Islamic Studies: Dictionaries & encyclopedias

Designed for general readers with little to no knowledge of Islam. This resource provides over 2000 authoritative entries that focus primarily on the religion of Islam and its impact on history, politics, and society of the 19th and 20th centuries. There are entries on topics of current interest such as terrorism and the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, the PLO and HAMAS. Coverage also includes biographical profiles, major political movements, militant groups, religious sects; terms from Islamic law, culture and religion; key historical events, and important landmarks. A series of entries look at Islam in individual nations, and there are discussions of Islamic views on contemporary issues. Available online and in print.

This authoritative resource contains articles on important figures in the Islamic world, as well as articles on the political institutions, tribes, dynasties, crafts and sciences, geography, and ethnography. Also discusses history, topography, and monuments of major towns and cities. Text encompasses the old Arab-Islamic Empire,countries of central Asia, the Indian sub-continent, the Ottoman Empire, and other countries where Islam is the predominant religion. Comprehensive resource that is available online and in print.

A revised and expanded edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam. Covers content of previous editions and includes more nations. This resource covers the religious, historical, political, cultural, social, and artistic aspects of the Islamic world. The new scope also includes comprehensive coverage of Islam in the 20th century, attention to Muslim minorities in the world, and incorporates both social sciences and humanistic perspectives. Available online and in print.

An annotated bibliography on topics in Islamic Studies, including history (various caliphates, the impact of European imperialism, and the Iranian Revolution); material culture of Islamic societies (architecture, music, archaeology); historical and public figures; Islamic religion (shari'ah law, comparative religions, the global spread of Islam, theology); and more.

This encyclopedia is a basic reference resource intended for high school and college students, as well as general readers. It consists of four volumes that provide articles about the politics, economics, history, religion, sociology, geographic, literature, fine arts, and other aspects of the Middle East and North Africa, with approximately one-third of the entries devoted to biographies. It also provides in-depth coverage of over twenty countries where Islam is the predominant religion that is practiced.

This online encyclopedia is a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive reference work and research tool designed to record the facts of Iranian history and civilization. Topics covered include Iranian civilization, land, life, history, and culture. This resource emphasizes Near Eastern, Indian, and Greco-Roman relations with Iran, the Indo-Muslim culture of the subcontinent, Caucasian and Central Asian civilizations, Shi'ite studies, and Iranian ethnography and folklore. This resource also includes other aspects of Iranian culture, including languages and literature.

Find recommended reading on Islam in regions throughout the world, including the Horn of Africa, Africa in general, Iran, Europe, South and Southeast Asia, and Central Asia.

Aimed at readers from a broad range of humanistic and social science disciplines, this comprehensive resource consists of five volumes. Includes articles that address key figures, concepts, places, values, actions, and events found within the Qur'an. This resource also features essay-length discussions of topics within the field of Qur'anic studies, such as art, architecture, and technology.

Targeted towards readers seeking basic information about the Qur'an. This resource requires no previous knowledge of the Qur'an or Islam. A good introductory text that presents entries on the most important concepts and figures in the Qur'an, as well as several interpretations from prominent thinkers. Consists of both essay-length entries on substantial topics and brief explanations of relevant terms.

Dictionary of vocabulary used in the Qur'an with a complete translation of all words that includes commentary and marginalia. Each entry provides definitions within a variety of contexts. This dictionary is arranged by root--for each root, the entire semantic range is given, along with a frequency count of each form belonging to the root.

Most of the major traditions of the canonical collections (also known as the Six Books) are presented in this resource. These traditions were selected on the basis of an identification of their originators. This resource is organized alphabetically according to the originators (Muhammad's companions who transmitted one or more hadiths from him).

The continent of Africa offers a complex and challenging setting for the study of Islamic law. Today, this continent contains some of the most predominantly Muslim states in the world, some where Muslims are a small minority, and some where there are substantial populations of both Muslims and Christians. Since the arrival of Islam in Africa in the 7th century, there have been many changes shaping how Islamic law is applied. Islamic law has affected not only relations within Muslim communities, but also the relations of Muslims with non-Muslims. Islamic law has provided a basis for conflict and efforts at subjugation of non-Muslims as slaves or concubines, but it has also offered a framework for negotiation, peaceful interaction, and conflict resolution. While the best-known aspect of Islamic law lies in the area of family matters, Islamic legists have played an important role in developing jurisprudence dealing with such areas as water rights, commercial relations, medical practice, and cultural expression. The application of Islamic law was at times restricted by colonial rule from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century. Starting in the 1980s, there have been efforts to restore the authority of Islamic courts over a wider domain of law, notably in Sudan and South Sudan, and in Nigeria.

