Terminology only. This is not legal advice and not expert evidence on Islamic law. The terms describe religious and legal concepts as they are used in the country concerned; their legal effect in England and Wales is a matter for the court.
| English | العربية |
|---|---|
| A | |
| Adoption (tabanni)tabanniCreates a parent–child relationship and lineage. Not the same as kafala. Render the term; do not explain the law. | التبنّي |
| Annulment, judicial dissolution (faskh)faskhEnds the marriage contract. Not talaq. | فسخ النكاح |
| Arbitrators, the two (hakamayn)hakamaynOne from each family, appointed to try to reconcile spouses in a dispute (shiqaq). | الحَكَمان |
| Arranged marriageDistinct from forced marriage. Do not use the same Arabic wording for both. | الزواج المرتَّب |
| B | |
| Betrothal, engagement (khitba)khitbaA promise to marry. It is not a marriage contract. | الخِطبة |
| C | |
| Child custody, physical care (hadana)hadanaDay-to-day care of a young child. Not the same as guardianship (wilaya). | الحضانة |
| Child maintenancenafaqat al-awlad | نفقة الأولاد |
| Consolatory payment on divorce (mut‘at al-talaq)mut‘at al-talaqA payment to the divorced wife. Not temporary marriage (zawaj al-mut‘a). | متعة الطلاق |
| ConsummationdukhulRender neutrally and accurately. Do not soften it or add euphemism. | الدخول (بالزوجة) |
| Contact, visitation (ru’ya)ru’yaScope varies by country. Render the term the speaker uses. | الرؤية |
| Contract of marriage (‘aqd)‘aqd al-zawaj / ‘aqd al-nikah‘Aqd means contract and is also used for the certificate. Check which document is meant. | عقد الزواج / عقد النكاح |
| Customary, unregistered marriage (zawaj ‘urfi)zawaj ‘urfiA marriage contract not registered with the authorities. Not a “common-law marriage”. | الزواج العرفي |
| D | |
| Deferred dower (mu’akhkhar)mu’akhkharThe part of the dower payable later. Keep the amount and currency as spoken. | المؤخَّر (مؤخَّر الصداق) |
| Delegated right of divorce (‘isma, tafwid)‘isma / tafwidThe right to pronounce talaq delegated to the wife, often written into the contract. | العصمة / تفويض الطلاق |
| Discord between spouses (shiqaq)shiqaqA ground for judicial intervention in some countries. | الشقاق |
| Dissolution for harm (darar)tatliq lil-dararRender “harm” literally. Scope varies by country. | التطليق للضرر |
| Divorce, approved and disapproved forms (talaq al-sunna, talaq al-bid‘a)talaq al-sunna / talaq al-bid‘aDescribes how and when talaq was pronounced. Render both terms literally and leave the classification to the court. | طلاق السنّة / طلاق البدعة |
| Divorce by mutual agreement (mubara’a)mubara’aSpouses agree to separate and release each other’s claims. Compare khul‘. | المبارأة |
| Divorce, irrevocable (talaq ba’in)talaq ba’inThe husband cannot take the wife back without a new contract. Not the English “final order”. | الطلاق البائن |
| Divorce, judicial (tatliq)tatliqDivorce ordered by a judge, usually on the wife’s petition. | التطليق (القضائي) |
| Divorce, revocable (talaq raj‘i)talaq raj‘iThe husband may take the wife back during the iddah (raj‘a). | الطلاق الرجعي |
| Divorce, triple (al-talaq al-thalath)al-talaq al-thalathKeep as spoken: once, three times, or in one sitting. Do not shorten to “divorced”. | الطلاق الثلاث |
| Dower (mahr, sadaq)mahr / sadaqGiven by the groom to the bride. Not a “dowry”. | المهر / الصداق |
| Dower, prompt (muqaddam)muqaddamThe part of the dower paid at or before the marriage. | المقدَّم (مقدَّم الصداق) |
| Dower, proper (mahr al-mithl)mahr al-mithlSet by comparison with similar women when no amount was agreed. | مهر المثل |
| E | |
| Engagement gifts (shabka)shabkaJewellery given by the groom at engagement. Not the dower unless the speaker says so. | الشبكة |
| Equality of status in marriage (kafa’a)kafa’aIts weight differs between schools of law and between countries. | الكفاءة (في الزواج) |
| Estate of a deceased person (tarika)tarika | التركة |
| Expiation (kaffara)kaffaraAn act of atonement, for example after zihar. | الكفّارة |
| F | |
| FatwafatwaA religious opinion, not a court judgment. | الفتوى |
| Fixed inheritance shares (fara’id)fara’id | الفرائض |
| Forced marriageA marriage without free consent. Do not confuse with arranged marriage. | الزواج القسري (الإكراه على الزواج) |
| G | |
| Guardian of the bride (wali)waliThe marriage guardian, usually a male relative. Not a children’s guardian in English proceedings. | الوليّ (في الزواج) |
| Guardianship (wilaya)wilayaLegal authority over a person or property. Not the same as hadana. | الولاية |
