Glossary
This work includes stories, texts, and commentaries translated from both Pakhtu and Afghan Persian (Dari). Most of the words included in this glossary are found in both languages. In those cases where a word is unique to Pakhtu, I have added the designation (P). Following each word (as it appears in the text), I have provided in parentheses a transliteration with appropriate diacritical marks. The system of transliteration used here is that employed for Persian by the International Journal of Middle East Studies. Pakhtu has several letters and sounds that are not found in Persian. These include four retroflex phonemes (indicated by d, n, r, & t) and two additional consonants (indicated by kh and tz). Pakhtu also has a complex system of endings that I have not tried to reproduce here.
- ‘adalat (‘adālat)
- justice
- a‘ena (a‘enah)
- charity, donation
- akhund (akhûnd)
- religious scholar, used also for someone who replaces an imam of a mosque
- alaqadari (‘alâqadârî)
- rural administrative district
- amir (âmir)
- commander, ruler, king, used also for the chief of a political party or group
- amr bil ma‘ruf (amr bil ma‘rûf)
- Arabic phrase referring to the act of calling people to proper faith and action and promoting virtue
- bait ul-mal (bayt ul mâl)
- property of the people
- bayat (ba‘at)
- oath of allegiance
- be abru (bî âbrû)
- dishonored, disgraced
- be ghairati (bî ghaîratî)
- cowardly
- bidat (bidā‘t)
- innovation
- bi khudayi (bî khudâyî)
- “without God,” atheism
- bi-taraf (bî taraf)
- nonaligned
- chanda (chanda)
- religious alms, charity, used principally in Pakistan
- daraja (darajah)
- rank, degree, class
- darbar (darbar)
- court
- dar ul-ulum (dar ul ilûm)
- teacher-training college
- dastarbandi (dastarbandî)
- ceremony of succession
- dawa (dawa)
- prayer
- dehqan (dehqân)
- peasant, tenant farmer
- din (dîn)
- religion
- do‘a (do‘a)
- oath
- dodai (dûdai)(P)
- food
- drund (drûnd)(P)
- heavy, great, consequential
- dushman (dushman)
- enemy
- farangi (ferengî)
- foreigner, European
- firman (firmân)
- proclamation, command, order
- fitna (fitnah)
- sedition, discord
- fitwa (fitwā)
- religious decree
- ghairat (ghaîrat)
- courage, zeal, bravery
- gharur (ghorûr)
- pride, vanity
- gund (gûnd)
- faction
- gundi (gûndî)
- factionalism
- hadith (hadîth)
- traditions and sayings associated with the life of the Prophet Muhammad
- haji (hajî)
- honorific for a man who has completed the pilgrimage to Mecca
- halqa (halqah)
- circle, used both for a group of people who meet to perform ZIKR and for a group of political activists who meet to discuss ideology and plan tactics
- hamsaya (hamsâyah)
- tenant farmer, someone dependent on another for his livelihood
- haram (haram)
- domestic area, off-limits, forbidden
- hasta (hastah)
- “cell,” used by political parties, including the Muslim Youth Organization, to designate the smallest unit of the organization
- hauza (haûzah)
- used by political parties, including the Muslim Youth Organization, to designate the more inclusive organizational level above the cell
- haysiat (haysîat)
- prestige
- hemat (hemat)
- honor, magnanimity
- hujra (hûjrah)
- guest house
- iftar (iftar)
- the ceremony that occurs at sunset each evening during the month of Ramazan, when Muslims break the fast
- ikhwani (ikhwani)
- “brother,” sometimes used by opponents of radical Islamic parties to describe these parties’ members; taken from the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan ul-Muslimin) in Egypt
- inqilab (inqilab)
- revolution
- jaldar (jaldar)
- skullcap
- jaza (jazah)
- punishment
- jerib (jirîb)
- unit of land measurement (2,000 square meters)
- jihad (jihad)
- effort, struggle on behalf of Islam; holy war
- jirga (jirgah)
- tribal council or assembly
- kafir (kâfir)
- nonbeliever
- kalama (kalamah)
- profession of faith—“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet”
- kali (kalī) (P)
- clothing
- khairat (khîrat)
- charity
- kham (kham)
- unripe
- khan (khan)
- title/honorific used for the leader of a tribal group
