Glossary

Afterlife
Life after death

Akhirah
Everlasting life after death in Islam

Allah (SWT)

The God that Muslims believe in 

Day of Judgement
The last day, when God judges all of humanity according to how they have lived

Déjà vu
The experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before

Eternal
The concept that something will last forever

Five Pillars of Islam
The five observances which must be followed by all practising Muslims, eg Salah - to pray five times a day

Ghost
Thought to be the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear, in visible form to the living

Immortality as a legacy
The belief that there is no actual life after death, and that we will only exist in what we leave behind

Immortality as a memory of others
The belief that there is no actual life after death, and that we will only exist in the memories of family and friends

Makkah (Mecca)
City where the Prophet Muhammad was born, and where the Ka'bah is located - often spelt Mecca

Medium
A person thought to have the power to communicate with the spirits of the dead or with agents of another world or dimension.

NDE
Near Death Experience - people claim to sense that they have experienced leaving their bodies and seeing something beyond this life

Paradise
Heaven, a perfect state of being. In Islam it is depicted as a garden

Qurʾan
The Recitation or Reading. Allah's eternal utterance revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel as his final revelation to humankind

Ramadan
The month of fasting and prayer in Islam, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar

Rebirth
The belief that some part of a person (perhaps their energy) passes into a new life form after death

Reincarnation
The religious belief that existence is a cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, and that the soul survives physical death and is reborn in a new body

Shirk
The sin of regarding anything as an equal or partner of Allah

Worship
To show devotion to God and/or religion through actions - for example, prayer

Yawm al-din
The Day of Judgement (yawm means 'day', and din means 'judgement')