| H | |
| Heirwarith | الوارث |
| I | |
| Iddah, waiting period after divorce‘iddat al-talaqThe waiting period before the wife may remarry. Its length depends on the cause. Do not supply a figure. | عدّة الطلاق |
| Iddah, waiting period after the husband’s death‘iddat al-wafat | عدّة الوفاة |
| Inheritancemirath | الميراث (الإرث) |
| Interim maintenanceal-nafaqa al-mu’aqqata | النفقة المؤقتة |
| J | |
| Judge (qadi)qadi | القاضي |
| Judgment in absentiahukm ghiyabi | الحكم الغيابي |
| Judicial separation (tafriq qada’i)tafriq qada’i | التفريق القضائي |
| K | |
| Kafala (care of an orphan or foundling)kafalaCare of a child without creating lineage. Not adoption. In Gulf usage kafala also means employer sponsorship. | الكفالة |
| Khul‘ (divorce at the wife’s request)khul‘The wife obtains a divorce by returning or waiving financial rights. Not talaq. | الخُلع |
| L | |
| Li‘an (sworn exchange between spouses)li‘anA formal oath procedure after an accusation of adultery or a denial of paternity. Render precisely. | اللعان |
| Lineage, paternity (nasab)nasab | النسب |
| M | |
| Maintenance during iddahnafaqat al-‘idda | نفقة العدّة |
| Maintenance (nafaqa)nafaqaScope varies by country and usually includes food, clothing and housing. Check what is claimed. | النفقة |
| Marriage by proxyzawaj bil-wakala | الزواج بالوكالة |
| Marriage ceremony, signing of the contract (‘aqd al-qiran, katb al-kitab)‘aqd al-qiran / katb al-kitab | عقد القِران / كتب الكتاب |
| Marriage certificatewathiqat al-zawaj / qasimat al-zawajSee ‘aqd. Check whether the contract or the certificate is meant. | وثيقة الزواج / قسيمة الزواج |
| Marriage conditions written into the contract (shurut)shurut | الشروط في عقد الزواج |
| Marriage, invalid or irregular (zawaj fasid)zawaj fasidSchools of law distinguish it from void marriage (batil). Render the term as spoken. | الزواج الفاسد |
| Marriage, misyarzawaj al-misyarA marriage in which the wife waives some rights, such as housing or maintenance. Known in Gulf usage. | زواج المسيار |
| Marriage (nikah, zawaj)nikah / zawajNikah is the marriage contract. The word alone does not say whether a civil ceremony or registration also took place. | النكاح / الزواج |
| Marriage officiant (ma’dhun)ma’dhunAuthorised to conduct and record marriage contracts in some countries. | المأذون |
| Marriage, polygamous (ta‘addud al-zawjat)ta‘addud al-zawjat | تعدد الزوجات |
| Marriage registrationtawthiq al-zawaj | توثيق الزواج |
| Marriage, temporary (zawaj al-mut‘a)zawaj al-mut‘aRecognised in Twelver Shi‘a law, not in Sunni law. Not the same as mut‘at al-talaq. | زواج المتعة |
| Marriage, void (zawaj batil)zawaj batil | الزواج الباطل |
| Missing spouse (mafqud)mafqudA spouse whose whereabouts are unknown. Not simply “absent”. | المفقود |
| MuftimuftiGives fatwas. Not a judge. | المفتي |
| N | |
| Nushuz (marital discord)nushuzIts range of meaning is contested. Keep the speaker’s word and flag it rather than choosing a gloss. | النشوز |
| O | |
| Overnight contact (istidafa)istidafaScope varies by country. | الاستضافة |
| P | |
| Personal status courtmahkamat al-ahwal al-shakhsiyya | محكمة الأحوال الشخصية |
| Personal status lawqanun al-ahwal al-shakhsiyyaThe family law of many Arab countries. | قانون الأحوال الشخصية |
| Petition, claim (da‘wa)da‘wa | الدعوى |
| R | |
| Reconciliation (sulh)sulh | الصلح |
| Revocation of talaq (raj‘a)raj‘aTaking the wife back during the iddah of a revocable talaq. | الرجعة |
| S | |
| Sharia council (England and Wales)A community body that gives religious opinions, including religious divorces. Not part of the court system. Do not render it as “court”. | الهيئة الشرعية / المجلس الشرعي |
| Sharia courtmahkama shar‘iyyaA state court applying personal status law in some countries. Not the same as a sharia council. | المحكمة الشرعية |
| T | |
| Talaq (divorce pronounced by the husband)talaqKeep the exact words used and how many times. Not the same as khul‘, tatliq or faskh. | الطلاق |
| W | |
| Wakala (agency, power of attorney)wakala | الوكالة |
| Wife’s maintenance (nafaqat al-zawja)nafaqat al-zawja | نفقة الزوجة |
| Will (wasiyya)wasiyya | الوصيّة |
| Witnesses to the marriage contractshahida al-‘aqdArabic dual form: two witnesses. | شاهدا العقد |
| Z | |
| Zihar (likening the wife to a forbidden relative)ziharA husband’s declaration. Followed by expiation (kaffara) in classical law. | الظهار |
Interpreter’s watch-list
English and Arabic words that change meaning in this setting. Check before rendering.
