Bahá’í glossary of Arabic & Fársí transliteration Contents

U..

Ubaid, Ubayd ‘Ubayd servant

Ubaydu’l-llah ‘Ubaydu’l-lláh servant of God

Ubudiya, ‘Ubudiyat ‘Ubúdíya, Pers. ‘Ubúdíyat humble veneration, homage, adoration, worship; slavery, serfdom; servitude, bondage

Udh’kuru Udh’kurú remember! (command)

Udh’kuru’llah Udh’kurú’lláh Remember God!

Udi ‘Údí diminutive of Hebrew Ehud

Ufq, Ufuq, Afaq Ufq, Ufuq, pl. Áfáq horizon; range of vision, field of vision;—pl. distant lands, faraway countries, remote regions; provinces, interior of the country (as distinguished from the capital)

Uhud Uḥud Mountain north of Medina

Ukaz ‘Ukáẓ Marketplace and site of pre-Islamic fairs and poetry contests in Mecca.

Ukht ‘Ukht Ar., sister

Uliyya ‘Ulíyyá (“owleya”) (holy ones)

Ulya ‘Ulyá “Exalted”

Umar ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz Ibn Marwán 8th Umayyad Khalífah (Caliphate)

Umari ‘Umarí follower of ‘Umar (i.e. a traditionalist)

Umayyad Umayyad An Islamic dynasty (caliphate) founded by Mu’áwíyyáh, with its capital in Damascus.

Umdan ‘Umdán Pers. bearer of a message to an army. Khán-i-‘Avámíd (Khán al-‘Umdán), ‘Akká.

Umm, Ummahat Umm, pl. Ummahát mother; source, origin; basis, foundation; original, original version (of a book); the gist, essence of something;—pl. matrix (typography). Female partial name equivalents of Abu are Um and Umm (must be combined with another name).

Umma, Ummam Umma, pl. Umam Ar. nation, people; generation

Ummah Ummah Ar. “the people”, community, nation; more specifically to Muslim people with a common ideology and culture

Ummal-Zakata (Ummal-i-dhakat) ‘Ummál-i-Zakáta to give alms (‘Ummál-i-dhakát in PDC p. 92). See ‘Ámil.

Umman ‘Ummán Oman

Ummat, Ummatan Ummat, pl. Ummatán, Umam Pers. Nation, people; generation; sect, religious community, creed; follower, co-religionist

Ummati Ummatí Pers. A follower of a religious sect or creed.

Umm-i-Ashraf Umm-i-Ashraf (Mother of Ashraf)

Umm-Salma Umm-Salmá

Ummu’l-‘Iraq Ummu’l-‘Iráq Mother of ‘Iráq, Baghdád

Ummu’l-Kitab Ummu’l-Kitáb Mother Book

Ummu’l-Mu’minin Ummu’l-Mu’minín Mother of the Faithful, name given to Phoebe Hearst by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Unzurna Unẓurná “watch over us”, Qur’án 2:104. See Rá‘íná

Uqab, A’qub, ‘Iqban ‘Uqáb, (usually fem.), pl. A‘qub, ‘Iqbán eagle. See ‘Iqáb

Urf, A’raf ‘Urf, pl. A‘ráf beneficence, kindness; custom, usage, practice, convention, tradition, habit; legal practice; custom, customary (or common) law (jurisprudence); (pl.) crest, comb (or a rooster), mane (of a horse); also the boundary between paradise and hell, a kind of purgatory which, according to Sa‘dí, appears to be a hell to the blessed, and a heaven to the damned. See Shar‘

Urumiyyih Urúmíyyih (Urmia, Ádharbáyján, Persia. Town and lake near Tabríz) Present day Riḍá’íyyih. The purported birthplace of Zoroaster.

Urvatu’l-Vuthqa ‘Urvatu’l-Vuthqá [Ar. ‘Urwatu’l-Wuthqá] “The Sure Handle” or “the strongest handle”, symbolic of the Faith of God.

Urwa ‘Urwa [Arva] (al-‘Urwa al-Wuthqá)

Usanlu Usánlú a Turkish speaking tribe lving near Sárí

Usaybi’a Uṣaybi’a

Ushidar-Mah Úshídar-Máh The Promised One referred to in Zoroastrian Scriptures and fulfilled by the Báb. (“Hushidar”)

Ushkur Ushkur (“thank”) (SVFV p. 43)

Usku’i Uskú’í Mírzá Ḥaydar ‘Alí Uskú’í, an outstanding early Bahá’í who suffered exile from Egypt to Sudan. Mullá Muḥammad Báqir Uskú’í, an early leader of a branch of Shaykhiyya (Shaykhism) whose name, Uskú’í, was adopted by the branch.

