This volume of Encyclopaedia Islamica is the eighth of a projected 16-volume set, largely consisting of an abridged and edited translation of the Persian D膩示irat al-Ma士膩rif-i Buzurg-i Isl膩m墨, one of the most comprehensive sources on Islam and the Muslim world, to which a number of original articles, written specifically for the English edition, have been added. One of the unique features of this work of reference lies in the attention it gives to Shi士i Islam and its rich and diverse heritage, which makes it complementary to other encyclopaedias. In addition to providing entries on important themes, subjects and personages in Islam generally, it offers the Western reader an opportunity to appreciate the various dimensions of Shi士i Islam, the Persian contributions to Islamic civilisation, and the spiritual dimensions of the Islamic tradition.
This volume of Encyclopaedia Islamica, covering 岣b墨b al-士Ajam墨 to al-岣wayz墨, contains a range of articles of an original and analytically significant nature, with special attention given to Shi士ism and Sufism. There are biographies of seminal figures in Islamic history, including the Prophet鈥檚 grandsons, Imams al-岣san and al-岣sayn, as well as the great Persian lyric poet, 岣つ乫i岷; the Ithn膩士ashar墨 scholar, al-士All膩ma al-岣ll墨; the founder of the Niz膩r墨 Ismaili state in Persia, 岣san-i 峁bb膩岣; and arguably the most renowned mystic in the entire history of Sufism, 岣sayn b. Man峁Ｅ玶 al-岣ll膩j. Regarding the esoteric traditions, there are also articles on Hujw墨r墨, author of Kashf al-ma岣奴b, the first Sufi manual in Persian; the early ascetic, al-岣san al-Ba峁墨; the 鈥榮age of Herat鈥, Khw膩jah 士Abd All膩h An峁Ｄ乺墨 Haraw墨; and the Malay Sufi master, 岣mza Fan峁Ｅ玶墨. Core Islamic disciplines are also addressed, including the foundations of Islamic history, scholarship, religious practice and theology, in articles on subjects such as 岣诲墨迟丑, 岣wza 士Ilmiyya, 岣箩箩, 岣辩墨辩补, and 岣测谤补. As with previous volumes, the articles demonstrate above all the richness of the Shi士i traditions in Islam.
鈥楥learly the editors of ISLA have selected articles they consider will augment the existing reference sources 鈥 and they have completed this selection task with acumen and skill. The work as a whole remains, however, a 鈥渟pecialist encyclopaedia鈥 […] – or perhaps more accurately, it is an encyclopaedia for specialists […]. In that sense, it is a valuable addition […] to the reference work available at present. Perhaps its greatest merit is that it brings to an international audience a key example of and an excellent advertisement for high-quality Iranian scholarship which has hitherto been available but known only to a few.鈥
鈥 Robert Gleave, Journal of the American Oriental Society
鈥榌The] publication of Encyclopaedia Islamica is a notable step forward in including the Shi鈥榓 viewpoint in scholarship on Islam.鈥
鈥 Mousa al-Reza Wahdati, Journal of Shi鈥榓 Islamic Studies
鈥楶rinted on coated paper, the five volumes so far published are an impressive achievement both in production as well as in scholarship related to Persian themes.鈥
鈥 Yashab Tur, Islamic Sciences