Kiswa: a black, brocaded carpet used to cover the Ka’ba in Mecca. Traditionally made in Egypt, it was transported to Mecca as part of the pilgrimage caravan.
Maliki Schooclass="underline" one of the four major ‘schools’ (Ar. madhhab) of Islamic law, named after its founder, Malik ibn Anas (d. 179/796).
Mulukhiya: a favorite Egyptian dish to this day; a thick soup made from a herb usually known in English as ‘Jews’ mallow.’
Smoke Verse: Qur’an (8:26); “So be on watch for a day on which the heavens will bring a clear smoke.”
Umm ‘Amr’s donkey: an ancient Arab proverb dating from pre-Islamic times. Umm ‘Amr was a woman with a curse on her, who was expelled from her tribe and rode off on her donkey. The proverb relates that “she never came back, nor did her donkey.” The donkey is therefore a metaphor for any undesirable person or entity who suffers a similar fate,
Qur’anic References
A little enjoyment, and then they will face a dire punishment. (16:117)
Every soul tastes death. You will receive your rewards on the Day of Resurrection. (3:185)
I am the Mount, the inscribed Book, the inhabited House. (52:4)
O people, a simile is being invoked here, so pay attention. The people to whom you pray in place of God could never create so much as a fly even though they all combined their efforts. If that fly were to rob them of something, they could never retrieve it: seeker and sought are simply too weak. They have not given God his true value; indeed God is powerful and mighty. (22:73)
Over every knowledgeable person is One who knows, (12:76)
O you who believe, you are responsible for yourselves. Anyone who goes astray cannot hurt you if you offer him guidance. God is the point of reference for you all. It is He who will inform you of what you are doing. (5:105)
Remember when you were few in number and oppressed on earth, fearing that others would overwhelm you. God gave you shelter, granted you victory, and provided you with good things, that you might be grateful. (8: 26)
So wait for a day when the heavens will bring a manifest smoke to cover people. This is a dire punishment. (44:10)
The imminent is imminent. Only God can disclose it (53:57)
There is no compulsion in religion. (2:256)
They schemed and God schemed, and God is the best of schemers. (3:54)
Those who go astray cannot hurt you if you are rightly guided. (5:105)
Those who unjustly consume the property of orphans will taste fire in their bellies and will roast in hellfire. (4:10)
Verily humanity oversteps its reach by thinking itself sufficient. (96:6)
When they angered us. we took revenge on them. (43:55)
Whoever associates with God anything, it is as though he has fallen from Heaven and the birds snatch him away, or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far away. (22:31)