A principal scholarly and vernacular language of South Asian Islam, written in the Arabic script.
Urdu, born in the camps and courts of Mughal India, became a principal language of South Asian Islam: of preaching, poetry, Qur'an commentary, and the madrasa curriculum of the Deobandi and Barelvi movements.
Prayers & Creeds in Its Traditions
- Al-Fatiha Islamic — The opening chapter of the Qur'an, recited in every unit of the ritual prayer.
- Dhikr Islamic — The remembrance of God through repeated short formulas of glory, praise, and greatness.
- Du'as Islamic — Personal supplications addressed to God in one's own need, in words from the Qur'an, the Prophet, or the heart.
- Salah Islamic — The ritual prayer performed five times daily, with fixed postures, recitations, and the closing testimony (Tashahhud).
- Shahada Islamic — Islam's testimony of faith: there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
Learning and Reference Resources
- Urdu Islamic literature (see the Libraries page) Free / open access
Provenance
Classification follows Ethnologue; identifiers verified at build time.