glossaryfarangī (a) literally, a Frank (b) a pejorative term for all Europeans
fard/farz a religious duty that Muslims are required to perform
farmān a royal, or imperial decree
fārsīwān a native Persian-speaker of Afghanistan
fātīha (a) first chapter of the Qur’an (b) funeral prayer service
fatwā a legal opinion or pronouncement
ghairat honour; in Pushtu tribal society this is a pro-active, jealous protection
of qaum honour, especially women
ghāzī (a) a title adopted by those who have fought in a jihād (b) Ahmad Shah
Durrani’s royal guard
ghulām (a) slave (b) military levies conscripted into an army by virtue of
conquest
ghulām khāna the royal guard of the Saddozai monarchs
gilīm hand-woven rug that has no pile
girau a customary system of lease, mortgage or pawning
gurdwārā a Sikh place of worship
hadith The Traditions, a corpus of texts that include accounts and anecdotes
of the life, actions and sayings of Muhammad and which form a key textual
authority for the Islamic legal code
hāfiz a title used for an individual who has memorized the Qur’an
hājj pilgrimage, particularly to Mecca
hajjī a person who has performed the hājj
hākim (a) governor, commander (b) judge, magistrate
hakīm (a) physician, herbalist (b) a learned person, philosopher
halāl actions and foods that under Islamic law are lawful, permitted or ritually
clean
haram actions and foods that under Islamic law are forbidden, sinful or ritually
unclean
haram sarāi the harem, or secluded women’s quarter
hawāla the informal system of financial exchange and brokerage
hawelī (a) a north Indian walled courtyard house, the abode of wealthy
merchants and the aristocracy (b) colloquially (aulī) any enclosed
courtyard
Hazhda Nāhr Eighteen Canals, the name given to the irrigation network of the
Balkh river basin
hazrat a title accorded in Islam to prophets, caliphs, kings and high-ranking
Sufi pīrs
hijra (a) migration, emigration for religious reasons, especially the migration
of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina (b) the Islamic lunar calendar
hisar citadel, fortress
hizb political party
hukumat-i a’lā a sub-provincial district under the Musahiban dynasty
hundī a letter of credit or bill of exchange
‘Īd an Islamic religious festival
imām (a) prayer leader in a mosque (b) the title Shi’as give to the descendants
of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib who they claim had the right to leadership of the Muslim
community