86 Common Terms in Muselmani English

This blog post is a strange one! It is my first blog post that is me simply reporting a Chat GPT conversation. Lately, I have been using Chat GPT as one research tool. It can synthesize a great deal of information in a short period of time. Today, I asked Chat GPT a question, and I thought you all might appreciate the response.

My Question to Chat GPT: “I am trying to understand a new dialect of English that I call Muselmani English. My experience is that many Muslims insert a great deal of Arabic terms into English, especially when they are speaking about religious things. Could you provide a list of the 100 most common Arabic terms that English-speaking Muslims tend to insert into English?”

Chat GPT’s response is the rest of this blog post: Certainly! It’s important to note that the usage of Arabic terms in English can vary among English-speaking Muslims, and not all Muslims use these terms in their everyday conversations. However, I can provide you with a list of commonly used Arabic terms that some English-speaking Muslims may incorporate into their speech, particularly when discussing religious matters. Here are 100 such terms:

1. Allah (God)
2. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah)
3. InshaAllah (If Allah wills)
4. SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah)
5. MashAllah (What Allah has willed)
6. Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah)
7. Salam (Peace)
8. Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you)
9. JazakAllah Khair (May Allah reward you with goodness)
10. MashaAllah (What Allah has willed)
11. Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)
12. Bismillah (In the name of Allah)
13. Hadith (Sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad)
14. Sunnah (Prophetic tradition)
15. Quran (The Islamic holy book)
16. Sadaqah (Voluntary charity)
17. Zakat (Obligatory charity)
18. Fajr (Dawn prayer)
19. Dhuhr (Midday prayer)
20. Asr (Afternoon prayer)
21. Maghrib (Evening prayer)
22. Isha (Night prayer)
23. Taraweeh (Nightly Ramadan prayer)
24. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)
25. Umrah (Minor pilgrimage)
26. Eid (Religious festival)
27. Shahada (Testimony of faith)
28. Halal (Permissible according to Islamic law)
29. Haram (Prohibited according to Islamic law)
30. Wudu (Ablution)
31. Sadaqah al-Fitr (Charity given at the end of Ramadan)
32. Taqwa (God-consciousness)
33. Tawhid (Monotheism)
34. Shirk (Associating partners with Allah)
35. Barakah (Divine blessing)
36. Dua (Supplication)
37. Imam (Religious leader)
38. Madrasah (Islamic school)
39. Muezzin (Person who calls to prayer)
40. Qibla (Direction of the Kaaba in Mecca)
41. Sira (Biography of Prophet Muhammad)
42. Tafsir (Quranic interpretation)
43. Hijab (Head covering)
44. Niqab (Face covering)
45. Ramadan (Islamic month of fasting)
46. Iftar (Breaking the fast)
47. Suhoor (Pre-dawn meal)
48. Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power)
49. Qiyamah (Resurrection)
50. Jannah (Paradise)
51. Jahannam (Hell)
52. Mahr (Dowry)
53. Ameen (Amen)
54. Fitnah (Trial or tribulation)
55. Itikaf (Seclusion in the mosque)
56. Khutbah (Sermon)
57. Sadaqah Jariyah (Continuous charity)
58. Taubah (Repentance)
59. Zikr (Remembrance of Allah)
60. Mufti (Islamic scholar)
61. Ummah (Muslim community)
62. Wali (Guardian or saint)
63. Dawah (Propagation of Islam)
64. Fatwa (Legal ruling)
65. Halaqah (Religious study circle)
66. Iman

(Faith) 67. Ihsan (Excellence in worship)

68. Istikhara (Seeking guidance from Allah)
69. Masjid (Mosque)
70. Mubah (Permissible)
71. Qadr (Divine decree)
72. Sajdah (Prostration)
73. Shura (Consultation)
74. Tawakkul (Reliance on Allah)
75. Ummi (Illiterate)
76. Witr (Odd-numbered prayer)
77. Ta’ala (Exalted)
78. Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet)
79. Sahih (Authentic)
80. Bid’ah (Innovation)
81. Khutbah (Friday sermon)
82. Waliullah (Friend of Allah)
83. Fard (Obligatory)
84. Tawbah (Repentance)
85. Azan (Call to prayer)
86. Fitra (Charity given on Eid)

[Note that ChatGPT could only provide 86 terms, even though I asked for 100! Do you know of anything else that belongs on the list?]