IsaacIsaac is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the son of Abraham and Sarah, the father of Jacob and Esau, and the grandfather of the twelve tribes of Israel. Isaac's name means "he will laugh", reflecting the laughter, in disbelief, of Abraham and Sarah, when told by God that they would have a child. He is the only patriarch whose name was not changed, and the only one who did not move out of Canaan.
Politics of Saudi ArabiaThe politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy, along traditional Islamic lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the King, the Council of Ministers, and the country's traditional elites. While some critics and Western columnists have accused the Saudi government of being totalitarian, several political scientists have regarded it as lacking aspects of totalitarianism, instead classifying it as authoritarian.
MidrashMidrash (ˈmɪdrɑːʃ; מִדְרָשׁ; () מִדְרָשִׁים or מִדְרָשׁוֹת midrashot) is expansive Jewish Biblical exegesis using a rabbinic mode of interpretation prominent in the Talmud. The word itself means "textual interpretation", "study", or "exegesis", derived from the root verb (דָּרַשׁ), which means "resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require", forms of which appear frequently in the Hebrew Bible. Midrash and rabbinic readings "discern value in texts, words, and letters, as potential revelatory spaces", writes the Hebrew scholar Wilda Gafney.
Cosmological argumentA cosmological argument, in natural theology, is an argument which claims that the existence of God can be inferred from facts concerning causation, explanation, change, motion, contingency, dependency, or finitude with respect to the universe or some totality of objects. A cosmological argument can also sometimes be referred to as an argument from universal causation, an argument from first cause, the causal argument, or prime mover argument.
ZakatZakat ( زكاة; zaˈkaːt, "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal zaˈkaːt alˈmaːl زكاة المال, "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is next after prayer (salat) in importance. Eight heads of Zakat are mentioned in the Quran. As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a religious duty for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth to help the needy.
SurahA surah (ˈsʊərə; sūrah, سور, ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 surahs in the Quran, each divided into ayats (verses). The chapters or surahs are of unequal length; the shortest surah (Al-Kawthar) has only three verses while the longest (Al-Baqara) contains 286 verses. Of the 114 chapters in the Quran, 86 are classified as Meccan, as they were revealed before the Hijrah, while 28 are Medinan, as they were revealed after.
Islamic holy booksIslamic holy books are certain religious scriptures that are viewed by Muslims as having valid divine significance, in that they were authored by God (Allah) through a variety of prophets and messengers, including those who predate the Quran. Among the group of religious texts considered to be valid revelations, the three that are mentioned by name in the Quran are the Tawrat, received by prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel; the Zabur (Psalms), received by David; and the Gospel, received by Jesus.
