SECULARISM. The term secularism signifies that which is not religious. It is rooted in the Latin world saeculum, which initially meant “age” or “generations” in the sense of temporal time. It later became associated with matters of this world, as distinct from those of the spirit directed toward attainment of paradise. The French word laicite
Read More
SECLUSION. The practice of confining women to the exclusive company of other women in their own home or in separate female living quarters is one mechanism among others-including modest dress, veiling, self-effacing mannerisms, and the separation of men and women in public places-that are employed to undergird sexual morality in Middle Eastern Muslim societies. The
Read More
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 through extensive translations. The real emergence of modern science and crystallization of the scientific method, however, occurred in the massive revolution that began in sixteenthcentury Europe and left in its
Read More
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 son of Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah, sayyid literally means lord, master, prince, or one who possesses glory, honor, dignity, eminence, or exalted position among his people. It was commonly used by
Read More
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. The Islamic fasts reflect Jewish, Christian, and pre-Islamic Arabian influences, although the precise contribution of each of these traditions remains a subject of controversy. An obligatory collective fast occupies the
Read More
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 descendants under a monarchy form of government. The population holding Saudi citizenship, who are all Muslim, were estimated by the Saudi government in 1990 to be nearly 15 million, projected
Read More
SA’UD, ABD AL-AZIZ IBN ABD ALRAHMAN AL (15 January 1875(1880) – 9 November 1953), founder of the present Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its first ruler. His father was the youngest of the three sons of the renowned Imam Faysal. A self-defeating family feud enabled the rival Al Rashid of Hail to extinguish the second Saudi
Read More
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 word is used as a generic, it refers to a class of jinn with exceptional powers; this is the case in stories about Solomon, who uses jinn and satans to
Read More
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 Islam, a primarily commercial Muslim organization initially formed to oppose Chinese competition in the batik industry. Organizational difficulties and intraparty divisions led to the demise of the original association, and
Read More
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 social aims. In its Meccan phase, the Qur’dn associates salat with recitation, tasbih (divine praise), zakat (almsgiving), and sabr (patience). The Qur’dn commands the believers to, “Establish regular prayers at
Read More
