Words that heal

Twenty words Jews, Christians and Muslims use, and what they mean to the people who say them

Words for God and prayer

Allah: the Arabic word for God, said by Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Shalom / Salām: 'peace', the same root in Hebrew and Arabic; a greeting and a name of God.
Amen / Āmīn: 'so be it', said at the end of prayers in all three faiths.
Hallelujah: Hebrew for 'praise Yah', praise the Lord; sung by Jews and Christians.
Bismillāh: 'in the name of God', said by Muslims before eating, travelling or starting anything.
Alḥamdu lillāh / Baruch HaShem / Thanks be to God: thanks to God, in good times and hard ones.
Inshallah / im yirtzeh HaShem / Deo volente: 'if God wills', about anything in the future.
Mashallah: 'what God has willed', said in admiration of something good.

Words for how to live

Raḥma / Rachamim: mercy. In Arabic and Hebrew it shares a root with the word for 'womb'.
Tzedakah / Ṣadaqa: giving to those in need. Tzedakah also means justice.
Mitzvah: a commandment of God, and, in everyday use, a good deed.
Grace: in Christian teaching, God's love and help given freely, not earned.
Jihad: Arabic for 'striving' in God's way: above all the struggle to do right; also defence, under strict rules. It does not mean 'holy war' against other faiths.
Sharia / Halakha: 'the path' or 'the way to walk': guidance for worship, ethics and law, interpreted by scholars.
Halal / Kosher: what is permitted, especially food, under Islamic and Jewish law.
Sabbath / Shabbat / Jumuʿa: the day set apart: Saturday for Jews, Sunday for most Christians, Friday prayers for Muslims.

Words for each other

People of the Book: the Qur'an's name for Jews and Christians, who received earlier scriptures.
Abrahamic: describes Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which all honour Abraham (peace be upon him).
Pilgrimage: a journey to a holy place: Hajj to Makkah, the Camino to Santiago, festival pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
Neighbour: 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself' (Leviticus 19:18), the verse Jesus (peace be upon him) called the second great commandment.

Each word means most in the mouth of the people who use it: when in doubt, ask. Longer explanations, pronunciation and how each word is misused: whoisallah.org.uk/common/words