General Reference:
EI (1), then: Encyclopaedia of Islam first edition, 5 volumes,originally printed Leiden 1913-38. A reissue published in 9 volumes as E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, M.Th. Houtsma, T.W. Arnold, R.Basset, R. Hartman (eds.), Leiden: Brill 1987. EI (2), the same, New edition, Leiden: Brill 1960- . 8 volumes so far, with supplements published as fascicles. The EI is clearly the most compact body of information on Islam and Islamic history around, and in particular with the extensive bibliographies. Now available on CD-ROM in the Van Pelt Reference CD-ROM Area (old).
Printed Map Resources:
Manuscript Information:
GAL: Carl Brockelmann, Geschichteder arabischen Literatur, 5 volumes, Leiden E.J. Brill 1937-42. The name ("History of Arabic Literature") has fooled many into believing this was a story about the 1001 Nights and sequels; it is in fact an encyclopaedia of writers and writings throughout Arabic history. In principle, every book ever written in Arabic(before 1937) should be listed by Brockelmann. In practice, most are, with short biographies of the authors. As EI, Brockelmann is an authority, a reference to which is often sufficient. Unfortunately, in addition to being in German, it has one of the most arcane reference systems known to man. If you know your way around Brockelmann, you are an accomplished scholar. (Clue: If you want to know what name abbreviations like " 'Aq b. S ", used throughout, stands for, you will find the key in the middle of the text on p. XVII of Supplement Volume I; and there only.) The work was published, first in two volumes, then with three larger Supplement Volumes, which repeats (most of) and expands the information in the two first volumes. Especially for early periods, see: Fuat Sezgin, Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, 9 volumes, Leiden, 1967- (translation into Ararbic available as Tarikh al-turath al-arabi).
Biographical and Bibliographical Information:
Kahhala and Zirikli: Often used together, these are the most common Arabic biographical dictionaries. Respectively: 'Umar Ridaa Kahhala, Mu'jam al-mu'allifiin. Taraajim muSannifii al-kutub al-'arabiiya Beirut: Dar ihya al-turath al-arabi 1957-61, 15 volumes; and Khayr al-Diin al-Ziriklii, al-A'laam. Qamuus taraajim li-ashhar al-rijaal wa'l-nisaa' min al-'arab wa'l-musta'ribiin wa'l-mustashriqiin, Beirut, various editions from 1927 until today, last edition 8 volumes. Zirikli is thus more up to date. He also includes political and other personalities, as well as many samples of authors' handwriting from the original mss. Kahhala has the larger number of names.
References to Secondary Literature:
Index Islamicus: Published at the School of Oriental and African Studies (by Mansell Press), this is a bibliographical compilation of all books and articles written on Islam and the Islamic world in Western languages. Clearly the first place any student starting a research topic should go to check for sources. II covers the period from 1906 (there is a companion volume for the pre-1906 period). Supplements have until now been published in quarterly magazines, which are then later regrouped and reorganized as complete volumes covering five years at a time. Now (1999) available on CD-ROM in the Van Pelt Reference Room terminals and searchable by subject, author, etc.
Arabic Dictionary (culled and translated from classical Arabic dictionaries):
Lane: E.J. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon is what is meant when "Lane says ..." is bantered about in polite conversation. Originally 8 volumes 1863-93, reissued in two volumes in 1984 by the Islamic Texts Society (Cambridge). While Lane's definitions may sometimes seem quaint, it is the most definite English authority for classical Arabic vocabulary, up to the letter Q (when he died).
Qur'anic Concordance:
Abd Baqi: Muhammad Fu'aad 'Abd Baaqii, al-Mu'jam al-mufahrasli-alfaaz al-Qur'an (one volume, many editions) is the most common concordance for the Koran. It lists every word used in the Koran, organized by root and form, and the various places it is used: thus you can from any quote find the verse it appears. For English-only researchers, consult H. Kassis, A Concordance of the Qur'an (Berkeley and Los Angeles: UC Press) and online.
Hadith Concordance:
Wensinck: A.J. Wensinck, Concordance et indices de la tradition musulmane is the same for the Sunna (hadith). Every word used in any of the six orthodox collections, as well as the hadith collections of al-Darimi and Ibn Maja and the Muwatta of Malik are listed (all in Arabic), with their contexts and references. A much larger body, it can't in reality be as precise as a Koran concordance, but still a Wensinck reference is mostly sufficient for a hadith. Originally published in 7 volumes in Leiden 1936-69, it is most often found in a Beirut pirate edition -- which doesn't include the index, volume 8, that came a few years ago. A cheaper paper edition of all eight volumes was published by Brill, Leiden in 1992 or 1993.
Computer Catalogue:
And finally among research tools, since many ask, "what book is written on this or that topic?" reference must be made to Melvyl, where such questions can generally be answered: Most people with access to e-mail, and thus this list, can also use the telnet program for searching libary catalogues. The largest of these is the merged California catalogue "Melvyl", of about 8 million titles, which is very relevant for a student on the history of Islam, as most other subjects. Open a connection to melvyl.ucop.edu, and follow the instructions on screen. Notice that you can get the diacritics of Arabic titles, by typing "d marc dia" when you have found a title. Diacritics are designated by special code numbers which are easily deciphered. Another useful thing to notice is that the catalogue includes the date of birth and death of the author, if known. Thus it can in a fix also be used for biographical basics.
For further print reference tools, see R. Stephen Humphreys, Islamic History: A Framework for Inquiry (revised ed., Princeton, 1991). |
