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 Dirat al-Marif-i Buzurg-i Islm, 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 Shii 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 Shii Islam, the Persian contributions to Islamic civilisation, and the spiritual dimensions of the Islamic tradition.
This volume of Encyclopaedia Islamica, covering abb al-Ajam to al-uwayz, contains a range of articles of an original and analytically significant nature, with special attention given to Shiism and Sufism. There are biographies of seminal figures in Islamic history, including the Prophets grandsons, Imams al-asan and al-usayn, as well as the great Persian lyric poet, fi; the Ithnashar scholar, al-Allma al-ill; the founder of the Nizr Ismaili state in Persia, asan-i abb; and arguably the most renowned mystic in the entire history of Sufism, usayn b. Manr al-allj. Regarding the esoteric traditions, there are also articles on Hujwr, author of Kashf al-majb, the first Sufi manual in Persian; the early ascetic, al-asan al-Bar; the sage of Herat, Khwjah Abd Allh Anr Haraw; and the Malay Sufi master, amza Fanr. Core Islamic disciplines are also addressed, including the foundations of Islamic history, scholarship, religious practice and theology, in articles on subjects such as adth, awza Ilmiyya, ajj, aqqa, and ayra. As with previous volumes, the articles demonstrate above all the richness of the Shii traditions in Islam.
