AḤMAD (احمد). The name under which Muḥammad professes that Jesus Christ foretold his coming. Vide Qurʾān, [Sūrah lxi. 6], “And remember when Jesus the son of Mary said, ‘O children of Israel! of a truth I am God’s Apostle to you to confirm the law which was given before me, and to announce an apostle that shall come after me, whose name shall be Aḥmad.’ ” Muḥammad had, no doubt, heard that Our Lord had promised a Paracletos (παρακλητος), [John xvi. 7]. This title, understood by him, probably from the similarity of sound, as equivalent to Periclytos (περικλυτος), he applied to himself with reference to his own name Muḥammad, the praised or glorified one. Muir thinks that in some imperfect Arabic translation of the Gospel of St. John, the word παρακλητος may have been translated Aḥmad, or praised. (Life of Mahomet, vol. i. 17.)
AḤZĀB (احزاب). “Confederates.” The title of the XXXIIIrd Sūrah of the Qurʾān, which is said to have been written when al-Madīnah was besieged by a confederation of the Jewish tribes with the Arabs of Makkah. A.H. 5.
AIYŪB (ايوب). [[JOB].]
AJAL (اجل). The appointed time of death, said to be ordained by God from the first. Qurʾān, [Sūrah xxxv. 44], “He respites them until the appointed time. When their appointed time comes, verily God looks upon His servants.” [[DEATH].]
AJĪR (اجير). A term used in Muḥammadan law for a person hired for service. [[IJARAH].]
AJNABĪ (اجنبى). A foreigner; any person not of Arabia.
ĀK͟HIR-I-CHAHĀR-I-SHAMBAH (آخر چهار شنبه). The last Wednesday of the month of Ṣafar. It is observed as a feast in commemoration of Muḥammad’s having experienced some mitigation of his last illness, and having bathed. It was the last time he performed the legal bathing, for he died on the twelfth day of the next month. In some parts of Islām it is customary, in the early morning of this day to write verses of the Qurʾān, known as the Seven Salāms (q.v.), and then wash off the ink and drink it as a charm against evil. It is not observed by the Wahhābīs, nor is its observance universal in Islām.
AK͟HLĀQ (اخلاق). The plural of K͟hulq. Natures, dispositions, habits, manners. The general term for books on morality, e.g. Ak͟hlāq-i-Jalālī, Ak͟hlāq-i-Muḥsinī, the name of a dissertation on Ethics by Ḥusain Wāʾiz̤ Kāshifī, A.H. 910, which has been translated into English by the Rev. H. G. Keene (W. H. Allen & Co.).
ĀK͟HŪND (آخوند). A maulawī; a teacher. A title of respect given to eminent religious teachers. One of the most celebrated Muḥammadan teachers of modern times was the “Āk͟hūnd of Swāt,” who died A.D. 1875. This great religious leader resided in the village of Saidū, in the district of Swāt, on the north-west frontier of India.
ĀK͟HŪNDZĀDAH (آخوندزاده). The son of an Āk͟hūnd. A title of respect given to the sons or descendants of celebrated religious teachers. [[AKHUND].]