Geared towards the non-specialist, this resource provides entries on several different aspects of medieval Islamic civilization. Included themes are daily life, ethnic and religious communities of the Islamic world; popular culture and religion, cultural, political, and economic contacts with Europe and Asia. Also includes portraits of the artistic, intellectual, literary, medical, and scientific achievements of Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others groups of this time period.Covers from the 7th to the early 18th century.

The New Cambridge History of Islam offers a comprehensive history of Islamic civilization, tracing its development from its beginnings in seventh-century Arabia to its wide and varied presence in the globalised world of today and focusing on the cultural, social and religious diversity of the peoples of the Muslim world.
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Based on a 34-volume Dictionary of Art, first published in 1996 by Oxford University Press, this volume features art and architecture produced in southern Europe, northern Africa and west, central, and south Asia between the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE to the present. This resource contains over ,1600 articles on subject areas such as artists, rulers, writers, dynasties, architecture, ceramics, sculpture, metalwork, painting, calligraphy and textiles. It also presents articles covering specific geographical areas.

This resource covers a comprehensive range of Islamic architecture throughout the world. It provides site descriptions of buildings and remains as well as detailed dynastic and regional overviews that address the historical and cultural context in which the styles and techniques evolved. It also provides overviews of architecture in major Islamic cities. This dictionary also contains biographical entries and frequently used terms. Also included are site plans, maps, and photographs. Available in print and online.

An excellent resource covering Islamic art and architecture. This website covers a wide range of visual arts, including painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic and decorative arts. It also covers photography from pre-history to the 1990s. Global coverage provides detailed analyses of the arts of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and more. In addition, this resource addresses influences on the production of art including trade, geography, history, and politics, helping to place art in a broeader context. As well, this resource provides entries on important figures in the art world. The online version provides the capability to search 23,000 subject entries, 21,000 biographies, 500,000 bibliographic citations, 40,000 image links and 5,000 images contained within Grove Art Online itself. The text of the Dictionary of Art and the 500,000 bibliographical references are also updated regularly.

Comprehensive guide that surveys several aspects of the lives of women in the civilizations and societies in which Islam has played a historic role. Examines regions from the period just before the rise of Islam to the present. Subtopics include society, economy, politics, religion, the arts, popular culture, sports, health, science, medicine, and the environment. The encyclopedia is divided into two sections: Volume 1 consists of thematic entries on methodologies and sources in specific historical periods and regions, as well as entries on paradigms and approaches used by academic disciplines that study women or Islam. The second section, volumes 2-5, consists of articles arranged alphabetically by topic. Some of the topics include: Methodologies, paradigms, and sources; Family, law, and politics; Family, body, sexuality, and health; Economics, education, mobility, and space; Practices, interpretations, and representations.

This three-volume interdisciplinary collection draws together articles about the diversity of issues pertinent to women's lives and Islam. In addition to scholarly articles, this collection also contains case studies from the Middle East and other Islamic societies, thereby establishing connections between theories and concepts, and actual practice and reality. The three volumes are arranged topically, and address issues such as the historical background of women's rights, traditional Islamic law, women's sexuality and sexual politics, education, health, women's movement in Islam, women's rights in relation to fundamentalism, and women's contribution to Islamic literature.

The status and treatment of non-Muslim minorities in Muslim societies have varied over time and space. A contract of protection (dhimmah) guaranteed life, body, property, freedom of movement, and religious practice in return for submission to Muslim rule. Practice, however, was closely conditioned by economic and political circumstances and did not always conform to the law; there are historical instances of discrimination against non-Muslims, although these are considered deviations from orthopraxy. In the modern world, some reformers call for re-imposition of traditional dhimmi regulations; others call for full legal and political equality between Muslims and non-Muslims.

In the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World.