A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam - Softcover

Newby, Gordon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1851682953 ISBN 13: 9781851682959

Publisher: Oneworld Publications, 2002

Synopsis

Covering everything from Adam to Zakariyyah, this concise reference guide is designed specifically for readers and students who wish to learn more about the world's fastest-growing religion. Fully illustrated, the book contains hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries which give succinct yet authoritative information on everything from the Qur'an and its origins to the role of Islam in the USA. It offers even-handed coverage of the different schools of belief, while featuring photographs, a timeline, and a guide to further reading.

About this title

About the Author

Gordon D. Nerby is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Director of the Institute for Comparative and International Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, USA. He has won several awards and honours for his work on the history of the Middle East, and is the author of several books and numerous articles on this subject.

Reviews

Interest in Islam is at an all-time high, and beginners who seek basic information about this world faith tradition will find an excellent resource in A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam. In short alphabetical entries from the Abbasids to the practice of zakat (almsgiving), Gordon Newby presents fundamental facts about the important concepts, people, places and movements in Islam. The entries are quite short (the note on Sufism, for example, is just over 40 lines long), but full of data. The appendices include a chronology, a list of the 99 divine names and a bibliography for further reading.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is the sixth in Oneworld's concise, helpful encyclopedias on the world's religions, following volumes on the Baha'i faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Judaism. Since each encyclopedia is the work of a single author, the style within each is consistent. This volume is formatted like others in the series. But Newby (chair, Middle Eastern studies, Emory Univ.), the author of two other books and numerous articles on the Middle East, including a "reconstruction" of the earliest biography of the Prophet Muhammad, also includes a note on transliteration and pronunciation, a map of the Muslim world, a historical introduction, a chronology, a bibliography of works easily available in most libraries, and a thematic index. The brief entries provide salient details intended for the lay reader and cover individuals, events, and places, including countries with large Muslim populations. A few black-and-white illustrations help give visual definition to certain architectural and geographical entries. One gap in Newby's book is the incomplete coverage of the various Shi'ahaimams (Zaydi and Ithna Ashariyyah), all of whom warrant at least a brief entry. This work complements Ludwig W. Adamec's Historical Dictionary of Islam, which is pitched to a slightly more academic audience and has a more extensive bibliography but lacks illustrations. Recommended for all libraries as a companion to other one-volume reference works.
William P. Collins, Library of Congress
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1851682953
• ISBN 13: 9781851682959
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288