The Mirage

Glossary

djinn: Invisible beings, either harmful or helpful, that influence the lives of human beings.

Eid al-Adha: “The Holiday of Sacrifice,” Eid al-Adha is the holiday on which Muslims celebrate the time when God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael and found him willing to obey His command. God ransomed the boy with a ram that appeared miraculously in a nearby bush.

Eid al-Fitr: Literally, “the Holiday of Fast-breaking,” Eid al-Fitr is the three-day holiday that follows the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Fatiha: The Fatiha is the opening sura (chapter) of the Qur’an.

fuul: A dish made of cooked fava beans seasoned with salt and cumin.

al-gadeed: A children’s game of chance.

magzub: Literally, “drawn, captivated, charmed,” a magzub is a Muslim mystic who has been so fully taken up into the presence of the divine that he appears as a madman; he is in the world but not of it.

Munira al-Mahdiya: Born Zakiya Hassan Mansur (1885–1965), Munira al-Mahdiya rose to fame for her musical and theatrical abilities and enjoyed an illustrious singing career that spanned three decades. She founded a coffee shop in the Azbakiya area of Cairo called Nuzhat al-Nufus, which became a meeting place for politicians and men of letters from Egypt, Sudan, and the Levant, who would also meet to discuss their ideas in her home.

Sayyida Zaynab’s shrine: This shrine, housed within a mosque, is devoted to the memory of Sayyida Zaynab, patron saint of Cairo, who was the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad (the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter).

“… that’s Lazughli’s grandson”: Lazughli Pasha was the minister of finance under Muhammad Ali in the late eighteenth century. His real name was Muhammad Laz; the affix ughli, which means “pasha,” was then added as a title of respect. There is a square in Cairo named Lazughli Square, in the center of which stands a statue of Lazughli Pasha.

Throne Verse: Qur’an 2:255, the recitation of which is believed by Muslims to bring protection and peace of mind.

Umm Hashim: “Umm Hashim” is an epithet of Sayyida Zaynab.

Umm Kulthum: Born Umm Kulthum Ebrahim Elbeltagi in 1904 in Egypt, Umm Kulthum was a renowned singer, songwriter, and actress widely known for her exceptional voice and the sustained, powerful emotional connection she would make with her audiences. Her phenomenal vocal strength and the length of her songs may be seen in the fact that, at the height of her career, her concerts would consist of the performance of two or three songs over a period of three to six hours. Umm Kulthum died in Cairo in 1975, and three decades after her death, she is recognized as one of the Arab world’s most distinguished vocal artists.