Word origins

• minaA monetary unit of ancient Greece and the Middle East, originally equivalent to the weight of a mina of silver.
• JamalA male given name from Arabic.
• RiyadhThe capital city of Saudi Arabia.
• FatahA major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
• dirhamA unit of currency used in the Arab world, currently the name of the currency of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
• mascaraA cosmetic used to darken and thicken the eyelashes.
• aminAn arbitrator who assessed and collected revenue in the pargana.
• duraA surname.
• AzimA surname from Arabic.
• asrThe afternoon Islamic prayer.
• jamahiriyaState of the masses; people's republic; the form of the Libyan state ruled by Muammar Gaddafi from 1977-2011, during which time it was known first as the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya then as the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
• salaamA respectful ceremonial greeting used mostly by Muslims.
• baaThe characteristic cry or bleating of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
• TunisA city on the northern coast of Africa
• HasanThe eldest son of Ali and brother of Husayn, both are Imams.
• ursThe anniversary of the death of a Sufi saint, celebrated with music and ritual.
• SharA mountain range in Europe
• aynSynonym of ayin, the various letters representing the consonant /ʕ/ in Semitic languages.
• YusufJoseph, a prophet in Islam.
• IsmailIshmael, the first son of Abraham; traditionally the ancestor of the Arabs and a prophet of Islam.
• hadithAn eyewitness account of a saying or action of Muhammad or sometimes one of his companions not otherwise found in the Quran.
• hennaA shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers.
• HamidA male given name from Arabic used by Muslims.
• SalmanA surname from Arabic.
• hajjThe pilgrimage to Mecca made by pious Muslims; the fifth of the five pillars of Islam.
• FatimaA daughter of the prophet Muhammad, the wife of Ali.
• shamsA surname from Arabic.
• KarimA male given name from Arabic.
• KhalidA male given name from Arabic.
• muscatA white grape variety; used as table grapes and for making raisins and sweet wine.
• SalmaA female given name.
• MustafaA male given name from Arabic used by Muslims.
• YasserA male given name from Arabic.
• SADRThe second brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus
• sharifA traditional Arab tribal title for one who serves as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets.
• LeilaA female given name from Arabic.
• ZaraA female given name.
• AkbarA surname.
• KhartoumThe capital city of Sudan.
• AnwarA male given name from Arabic.
• AdelA female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Adele.
• BarakThe commander of the army of Deborah in the Old Testament.
• SuezA city in northeastern Egypt.
• MubarakA surname.
• RamallahA city in the West Bank, Palestine.
• intifadaAn insurrection; a usually violent attempt to take control of a government.
• ZiaOf or pertaining to the Zia Pueblo people, culture, or the variety of Keres they speak.
• AssadAn Arab surname, notably borne by Syrian presidents Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad.
• FarahA surname from Arabic.
• ShakurA surname from Arabic.
• BahrainiA person from Bahrain or of Bahraini descent.
• issaA member of a Somali clan, mainly residing in Djibouti; it is the larger of the two dominant ethnic groups.
• sabhaa public meeting, assembly, or organized group
• hakimA doctor, usually practicing traditional medicine.
• IqbalA surname from Arabic
• JeddahA port city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia.
• TariqThe 86th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
• AdenA port city, the largest city in Yemen; the former capital of South Yemen.
• habibmate; a term of endearment for a friend
• riyalThe official currency of Qatar, divided into 100 dirhams.
• rifTo lay off from work due to a reduction in force.
• fezA felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone, having a flat top with a tassel attached.
• UmarA surname.
• taaA kind of pagoda in China and Japan.
• deenreligion; religiosity; the way of life of a pious Muslim
• KhalilA male given name from Arabic.
• HezbollahA Lebanese Shi'a Islamist political party and paramilitary group.
• FaisalA surname from Arabic.
• NajafA city in south-central Iraq.
• halalAllowable, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
• NoorA unisex given name from Arabic.
• BashirA male given name from Arabic.
• hamzaA sign used in the written Arabic language representing a glottal stop. Hamza may appear as a stand-alone letter (ء (ʔ)) or most commonly diacritically over or under other letters, e.g. أ (ʔ) (over an alif [ا]), إ (ʔ) (under an alif), ؤ (ʔ) (over a wāw [و]) or ئ (ʔ) (over a dotless yāʾ [ى]). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule – the "seat of hamza rule".
• filsUsed after a proper name that is common to a father and his son to indicate that the son is being referred to rather than the father.
• ImranA male given name from Arabic.
• mandiA traditional style of washing oneself in Indonesia and Malaysia, using a small container to scoop water out of a larger container and pour it over the body.
• saisA groom, or servant with responsibility for the horses.
• ArianaA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• tamerOne who tames or subdues.
• wadiA valley, gully, or stream bed in northern Africa and southwest Asia that remains dry except during the rainy season.
• nadirThe point of the celestial sphere, directly opposite the zenith; inferior pole of the horizon; point of the celestial sphere directly under the place of observation.
• saadThe letter ص in the Arabic script.
• shariaA street in Arabic-speaking countries.
• fatwaA formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority.
• rabatA polishing material made of potter's clay that has failed in baking.
• jaffaA Jaffa orange.
• ribainterest or usury, which is haram (sinful) according to sharia law.
• SabianA member of a group (mentioned in the Qur'an) that is entitled to Muslim religious toleration, along with Jews and Christians. The group's identity is unknown, but they are usually identified with the Mandaeans or the Elkesaites.
• BerberA member of a particular ethnic group indigenous to Western North Africa.
• AishaA female given name from Arabic, most famously borne by Muhammad's third wife. Daughter of first caliph Abu Bakr.
• MahdiA leader who, according to Sunni eschatology, will appear and restore peace and justice before the end of the world.
• ISINThe ancient city in Mesopotamia.
• SinbadA fictional sailor, the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin, who encountered monsters and magic while travelling the seas east of Africa and south of Asia.
• QatariA person from Qatar or of Qatari descent.
• AdnanA male given name from Arabic.
• imanPious adherence to the Islamic faith.
• damanThe rock hyrax.
• AltairThe brightest star in the constellation Aquila; Alpha (α) Aquilae. It is the twelfth brightest star in the sky, and forms one corner of the Summer Triangle.
• hijabA traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women, covering the hair and neck.
• masjidA mosque.