‘Enclave of Knowledge’, the religious institution
where Shi‘a clerics are trained.
• Ijtihad: An Islamic legal term derived from “jahd”, an Arabic word
which denotes the exertion of effort. The term ijtihad refers to the
exercising of discretionary judgment by qualified clergymen for the
purpose of deducing a law or rule.
• Juz’: InArabic, a juz’ literally means “part”. It is used to refer to one
of thirty parts of varying lengths into which the Quran is divided. Juz’ 
‘Amma, the thirtieth and final juz’ of the Quran, consists mainly of
short surahs (chapters). It is the most commonly memorized juz’and is
taught to children due to the brevity of its surahs