glossarywakīl (a) tribal representative (b) agent (c) parliamentary representative
(d) a British native news writer
walī (a) saint, ‘intercessor’, often referred to as a ‘friend of God’ (b) an
individual who is said to possess the ability to perform wonders (karāmāt)
wālī deputy, governor, viceroy
waqf (plural auqāf) religious endowments, gifts and property
watan (a) region of birth (b) Fatherland (c) country or nation
wazīr (a) viceroy, governor-general (b) an Afghan government minister
wilāyat province governed by a wālī
Wolusī Jirga Assembly of the People, Afghanistan’s Lower House of Parliament
established under the 1963 Constitution
wulswāl head of sub-provincial district (wulswālī) in Afghanistan
wulswālī sub-provincial district in Afghanistan
zāhir in Sufi terminology the exoteric, material or external practices and
teachings of Islam
zakāt Islamic wealth tax paid annually on assets and herds, reckoned at 2.5 per
cent
zanāna the women’s quarters, seraglio, harem
zikr literally, remembrance (of God); the term used for Sufi chants, either silent
(mental) or spoken
ziyārat shrine