Ustad Muhammad Rida Ustád Muḥammad Ríḍa (Estad Muhammad Riza)

Ustad Ustád Pers. a master, teacher, tutor; an artificer, manufacturer, artisan; a barber; ingenious, excellent, celebrated, famed for any art or work of ingenuity; enters into the composition of proper names

Ustadh, Asatidha Ustádh, pl. Asátidha Ar. professor; teacher; master, one who is skilled in an art or profession

Ustan Ustán Persian word equivalent to provinces

Usul al-Fiqh Uṣúl al-Fiqh lit. roots of jurisprudence. The science of the principles of jurisprudence and the methodological means of arriving at legal standards, as opposed to furú‘ (branches) of fiqh, which is the actual body of law.

Usul Uṣúl See Aṣl

Usuli Uṣúlí in accordance with the rules, conforming to prevailing principles; traditional, usual; legist

Usul-i-Kafi Uṣúl al-Káfí (Ar) Uṣúl-i-Káfí (Pers) Written by Shaykh-i-Kulayní (title), Muḥammad-ibn-i-Ya‘qúb

Usuliya Usúlíya The school of jurisprudence that emphasizes the study of usúl al-fiqh. In the nineteenth century, it is almost synonymous with the mujtahids.

Utaq Uṭáq Pers. room, chamber, cabin; chamber furniture (“modern colloquialism”)

Utaqih Nizam Utáqih Niẓám (Otake-Nezam) royal building (the military department)

Uthman (Usman) ‘Uthmán, Pers. ‘Usmán the ancestor of the Sultan of Turkey; a young bustard or dragon; a serpent or its young

Uthmaniyyih ‘Uthmáníyyih

Uzayr (Uzair) ‘Uzayr (‘Uzair) Ezra

Uzm, ‘Azm, ‘Azam ‘Uẓm, ‘Aẓm, ‘Aẓam Pers. the principal or larger part of anything

Uzum ‘Uzúm Turkish grape [uzum]

Uzun-Kupri Uzún-Kupri Uzunköprü, Turkey

V..

Va’l-’Asr Va’l-‘Aṣr “by afternoon”

Vahdat Vaḥdat-i-Bashar

Vahdat-i-Haqq Vaḥdat-i-Ḥaqq

Vahdatu’sh-shuhud Vaḥdatu’sh-Shuhúd “unity of vision”)

Vahhab-i-Khurasani Vahháb-i-Khurásání

Vahid (unique) Vaḥíd unique, single, matchless, peerless. Superlative form of ‘vaḥada’, to be alone. Numerical value of 28

Vahid (unity) Váḥid unity, a unit, one. A ‘unit’ or section of the Bayán, the Book of the Báb. Unity. Symbolizes the unity of God. Numerical value of 19.

Vahy Vaḥy Pers. indicating; suggesting; revealing; writing; revelation, anything (divine) suggested, inspired, or revealed (by vision or otherwise); a book, writing, epistle (especially of a sacred character)

Vakilu’d-Dawlih Vakílu’d-Dawlih Pers. “Representative of the Government” Mírzá Muḥammad Taqí, cousin of the Báb and builder of the ‘Ishqábád temple. See Wakil

Vakilu’l-Haqq Vakílu’l-Ḥaqq Pers. Representative of the True One, i.e. God

Vali-’Ahd Valí-‘Ahd (“Heir to the throne”)

Valiy-i-Amru’llah Válíy-i-Amru’lláh Pers. Defender of the Faith, Leader, Commander-in-Chief (‘Guardian’ is weaker English meaning for ‘Guardian of the Cause of God’)

Valiyu’llah Valíyu’lláh Pers. “Friend of God”

Valiyyih Válíyyih daughter of Fatḥ-‘Alí Sháh (MF)

Vara’ Vara’ (abstinence, mystical station of abstinence from unworthy tendencies)

Varaqat Varaqat, pl. Varaqát Bahá’u’lláh has referred to His female descendants as Varaqát (“Leaves”)

Varaqatu’l-’Ulya Varaqatu’l-‘Ulyá (also Varaqiy-i-‘Ulyá) “the Most Exalted Leaf”. Applied to Greatest Holy Leaf.

Varaqatu’r-Ridvan Varaqatu’r-Riḍván

Varaqih Varaqih Pers. (leaf, feminine designation used by Bahá’u’lláh for His next of kin)

Varjavandi Varjávandí

Varqa Varqá Pers. dove (Ar. Ḥamám). Mírzá ‘Alí-Muḥammad-i-Varqá: Sons were Rúḥu’lláh, ‘Azízu’lláh, Valíyu’lláh and Badí‘u’lláh.

Vaskas, Vas-Kas Váskas, Vás-Kas village, Mazandaran Province, Iran

Vazir, Wazir Vazír or Vizír, Ar. Wazír (Minister, vizier of the government) From ‘vazara’ (to carry a heavy burden).

Vazir-i-Mukaram Vazír-i-Mukaram (Vazír Mokarram of Iṣfahán) “generous minister”.

Vazir-i-Yalrudi Vazír-i-Yálrúdí

Vazir-Nizam Vazír-Niẓám

Visi Pasha Vísí Páshá