Islamic history is a vast and varied subject. This book discusses numerous Muslim approaches to history and historiography from early to modern times.It includes a discussion of the etymological roots of terms used by classical scholars for the study of history; the place of history in the traditional classification of Islamic sciences; Sunni and Shi‘i historiography, with a special section on Isma‘ili historiography; and Persian, African, and Andalusian historiography. The section on Persian historiography features particularly rich details and spans historiographical approaches across the various dynastic periods – including a section on medieval versified historiography – and the post-Revolutionary period.
This book is part of a series of translations from the Encyclopaedia of the World of Islam (EWI) which was originally compiled in Persian. Other entries from this encyclopaedia which are available in English include Hawza-yi ‘Ilmiyya,Hadith, Periodicals of the Muslim World, Muslim Organisations, Political Parties, Qur’anic Exegeses, Qur’anic Exegesis,Sufism, and Education in the Islamic Civilisation.