SON. Arabic ibn (ابن), pl. banū; Heb. בֵּן bēn; walad (ولد), pl. aulād; Heb. וָלָד wālād. The evidence of a son in favour of his parents in a court of law is not admissible. A son cannot be the slave of his father. A father can slay his son without punishment being inflicted upon him for the murder.
According to the law of inheritance of both Sunnī and Shīʿah, when there are several sons they divide the property of their deceased father equally, the eldest son being according to Shīʿah law, entitled to take possession of his father’s sabre, Qurʾān, signet-ring, and robes of honour. (Personal Law, by Syed Ameer Ali, p. 74.)
For the Muslim doctrine regarding the son-ship of Christ, refer to article [JESUS CHRIST].
SORCERY. [[MAGIC].]
SOUL. There are two words used in the Qurʾān for the soul of man, rūḥ (روح), Heb. רוּחַ rūak͟h, and nafs (نفس), נֶפֶשׁ nephesh; e.g.:—
[Sūrah xvii. 87]: “They will ask thee of the spirit (rūḥ). Say, the spirit proceedeth at my Lord’s command, but of knowledge only a little to you is given.”
[Sūrah iii. 24]: “Each soul (nafs) shall be paid what it has earned.”
Muslim theologians do not distinguish between the rūḥ and nafs, but the philosophers do. Nafs seems to answer the Greek ψυχή, “soul or life,” human beings being distinguished as an-nafsu ʾn-nāt̤iqah, “the soul which speaks”; animals as an-nafsu ʾl-ḥaiwānīyah, “the animal life”; and vegetables as an-nafsu ʾn-nabātīyah; whilst rūḥ expresses the Greek πνεῦμα, “spirit.” Man thus forming a tripartite nature of جسم jism, “body”; نفس nafs, “soul”; and روح rūḥ, “spirit”; an idea which does not find expression in the Qurʾān, but which is expressed in the New Testament, [1 Thess. v. 23]: “And I pray God your whole spirit and soul, and body be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This tripartite nature of man is used by Dr. Pfander, and other controversialists, as an illustration of the Trinity in Unity. [[SPIRIT].]
SPEAKING. [[CONVERSATION].]
SPIDER, The. Arabic al-ʿAnkabūt (العنكبوت). The title of the XXIXth Sūrah of the Qurʾān, in the 40th verse of which is given the parable of the spider: “The likeness for those who take to themselves guardians instead of God is the likeness of the spider who buildeth her a house: But verily, frailest of all houses surely is the house of the spider. Did they but know this!”