- khanaqa (khânaqâh)
- center of activity associated with a Sufi pir
- kharwar (kharwar)
- unit of weight (80 ser)
- kibr (kibr)
- pride, arrogance, insolence
- kor (kûr) (P)
- home
- kufr (kufr)
- infidelity
- langar (langar)
- eating area for disciples and visitors to a Sufi pir or associated with a saint’s tomb
- lashkar (lashkar or lakhkar)
- army
- loya jirga (loyah jîrgah)
- national council
- luchak (lûchak)(P)
- naked; shameless
- madrasa (madrasah)
- religious school
- maktabian (maktabîyan)
- schoolboys
- masawat (masawat)
- equality
- mashreqi (mashreqî)
- eastern border region of the country, especially Kunar, Ningrahar, and Laghman
- masuniyat (masûniyat)
- security
- maulana (mûlânâ)
- an advanced religious scholar, similar to maulavi (although more often associated with those whose training has been in India or Pakistan)
- maulavi (maulavî)
- an advanced religious scholar, similar to maulana
- mawen (mawen)
- deputy
- mlatar (malâtar) (P)
- supporters, usually kinsmen who “bind their waists together”
- momasela jirga (momaselah jîrgah)
- provisional national jirga
- mujahid (mûjahed)
- one who pursues JIHAD, holy warrior
- mujahidin (mûjahidîn)
- those who pursue JIHAD, holy warriors
- mulla (mullâ)
- a man who earns all or part of his income supervising a mosque, teaching religious lessons, or otherwise engaging in religious activities
- munshi (munshî)
- secretary, writer, clerk
- musulmani (mûsulmanî)
- Muslim practice
- nafs (nafs)
- self, soul, passions, senses, carnal desire
- najawani (najawanî)
- cowardly
- namaz (namâz)
- prayer
- naminek (naminek)
- reputation
- namus (nâmûs)
- honor, that which a man possesses that cannot be violated
- nang (nang)
- honor; reputation, esteem
- nasib (nasîb)
- share, portion
- ni‘mat (ni‘mat)
- blessing, riches, favor
- paighur (paîghûr) (P)
- taunt, reproach
- pakhtun (pakhtûn)
- one who speaks the Pakhtu (Pashto) language and who claims descent in one of the commonly recognized lines of the Pakhtun tribe
- pir (pîr)
- master of a Sufi order
- qahraman (qahramân)
- hero, champion
- qanun (qanûn)
- law
- qaum (qaûm)
- tribe
- qazi (qâzi)
- judge
- qibla (qiblah)
- direction of Mecca, toward which Muslims face during prayer
- qur’an (qurân)
- word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
- rahm (rahm)
- compassion
- ramazan (ramazân)
- ninth month in the lunar calendar, the Islamic month of fasting
- roza (rozah)
- fasting
- safa (safah)
- pure
- sahib (sâheb)
- honorific meaning master or sir
- sardar (sardar)
- prince
- satr (satr)
- seclusion
- sayyid (sayyid)
- descendant of the Prophet Muhammad
- ser (ser)
- unit of weight
- shabnama (shabnamah)
- “night letter,” political tract distributed covertly
- shahid (shahîd)
- martyr
- shahidan (shahîdan)
- martyrs
- shari‘a (shari‘a)
- religious law
- shuja‘at (shijâhat)
- bravery
- shura (shurah)
- council
- sial (sîal) (P)
- a rival; someone of equal status
- silsila (silsilah)
- chain, series, order, hierarchical organization
- stana (stanah)
- holy man
- sud (sûd)
- profit, benefit, interest
- sufi (sûfî)
- a person devoted to the mystical path (tasawuf)
- sunnat (sunnat)
- tradition, customary or expected; circumcision
- sutra (sûtrah)
- clean
- tablighat (tablîghat)
- propaganda
- takfir (takfîr)
- infidelity
- taleb (tâlab)
- religious student, seeker of sacred knowledge
- taliban (taliban)
- religious students
- tarbur (tarbûr)
- patrilateral parallel cousin, one’s father’s brother’s son; rival
- tariqat (tarîqat)
- Sufi order
- tasawuf (tasawuf)
- Sufism
- ulama (‘ulama’)
- religious authorities
- wahhabi (wahabî)
- term of disparagement for those who profess beliefs similar to those of the Arab religious reformer Abdul Wahhab; also known as Panj Piri and Salafi
- wakil (wakîl)
- parliamentary representative
- woleswal (wuleswal)
- district administrator
- woleswali (wuleswalî)
- district
- wulja (wuljah)
- booty
- zakat (zakât)
- religious tax incumbent on all Muslims
- zikr (zikr)
- mystical act associated with Sufism involving the repeated recitation of sacred phrases