Muslims believe that the Koran is God’s message in Arabic, revealed through the medium of the Prophet Muhammad for the guidance of the Arabs and subsequently for all humanity. There is both unity and variety in the Islamic world. Muslims are not a homogeneous people who can be explained solely by their normative texts: the Koran and the Sunnah. Muslims differ vastly in their interpretation of Islam: modernists want to reinterpret Islam to adapt to the requirements of modern times while traditionalists tend to look to the classical and medieval periods of Islam as their model of the Islamic state.
This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Islam contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on major sects, schools of theology, and jurisprudence, as well as aspects of Islamic culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Islam.
Ludwig W. Adamec is professor emeritus at the University of Arizona and served as the director of the Near Eastern Center for 10 years. He is widely known as a leading authority on Afghanistan and the author of 24 volumes and numerous articles and monographs).
Table of Contents
Editor’s Foreword, by Jon Woronoff Preface Reader’s Notes Map of the Islamic World Acronyms and Abbreviations Chronology Introduction THE DICTIONARY Appendix: Estimates of the Muslim Population of the World Glossary Suras of the Koran Turkic Peoples Bibliography About the Author
