Encyclopaedias, Arabic - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Muhanna, Elias I.
Leiden
Brill
(2,575 words)
Arabic -language encyclopaedias are attested in the classical Arabic-Islamic intellectual tradition from its very beginnings. They assume various forms and encompass materials profane and sacred, speculative and traditional, entertaining and edifying. A subset of the broad field of compilatory literature-which includes anthologies, dictionaries, textbooks, manuals, and other types of compendia-encyclopaedic works similarly depend upon the selection, organisation, and transmission of authoritative knowledge from previous centuries. Not easily defined as a literary genre, the encyclopaedia is typically associated with features such as thematic and disciplinary heterogeneity, a systematic