The search engine supports limiting search criteria as well as modifying query terms to provide a wide range of searching options. (the engine is powered by Lucene)

1. 1. Limiting criteria
2. 2. Query
3. 3. Search Types and Term Modifiers
   1. 3.1 Wildcard
   2. 3.2 Fuzzy Searches
   3. 3.3 Proximity Searches
   4. 3.4 Boosting a Term
   5. 3.5 Boolean Operators
      1. 3.5.1 OR (Default)
      2. 3.5.2 AND
      3. 3.5.3 Must (+)
      4. 3.5.4 Must not (-)
      5. 3.5.5 NOT
      6. 3.5.6 Grouping
      7. 3.5.7 Escaping Special Characters

 1. Limiting criteria

Search criteria can be specified to narrow search areas. These criteria can also be saved.

• search the Quran exclusively
• search the Ahadith exclusively
• search only within specified language(s)
• search only within specified Tafseer(s)
• search only within specified Transliteration(s)
• search only within specified Interpretation(s)
• search only within specified Hadith(s) books

 2. Query

A query is broken up into terms and operators.

• A Single Term is a single word such as "Allah" or "Messenger".
• A Phrase is a group of words surrounded by double quotes such as "The last Messenger and Prophet".
• Multiple terms or phrase can be combined together using operators to form a more complex query.

 3. Search Types and Term Modifiers

 3.1 Wildcard

The search engine supports single and multiple character wildcard searches.

• To perform a single character wildcard search; use the "?" symbol.
  • For example the term "te?t" matches the words "test" and "tent"
  • Similarly the term "praise?" will match the words "praised" and "praises"
• To perform a multiple character wildcard search; use the "*" symbol.
  • The term "prais*" matches the words, "praised", "praises" , "praise" and "praiseworthy"
  • Similarly the term "know*" will match matches "know", "knower", "knowest", "knoweth", "knowing", "knowingly", "knowledge", "knowledgeable", "known" and "knows"

 3.2 Fuzzy Searches

This is an approximation of spelling, i.e, produce terms with similar spellings. To do a fuzzy search use the tilde, "~", symbol at the end of a Single word Term.

• For example the term "this~" will return result items with words like "his", "thus", and/or "thin"

An optional parameter can specify the required similarity. The value is between 0 and 1, with a value closer to 1 only terms with a higher similarity will be matched. For example:

• The above example with optional parameter" this~0.7" will return result items with words like "thus", and/or "thin"

 3.3 Proximity Searches

When the symbol "~" is added to the end of a Phrase, it specifies the distance between the words of the phrase within the item.

• For example "Allah peace"~2 will return result items containing both "Allah" and "peace" within 2 words of each other within an item

 3.4 Boosting a Term

The search engine allows for terms more relevant than others in a phrase.
To boost a term use the caret, "^", symbol with a boost factor (a number) at the end of the term you are searching. The higher the boost factor, the more relevant the term will be.

• For example "Allah peace" "Allah Beneficent"^8 will return result items containing both phrases but "Allah Beneficent" will be more more relevant

 3.5 Boolean Operators

 3.5.1 OR (Default)

OR is the default operator, it matches any of the terms to exist anywhere in the text of a single item.

• For example the term "Messenger Prophet" returns results containing either both or one of "Messenger" and "Prophet".

 3.5.2 AND

The AND operator matches all terms, all terms need to exist anywhere within the item.
The symbol && can be used in place of the word AND.

• For example; the term "Messenger AND Prophet", or "Messenger && Prophet" returns result containing both "Messenger" and "Prophet".

 3.5.3 Must (+)

The "+" operator returns results containing the term after the "+" symbol, the term must exist somewhere within the text of the item.

• For example; the term "+Messenger Prophet" returns results containing "Messenger" and may or may not contain "Prophet".

 3.5.4 Must not (-)

The "-" operator returns results not containing the term after the "-", the term may not exist anywhere within the text of a the item.

• For example; the term "Messenger -Prophet" returns results containing "Messenger" and not contain "Prophet".

 3.5.5 NOT

The "NOT" operator excludes items that contain the term after "NOT" from the result.
The symbol "!" can be used in place of the word "NOT".

• For example; the term "Messenger !Prophet" returns results containing "Messenger" and not "Prophet".

 3.5.6 Grouping

Parentheses "()" are used to group clauses to form sub queries.

• For example; the term "(Messenger OR Prophet) AND M?hamm?d" returns results containing "Muhammad" or "Mohammed" and either or both of "Messenger" and "Prophet".

 3.5.7 Escaping Special Characters

The following special characters are part of the query syntax;
+ - && || ! ( ) { } [ ] ^ " ~ * ? : \
and can be escaped using the "\" character before the desired character.