The Islamic World is an outstanding guide to Islamic faith and culture in all its geographical and historical diversity. Written by a distinguished international team of scholars, it elucidates the history, philosophy and practice of one of the world's great religious traditions. Its grounding in contemporary scholarship makes it an ideal reference source for students and scholars alike. Edited by Andrew Rippin, a leading scholar of Islam, the volume covers the political, geographical, religious, intellectual, cultural and social worlds of Islam, and offers insight into all aspects of.;Cover; Title; Copyright; CONTENTS; List of illustrations; List of contributors; Introduction; PART I The geo-political Islamic world; 1 The Arab Middle East; 2 West Africa; 3 East Africa; 4 Turkey; 5 Iran; 6 Central Asia; 7 Southeast Asia; 8 Europe; 9 The diaspora in the West; PART II The religious Islamic world; 10 The Qurʼ ān; 11 Muhạmmad; 12 Sunnī law; 13 Theology: freewill and predestination; 14 Ritual life; 15 Sufism; 16 Shiʻism; 17 The Ibādị̄s; 18 Relations with other religions; PART III The intellectual Islamic world; 19 The Arabic language; 20 Philosophy; 21 The scientific tradition.