| M'zab: Valley oasis in Algeria with approximately 120,000 inhabitants. |
| Maat: Universal ethical principle of ancient Egyptian religion, denoting 'justice', 'order', 'truth'. |
| Madina: City in Saudi Arabia with 870,000 inhabitants, situated in Hijaz, in western Saudi Arabia. |
| Maghreb: Name of north- western Africa, coming from Arabic word for "the land where the sun sets". |
| Mahfouz, Naguib: Egyptian writer, educated at King Fuad 1 University (now University of Cairo). |
| Maimonides: Jewish philosopher and physician. |
| Manama: Capital of Bahrain with 150,000 inhabitants, situated on the Persian Gulf, north on Bahrain Island. |
| Mandeans: The only surviving Gnostic religion, now with no more than 20,000 adherents. |
| Mani: Founder of religion, now called Manichaeism. |
| Manichaeism: World religion founded by Mani. |
| Mark, Gospel of: Christian text, Gospel that has been included in the New Testament, as the second book. |
| Marlik: Archaeological site in Northern Iran. |
| Marrakech: City in Morocco with 970,000 inhabitants, situated in the interior of middle Morocco. |
| Masada: Ancient fortress and national symbol for Israel. |
| Mashriq: Another word for the Middle East, coming from the Arabic word for "the land where the sun rises." |
| Masinissa: First king of Numidia. |
| Matmata: Village in Tunisia with about 5,000 inhabitants. |
| Matthew, Gospel of: Christian text, gospel included in the New Testament, arranged as the first book. |
| Mauritania: Independent republic, divided into 12 regions and the capital district. |
| Mawlid: Meaning 'birthday' is a celebration of a holy person in Islam. |
| Mecca: City in Saudi Arabia with 1.4 million inhabitants. The most holy city in Islam. |
| Meir, Golda: Israeli politician, prime minister from 1969 to 1974, co-founder of the state of Israel. |
| Meknes: City of Morocco with 680,000 inhabitants, situated in northern Morocco. |
| Memphis: City of ancient Egypt, situated on the west bank of the Nile, 25 km south of today's Cairo. |
| Meshed: City in Iran with 1.9 million inhabitants, at an elevation of 985 metres above sea level. |
| MIA: Algerian political and militant groups. |
| Middle East: Geographical area without clear borders, with its centre in the eastern Mediterranean basin. |
| Mihna: Mu'tazilite inquisition, which represents the final break between cohabitation of religion and state in Islam. |
| Mihrab: Niche in a mosque, indicating the qibla, the direction in which a Muslim shall perform his salat. |
| Minaret: Tower near to, or built into, the structures of a mosque, used to call out the adhan. |
| Minbar: Pulpit in a mosque, placed next to the mihrab. |
| Misyar: Marriage institution in Islam, allowing for a lesser form of relationship between man and woman than normal marriage. |
| Mohammedia: City in Morocco with 80,000 inhabitants, situated on the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Mosque: House of prayer in Islam. |
| Mosque of Hassan II: Mosque outside Casablanca, Morocco, in celebration of the 60th birthday of King Hassan 2 of Morocco. |
| Mostagenem: City in Algeria with 120,000 inhabitants, situated in north-western Algeria. |
| Mount Hermon: Mountain in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, shared between Syria and Lebanon. |
| Mu'tazilis: Theological school inside Islam. |
| Mubarak, Hosni: Egyptian president (1981- ) and military leader. |
| Muezzin: The person calling out for people to come to the mosque to perform salat. |
| Muhammad: The central messenger and prophet in Islam. |
| Muhammad al Baqir: Fifth Imam of the Isma'ili and Twelver traditions of Shi'i Islam. |
| Muhammad al Mahdi: The 12th and last Imam of the Twelver Shi'i, also known as Muhammad al Muntazar. |
| Muhammad at Taqi: The 9th Imam of the Twelver Shi'i. |
| Muhammad V: Sultan of Morocco 1927-57, king 1957-61. |
| Murji'is: Sectarian group in Islam. |
| Musa al Kazim: Seventh Imam of the Twelver Shi'i tradition. |
| Musandem: Peninsula in Oman, separated from the rest of Oman with a distance of about 40 km. |
| Musqat: Capital of Oman with 790,000 inhabitants. |
| Muwahhidun: Movement in Islam from mid-18th century, calling for a renewal of the Muslim spirit. |
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