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幣irat al-Ma平rif-i Buzurg-i Islm朝, 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平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平i Islam, the Persian contributions to Islamic civilisation, and the spiritual dimensions of the Islamic tradition.
This volume of Encyclopaedia Islamica, covering 畍ab朝b al-平Ajam朝 to al-畍uwayz朝, contains a range of articles of an original and analytically significant nature, with special attention given to Shi平ism and Sufism. There are biographies of seminal figures in Islamic history, including the Prophets grandsons, Imams al-畍asan and al-畍usayn, as well as the great Persian lyric poet, 畍つfi畉; the Ithn平ashar朝 scholar, al-平Allma al-畍ill朝; the founder of the Nizr朝 Ismaili state in Persia, 畍asan-i 畊abb畍; and arguably the most renowned mystic in the entire history of Sufism, 畍usayn b. Man畊Ｅr al-畍allj. Regarding the esoteric traditions, there are also articles on Hujw朝r朝, author of Kashf al-ma畍j笛b, the first Sufi manual in Persian; the early ascetic, al-畍asan al-Ba畊r朝; the sage of Herat, Khwjah 平Abd Allh An畊Ｄr朝 Haraw朝; and the Malay Sufi master, 畍amza Fan畊Ｅr朝. Core Islamic disciplines are also addressed, including the foundations of Islamic history, scholarship, religious practice and theology, in articles on subjects such as 畍a糸朝岳鞄, 畍awza 平Ilmiyya, 畍a逮逮, 畍a援朝援温, and 畍a霞姻温. As with previous volumes, the articles demonstrate above all the richness of the Shi平i traditions in Islam.
Clearly the editors of ISLA have selected articles they consider will augment the existing reference sources and they have completed this selection task with acumen and skill. The work as a whole remains, however, a specialist encyclopaedia […] – 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.
Robert Gleave, Journal of the American Oriental Society
[The] publication of Encyclopaedia Islamica is a notable step forward in including the Shia viewpoint in scholarship on Islam.
Mousa al-Reza Wahdati, Journal of Shia Islamic Studies
Printed 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.
Yashab Tur, Islamic Sciences