SHARIF. The meanings of the Arabic word sharif (pl., ashraf, shurafd’) include “noble,” “honorable,” “highborn,” and “highbred” (Lisan al-`Arab, p. 2241). In most contexts the […]
Archives
SHARIATI, ALI
SHARIATI, ALI ( 23 November 1933 – 18 June 1977), one of the most important social thinkers of twentieth-century Iran. Shari`ati’s ideas are distinguished more by […]
SHARIAH
SHARIAH: Sharia law, or Islamic law is the religious law forming part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam, […]
SHAME
SHAME. The concept of shame (Ar., hashm; Pers., sharm) is an aspect of social status often paired with honor as contraries of moral evaluation. This […]
SHAHADAH
SHAHADAH. The Islamic witness of faith is, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Apostle of God” (Arabic, la ilaha illa Allah […]
SHAH
SHAH. One of the most common titles used by the dynastic rulers of Iran and the Turko-Persian cultural area, shah (Ar. and Pers., shah) when […]
SHAFI’I
The Shafi’i madhhab is one of the four schools of Islamic law in Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Arab scholar Al-Shafi‘i, a pupil […]
SHADOW OF GOD
SHADOW OF GOD. The ancient Iranians developed an elaborate concept of sacral kingship. Both Achaemenid (559-33 BCE) and Sassanian (224-651 CE) kings were believed to […]
SHADHILIYAH
SHADHILIYAH. Together with the Rifa’iyah, Qadiriyah, and Ahmadiyah, the Shadhiliyah is one of the four oldest tariqahs (Sufi orders) in the Muslim world. It takes […]
SEXUALITY
SEXUALITY. In the Muslim world, sexuality is simultaneously more open and more conservative than in other geographic regions. These contradictory aspects result from a confluence […]