The New Encyclopedia of Islam

The acclaimed New Encyclopedia of Islam comprehensively encompasses the beliefs, practices, history, and culture of the Islamic world in a single, accessible volume. Now extensively revised and updated with over 300 new entries, The New Encyclopedia of Islam describes all aspects of the religion, from its rituals, sects, and prayers to its political movements, social institutions, and spiritual and political leaders; from the art and architecture of Islam, to its history and ethnography; from its nations and states to its languages, science, and major centers of learning. This unique single-volume work, now consisting of over 1400 entries, has been fully revised and contains a wide range of new entries covering the contemporary Islamic scene, including a substantial entry on the Taliban, plus information on many other organizations and movements that are critical to understanding Islam's role in today's religious and political conflicts. Previous editions have won worldwide acclaim for their research, clarity and graceful style. This new edition also contains an extensively revised chronology spanning the entire history of Islam, from its origins through developments in the Muslim world today.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Author's Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Notes Part 4 The Encyclopedia Chapter 5 Appendix A: Reference Maps Chapter 6 Appendix B: Mecca and the Hajj Chapter 7 Appendix C: Branches of Islam Chapter 8 Appendix D: Genealogical Tables Chapter 9 Chronology Chapter 10 Bibliography

About the Author :
Cyril Glassé is a practicing Muslim and an international lecturer on Islam and comparative religion.

Review :
Praise for previous editions: This grand, beautifully illustrated book is a feast of fact and insight about this ancient religion of 800 million believers. An enormous amount of information is contained here, all of it fascinating..... Cyril Glassé has achieved a miracle, 1200 readable entries. He deals with Islam not merely as a religion but also as a culture. One can wonder whether in all the human sciences there is greater need for a reference work than for this one....It is more than just a new reference work on Islam that is up-to-date and has been kept within manageable compass; in the long run it can help its users to see the phenomenon of Islam in a new light. A faithful guide: Islam unveiled. This invaluable Encyclopedia of Islam....serves as an indispensible guide. Glasse provides an accessible and sympathetic introduction for the general reader....Entries are extensively cross-referenced....That an individual scholar produced a single-volume reference work of this scope and historical depth is impressive. Praise for previous editions: This grand, beautifully illustrated book is a feast of fact and insight about this ancient religion of 800 million believers. An enormous amount of information is contained here, all of it fascinating. Glasse has extensively revised the 2001 edition of this valuable tool for the study of Islam....This work excels as one of the premier reference sources on Islam, with thorough, unbiased analysis....The extensive updates from the previous edition make this volume a worthwhile purchase for academic libraries' reference collection. Highly recommended. Visually appealing and easy to consult.... Simple, clearly written, and accessible to readers with no prior knowledge of Islam. For one man to write an encyclopedia of Islam may seem presumptuous, but for readers to know that a third updated edition of it has appeared, in addition to the earlier publication by the same man of several editions of a concise form of it, may be a sobering thought, and a call for a sense of awe in view of his massive task and achievement….the entries in Glassé’s encyclopedia are informative and reliable. They describe all aspects of Islam, from its beliefs, rituals, and prayers to its religious sects and political movements; and they deal with its social institutions and artistic achievements as well as with its spiritual expression and mystical content.