The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2086 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
7.61Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Sallekhan
.
In Jainism, ritual death by fasting. Through gradual fasting in accordance with detailed prescription and under close supervision of mendicant teachers, Jains can meet their death in a controlled and peaceful manner. Jains insist that this is a noble act, and not common suicide, because the vow to take sallekhan
is made publicly and the consent of the
c
rya
or family must first be given.
Salm
n al-F
r(i)s
(‘the Persian’). Close companion of the Prophet
Mu
ammad
and a central figure of many Muslim legends. ‘Umar appointed him as governor of al-Mad
’in and he is said to have died there during ‘Uthm
n's reign. Salm
n's tomb at al-Mad
’in is a place of pilgrimage for
Shi‘ites
returning from
Karbal
’. According to many
S
f
orders
, Salm
n is a leading mystic and teacher in their
silsilah
(chain of transmission). The
Nu
air
raise him to their trinity of ‘Al
, Mu
ammad, and Salm

Other books

Funny Boy by Selvadurai, Shyam
Sally James by Lord Fordingtons Offer
Life Is Funny by E. R. Frank
Dante's Angel by Laurie Roma
Spy Story by Len Deighton
The Flex of the Thumb by James Bennett
Novahead by Steve Aylett
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
Chronospace by Allen Steele