تسبیح
تسبیح (tasbih) is the string of 33, 99, or 100 beads used to count zekr (remembrance of God). Shia tasbih is often made from karbala-clay. Also a casual fidget object.
Arabic
حوزه
حوزه (howze) is a Shia Islamic seminary. The major centers are Najaf in Iraq and Qom in Iran, where mojtaheds and ayatollahs are trained.
سید
سید (seyyed) is a male descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali. Marked by the title before the name. Both religious and social status.
نجابت
نجابت (nejâbat) means nobility of character: dignified self-control, integrity, moral composure. The quality Iranian families look for when evaluating a potential spouse.
نامحرم
نامحرم (nâmahram) is the opposite of mahram: anyone outside the close family circle who is theoretically marriageable. Hijab rules apply around nâmahram.
محرم
محرم (mahram) is a family member one cannot marry under Islamic law: parents, siblings, grandparents, certain in-laws. Hijab rules differ around mahram.
حکمت
حکمت (hekmat) is wisdom in the philosophical-religious sense: the deep knowledge that sees why things are arranged the way they are. From the Arabic root for “to be wise.”
برکت
برکت (barakat) means “blessing” in the sense of divine abundance: the unseen quality that makes a small amount of food, money, or time stretch further than it should.
نیت
نیت (niyat) is the inner intention behind an act. In religious use, prayers and fasts only count if performed with conscious niyat. In everyday use: “I intended to come.”
تبرک
تبرک (tabarrok) is an object that has been touched by something holy and now carries blessing: bread from a shrine, water from a holy spring.