SCIENCE

SCIENCE. Between the ninth and thirteenth centuries Islamic civilization made major original contributions to the development of premodern science and transmitted Greek learning to Europe […]

SAYYID

SAYYID. An honorific title popularly used for the descendants of the prophet Muhammad, especially those who descend from his second grandson, Husayn ibn `Al’i, the […]

SAWM

SAWM Sawm (صوم) or siyam صيام In Islam numerous fasts (sawm, also siyam) are urged on the believer; the Islamic religion is permeated by the piety of fasting. […]

SAUDI ARABIA

SAUDI ARABIA. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was formally proclaimed in 1932 by `Abd al-`Aziz ibn `Abd al-Rahman Al Sa’ud and is ruled by his […]

SATAN

SATAN. The name rendered “Satan” (Ar., shaytan) is derived from the Hebrew word for “adversary.” It has several meanings in the Islamic traditions. When the […]

SAREKAT ISLAM

SAREKAT ISLAM. Indonesia’s first mass political party, Sarekat Islam at one time claimed more than one million adherents. It was the successor to Sarekat Dagang […]

SALAT

SALAT. The Qur’anic meaning of salat can be distilled from a number of verses that describe the characteristic features of worship and its ethical and […]

SALAFIYAH

SALAFIYAH. A reform movement founded by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Muhammad `Abduh at the turn of the twentieth century, the Salafiyah has religious, cultural, social, […]

SAINTHOOD

SAINTHOOD. The words “saint” and “sainthood” are used cross-culturally to describe persons of exceptional spiritual merit and the status attained by such persons. These terms […]