ALF LAYLA WA LAYLA, “One thousand nights and one night,” Arabic title of the world-famous collection of tales known in…

ʿALĪ B. ʿĪSĀ B. MĀHĀN (d. l96/812), officer in the service of the ʿAbbasids. He was commander of the guard…

BARBIER DE MEYNARD, CHARLES ADRIEN CASIMIR, French orientalist (1826-1908). He was born at sea on a voyage from Istanbul to…

ADAB ii. Adab in Arabic Literature In modern Arabic usage the term adab (plur. ādāb) denotes “literature,” but in classical…

ABŪ LOʾLOʾA, a Persian slave of Moḡīra b. Šoʿba, the governor of Baṣra, who assassinated the caliph ʿOmar b. al-Ḵaṭṭāb,…

DĪNAVARĪ, ABŪ ḤANĪFA AḤMAD b. Dāwūd b. Vanand (d. between 281/894 and 290/903), grammarian, lexicographer, astronomer, mathematician, and Islamic traditionist…