Appendix A: Glossary

Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Followers of Abraham, who received the first covenant of God in 1943 BC.)

Admin: The author of this book, Dr. Dilip Amin, who goes by this name at InterfaithShaadi.org.

Agnostic: A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.

Asherim: Cult objects related to the worship.

Atheism: A lack of belief in God or a belief that there is no God.

Ayat: Verse in the Koran.

Balvihar: Hindu Sunday school.

Baptism: The term “baptism” means ritual washing or cleansing, referring to washing away the “original sin,” a central concept in Christianity. With such an oath, one agrees to cleanse from former practices and later live with Jesus Christ forever.

Bar (boy) mitzvah/bat (girl) mitzvah: Mitzvah means commandments. These are religious rituals performed at age of 12-13 to announce the child a Jewish adult (coming of age). 

BBS: Baptism, bris/bar mitzvah, shahadah/sunat religious rituals of Abrahamic religions. 

Bhagawan: Bhagawan is an epithet for God. Bhagawan also represents the concept of abstract God to Hindus who are religious but do not worship a specific deity.

Bhakti: Devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

Bible: The Christian scriptures, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.

Bindi: It is a red dot worn on the center of the forehead, commonly by Hindu and Jain women.

Brahman: The essence of the universe from which everything originates and to which it returns. It is the all pervading reality, the One Truth. It is eternal and infinite. “Godhead” is the closest English term.

Bris: Jewish circumcision on 8^th day of birth and his formal entrance into the world of Judaism.

Burka: It is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover their bodies when in public.

Darshan: Vision of the divine. 

Deity: Divine character or nature, especially that of the Supreme Being.

Desi: Someone from back home country. 

Derasar: A Jain temple.

Devas and Devis: They are specific energies or mundane manifestations of the Ultimate Supreme Brahman.

Dharma: Dharma is not the same as religion. Dharma has the Sanskrit root dhri, which means, “that which upholds” or “that without which nothing can stand” or “that which maintains the stability and harmony of the universe.” Dharma is often translated as laws and order by which this universe is sustained.

Dharmic faiths: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Diwali: It is the “festival of lights.” Diwali spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness or good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.

Dua: Prayer.

Easter: Easter is a holiday to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. 

Eid: Eid al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Exclusivist: A person whose mentality is characterized by the disregard for opinions and ideas other than one’s own. Exclusivist asserts that only his/her way is true and all others are in error.

Garba: It is a form of folk dance that was originated in the state of Gujarat in India. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term Garbha (womb) and Deep (a small earthenware lamp). Traditional garbas are performed around a centrally lit lamp or a picture or statue of the Goddess Durga.

Geeta: Holy Bhagawat Geeta (or Gita) is one of Hindu scriptures. These are messages given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra.

Haram: Forbidden or proscribed by Islamic law.

Hijab: It is a veil that covers the head and chest, which is particularly worn by some Muslim women beyond the age of puberty.

Himsa: This word is derived from the Sanskrit root hiṃs—to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. cause no injury, do no harm. Ahimsa is also referred to as nonviolence, and it applies to all living beings—including all animals—according to many Indian religions.

Hungama: Agitation, disturbance or irrational shouting in public.

Imam: An imam is an Islamic leadership position. It is most commonly in the context of a worship leader of a mosque and Muslim community.

Inclusivism: It is one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between religions, asserts that while one set of beliefs is absolutely true, other sets of beliefs are at least partially true. It stands in contrast to exclusivism, which asserts that only one way is true and all others are in error.

Ishvara: It is a representation of Brahman. It is a representation as icons with form (saguna sakara), such as Lord Ganesh. Different aspects of Brahman are represented by different icons. 

Ishvara Allah Tero Nam: One God, different names. It was Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan. It is also a polupar Bollywood devotional song sung by Mohammad Rafi and chorus for the movie Naya Raasta (1970).

Jihad: Jihad is an Islamic term referring to the religious duty of Muslims to maintain the religion. Jihad has two meanings: an inner spiritual struggle and an outer physical struggle against the enemies of Islam that may take a violent or non-violent form. Jihad is often translated as “Holy War,” although this term is controversial.

Judgment Day: All people that have ever lived on the earth will be brought before the throne of God, and His glorious Son Jesus will judge each one of them( Matthew 25:31-33.) . Muslims believe that Allah will come to decide the destiny of believers and nonbelievers on the Judgment Day.