| dowry | In English it often means a payment from the bride’s family. Mahr (المهر / الصداق) is paid by the groom to the bride. The bride’s household goods (الجهاز) are a different thing. |
| divorce | Talaq, khul‘, tatliq, mubara’a and faskh work differently. If the speaker says only طلاق, render it as such and do not add a mechanism. If they name one, keep it. |
| “I divorced her” / “he divorced me” | Keep the speaker’s exact words, the verb used and how many times. Do not decide whether a valid talaq took place. That is for the court. |
| custody | Hadana (day-to-day care) and wilaya (guardianship) are different. Current English proceedings speak of child arrangements, not custody. Confirm which is meant before rendering. |
| guardian | Wali (marriage guardian), guardian of a child’s property, and a children’s guardian in English proceedings are three different roles. Render the role, not just the word. |
| adoption / kafala | Kafala is care of a child without lineage and is not adoption (tabanni). In the Gulf it can also mean employer sponsorship. Check the context. |
| mut‘a | Two things share the name: temporary marriage (زواج المتعة) and the consolatory payment on divorce (متعة الطلاق). Do not merge them. |
| marriage, nikah | Nikah is the contract. It does not say whether the marriage was registered or whether a civil ceremony took place. Do not fill the gap. |
| ‘aqd | It means contract and is also used for the certificate. Check which document is meant. |
| iddah | The waiting period depends on the cause (divorce, death, pregnancy). Do not supply a length unless the speaker does. |
| sharia council / sharia court | A sharia council in England and Wales is a community body, not a court. A sharia court in some countries is a state court. Keep the two apart. |
| fatwa | A religious opinion given by a mufti. It is not a court judgment. |
| forced / arranged marriage | These are different and must not share one Arabic wording. Keep the speaker’s own word. |
| Hijri dates | Marriage and divorce dates are often given in the Hijri calendar. Do not convert them on the spot. See the briefing on Hijri and Gregorian dates. |
| amounts and currency | Mahr is often stated in dinars, riyals, dirhams or gold. Keep the currency as spoken and do not convert. |
| spelling and pronunciation | In Yemeni and Gulf speech ق is often pronounced like g, so talaq can sound like “talag”. Messages in Latin letters (“Arabizi”) spell the same word several ways, for example talaq, tlag or 6alaq. Check the Arabic original before relying on a transcript. |
UK family court terms often confused with these
Renderings follow the court glossary on this site. Check that the English term, not the Arabic concept, is what the document uses.
| English | العربية | Note |
|---|---|---|
| conditional order | الأمر المشروط (بالطلاق) | Formerly “decree nisi”. |
| final order | الأمر النهائي (بالطلاق) | Formerly “decree absolute”. Not «طلاق بائن». |
| child arrangements order | أمر ترتيبات الطفل (الإقامة والتواصل) | Replaces “custody” and “access”. Compare hadana, wilaya and ru’ya, which are not exact equivalents. |
| parental responsibility | المسؤولية الأبوية | An English legal status. Not identical to wilaya or hadana. |
| financial remedy | التسوية المالية | Separate from mahr and nafaqa. |
| adoption order | أمر التبنّي | Legal transfer of parenthood. It differs from kafala (الكفالة). |
| special guardianship order | أمر الوصاية الخاصة | Compare kafala. Not identical. |
| forced marriage protection order | أمر الحماية من الزواج القسري |
Published October 2026. Terms are reviewed as practice develops; if a term is missing, tell me and I will consider adding it.
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Get in touchReference glossary for professional use. Arabic equivalents are Modern Standard Arabic; a speaker’s own dialect and register may differ, and the rendering may vary with context and country. Check against current official sources before an assignment. Language services only; not legal advice.