ʿĀBID (عابد). “A worshipper [of God].” A term generally used for a devout person. The word frequently occurs in the Qurʾān; e.g. [Sūrah ii. 132]: “The baptism (ṣibg͟hah) of God! And who is better than God at baptizing? We are the worshippers (ʿābidūn) of God.” The word ṣibg͟hah is translated by Professor Palmer “dye” and “dyeing,” but Sale, following the Muslim commentators, al-Baiẓāwī, Jalālu ʾd-dīn, and Ḥusainī, who say it refers to the Christian rite, translates it “baptism.” Others say that it means fit̤rah or dīn, the religion of God, with an adaptation to which mankind are created. See Lane’s Lexicon. [[BAPTISM].]
ĀBIQ (آبق). A runaway slave. [[ABSCONDING OF SLAVES].]
ABJAD (ابجد). The name of an arithmetical arrangement of the alphabet, the letters of which have different powers from one to one thousand. It is in the order of the alphabet as used by the Jews as far as 400, the six remaining letters being added by the Arabians. The letters spell the words—
| abjad | hawwaz | ḥut̤t̤i | kalaman |
| saʿfaṣ | qarashat | s̤ak͟haẕ | ẓaz̤ig͟h |
The author of the Arabic Lexicon, al-Qāmūs, says that the first six words are the names of celebrated kings of Madyan (Midian), and that the last two words were added by the Arabians. Some say they are the names of the eight sons of the inventor of the Arabic character, Murāmir ibn Murra.
The following is a list of the letters with their English equivalents, and the power of each in numbers:—
| 1 | a (i, u) | ا | 60 | s | س | |
| 2 | b | ب | 70 | ʿ | ع | |
| 3 | j | ج | 80 | f | ف | |
| 4 | d | د | 90 | ṣ | ص | |
| 5 | h | هـ | 100 | q | ق | |
| 6 | w | و | 200 | r | ر | |
| 7 | z | ز | 300 | sh | ش | |
| 8 | ḥ | ح | 400 | t | ت | |
| 9 | t̤ | ط | 500 | s̤ | ث | |
| 10 | y | ى | 600 | k͟h | خ | |
| 20 | k | ك | 700 | ẕ | ذ | |
| 30 | l | ل | 800 | ẓ | ض | |
| 40 | m | م | 900 | z̤ | ظ | |
| 50 | n | ن | 1000 | g͟h | غ |
[[EXORCISM].]
ABLUTION. Arabic, waẓūʾ, wuẓūʾ (وضوء), Persian, ābdast (آبدست). Ablution is described by Muḥammad as “the half of faith and the key of prayer” (Mishkāt, iii. 3c), and is founded on the authority of the Qurʾān, [Sūrah v. 8], “O Believers! when ye prepare yourselves for prayer, wash your faces and hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles.”
These ablutions are absolutely necessary as a preparation for the recital of the liturgical form of prayer, and are performed as follows: The worshipper, having tucked up his sleeves a little higher than his elbows, washes his hands three times; then he rinses his mouth three times, throwing the water into it with his right hand. After this, he, with his right hand, throws water up his nostrils, snuffing it up at the same time, and then blows it out, compressing his nostrils with the thumb and finger of the left hand—this being also performed three times. He then washes his face three times, throwing up the water with both hands. He next washes his right hand and arm, as high as the elbow, as many times, causing the water to run along his arm from the palm of the hand to the elbow, and in the same manner he washes the left. Then he draws his wetted right hand over the upper part of his head, raising his turban or cap with his left. If he has a beard, he then combs it with the wetted fingers of his right hand, holding his hand with the palm forwards, and passing the fingers through his beard from the throat upwards. He then puts the tips of his fore-fingers into his ears and twists them round, passing his thumbs at the same time round the back of the ears from the bottom upwards. Next, he wipes his neck with the back of the fingers of both hands, making the ends of his fingers meet behind his neck, and then drawing them forward. Lastly, he washes his feet, as high as the ankles, and passes his fingers between the toes. During this ceremony, which is generally performed in less than three minutes, the intending worshipper usually recites some pious ejaculations or prayers. For example:—