Kaaba: The kabah also referred as Kaaba Muazzama, is a building at the center of Islam’s most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, al-Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred Muslim site in the world.

Kafir: A person who is an unbeliever in Islam or an infidel. It is used as a derogatory term.

Ketubah (written thing): It is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride.

Khalwat: An Islamic law that forbids an unmarried Muslim from being alone (close proximity) with someone of the opposite sex.

Koran (or Qur’an): The Islamic sacred book, believed to be the word of God as dictated to Mohammad by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic.

MNC: Multinational corporation.

Monotheism: A belief in one god.

Mushrik: Idolatresses or who ascribe God’s attributes to other than Allah. (also see Shirk)

Murti: Literally it means any form, embodiment or solid object, and typically refers to an image, statue of a deity or person in Hindu culture. By the Prana (breath) Pratishtha (establishing) ceremony, the idol becomes identical with the deity.

Namasanskara: Hindu naming ceremony. It is one of 16 Sanskaras in Hindu Dharma and is performed around the 12^th day. It is also spelled as namakaranam or naamsanskar.

Namaz: Muslim prayer (also known as Salah) is one of the five pillars in the faith of Islam and an obligatory religious duty for every Muslim. It is a physical, mental and spiritual act of worship that is observed five times every day at prescribed times. 

New adult: Adults aged 18-30.

Nikaah: Islamic marriage contract. The bride and groom must be Muslim.

Pandit: A scholar and a (Hindu) teacher.

Parsi: It is a culture (Persian) followed by Zoroastrian (settled mainly in India).

Pheras: Hindu marriage ceremony involving elaborate rituals, one of the most important being the “saat phere” or the seven steps to marriage.

Pluralism: It denotes a diversity of views and stands rather than a single approach or method of interpretation. Pluralism is acceptance of all religious paths as equally valid and thus promotes peaceful coexistence.

Polytheism: The belief in or worship of more than one god.

Prasad: After food offering is made to God, the remnants are considered prasad or the Grace of God.

Proselytism: An attempt of any religion or religious individuals to convert people to their beliefs.

Puja: Worship ceremony, act of worshipping. Prayers and offerings (fruits, flowers, water, food) are offered to the image of Hindu deities.

Ramadan (Ramazan): It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Koran to Mohammad according to Islamic belief.

Religion: An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a person God or a group of Gods (based on Merriam-Webster). Literally it means re-align or connect again with divinity.

Roza: Fasting.

Salah: Namaz or prayer.

Satya Narayan Katha: It is the religious worship of the Hindu God Vishnu.

Secular: Denoting attitudes, activities or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.

Shaadi: Wedding.

Shahadah: Religious conversion to Islam. The shahadah is the first pillar of Islam. In Arabic, lā ʾilāha ʾil ʾāllāh, muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh, meaning, there is no god but God and Mohammad is the messenger of God.

Sharia law is the body of Islamic law. The term means “way” or ” path;” it is the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Islam.

Shirk: In Islam, shirk is the sin of practicing idolatry or polytheism, i.e. the deification or worship of anyone or anything other than a singular God, i.e. Allah. (Wikipedia)

Special Marriage Act 1954: A court marriage in India (Section 2.15).

Sunat/khitan/khafd (female)/khatna: Muslim circumcision ceremony.

Surah is a chapter of Koran.

Talaak: As per Sharia Laws, a Muslim husband can say talaak three times to announce a divorce from his marriage nikaah contract.

Taqiyya: It is a form of Islamic dissimulation or a legal dispensation whereby a believing individual can deny their faith or commit otherwise illegal or blasphemous acts while they are in fear or at risk of significant persecution. It is also used to describe deception and lying.

Ten Commandments: God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai (around 1593 BC).

Toleration/tolerance: It is defined as the practice of tolerating something. It could also have a negative meaning to “put up” with someone or “allowing someone to live.”

Torah (laws): The holiest scripture of Jews and the first five chapters of the Bible.

Vedas: Vedas are oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Hindus consider the Vedas to be “not of a man, superhuman” and “impersonal, authorless.”

Veil: A piece of fine material worn by Islamic women to protect or conceal the face.

Vivaha: Hindu wedding ceremony. 

Zina: It is an Islamic law concerning unlawful sexual relations between Muslims who are not married to one another through a nikaah. It includes extramarital sex and premarital sex, such as adultery (consensual sexual relations outside marriage), fornication (consensual sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons), and homosexuality (consensual sexual relations between same-sex partners).

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