Biographical Encyclopaedia of Islam (4 Vols-Set)

"Biography has served as a major source for the history of Islamic civilization. This book is the first Encyclopaedia-length reference work to explore the origins and development of classical Islamic biography to fully document the political, scholarly and religious achievements of the Muslim community. The Biographical Encyclopaedia of Islam is an exciting book - a book which combines the ease of use of an A-Z dictionary with the overview and readability of a thematic Encyclopaedia. The Biographical Encyclopaedia of Islam features unrivalled coverage of the Islam's most prominent people, past and present -- more than 6,500 individuals - while giving the reader new insights into history, politics, science and culture. With entries ranging from between 50 words to 15000 words, the book includes entries by some of the leading Islamic scholars of the world of the twentieth century. Drawn from the parent work, titled Encyclopaedia of Islam, the hugely popular and globally successful work has remained a standard reference source for Islamic studies. Encyclopaedia of Islam remains till date the most comprehensive work which is a mine of information. The work was supervised by a distinguished editorial board which eventually included M. Th. Houtsma, T.W. Arnold, Basset, Hartmann, A.J. Wensinck, W. Heffening, E. Levi Provencal and H.A.R. Gibb. This unique reference work is now available to meet the immediate needs of scholars, students of Islam, librarians, and even government institutions, in fact, anyone interested in Islam and its rich culture." (jacket).…