AMAL AL-ĀMEL FĪ ʿOLAMĀʾ JABAL ʿĀMEL, biographical dictionary of Shiʿite (Etnāʿašarī) scholars originating from the Jabal ʿĀmel in south Lebanon,…

ʿAMR B. ʿOBAYD B. BĀB, early Muʿtazilite theologian and traditionist (d. probably 144/761, in Marrān near Mecca, on his way…

AL-ĀRĀʾ WA’L-DĪĀNĀT, doxographical work, famous especially for its information about non-Islamic religions and Greek philosophy, written by Ḥasan b. Mūsā…

ʿAṬṬĀŠ (or EBN ʿAṬṬĀŠ), AḤMAD B. ʿABD-AL-MALEK, Ismaʿili leader during the time of Sultan Barkīāroq (Berk-yaruq, d. 498/1104) and contemporary…

AZAL, Arabic theological term derived from Pahlavi a-sar “without head” and meaning, already in early Muʿtazilite kalām, “eternity a parte…

ʿAŻOD-AL-DĪN ĪJĪ, QĀŻĪ ABU’L-FAŻL ʿABD-AL-RAḤMĀN B. ROKN-AL-DĪN AḤMAD B. ʿABD-AL-ḠAFFĀR B. AḤMAD BAKRĪ MOṬARREZĪ ŠABĀNKĀRĪ ŠĪRĀZĪ, famous Shafeʿite jurist and…

BAḠDĀDĪ, ʿABD-AL-QĀHER B. ṬĀHER ŠĀFEʿĪ TAMĪMĪ (ca. 350/961-429/1038), mathematician, Shafeʿite jurist and Asḥʿarite theologian. He was born in Baghdad, the…

ABŪ ʿAMR AL-MĀZOLĪ, Karrāmī theologian, fl. mid-4th/mid-10th century. Most of the later branches of the Karrāmīya traced themselves back to…

ABŪ ESḤĀQ EBRĀHĪM B. SAYYĀR B. HĀNEʾ AL-NAẒẒĀM (ca. 165-221/782-836), famous adīb and Muʿtazilite theologian. He was of lowly birth;…

ABU’L-HOḎAYL AL-ʿALLĀF, MOḤAMMAD B. AL-HOḎAYL B. ʿOBAYDALLĀH B. MAKḤŪL AL-ʿABDĪ (ca. 135-227/752-841?), early Muʿtazilite theologian of universal reputation. He seems…

ABU’L-LAYṮ NAṢR B. MOḤAMMAD B. AḤMAD SAMARQANDĪ, productive Hanafite jurist, author of a Qurʾān commentary and of popular paraenetical works;…

ABU’L-MAʿĀLĪ MOḤAMMAD B. ʿOBAYDALLĀH B. ʿALĪ, author of Bayān al-adyān, the oldest work on religions and sects written in Persian….

ABŪ MŪSĀ ʿĪSĀ B. ṢOBAYḤ (or ṢABĪḤ) AL-MORDĀR, theologian and ascetic, early representative of the Baghdad branch of the Moʿtazela…

ABU’L-QĀSEM AL-BALḴĪ AL-KAʿBĪ, ʿABDALLĀH B. AḤMAD B. MAḤMŪD (d. Šaʿbān, 319/February, 931), administrator and intellectual of Persian descent, Hanafite jurist…

ABŪ YAʿQŪB JORJĀNĪ, disciple of Ebn Karrām (d. 255/869). He called God’s hands, His face (waǰh), etc. “bodies” (aǰsām) and…

AḤMAD TŪNĪ, Karrāmī theologian who lived about 400/1010. He originated from Tūn in the region of Qohestān and founded a…

ʿALĀʾ-AL-DAWLA SEMNĀNĪ, ROKN-AL-DĪN ABU’L-MAKĀREM AḤMAD B. ŠARAF-AL-DĪN MOḤAMMAD B. AḤMAD AL-BĪĀBĀNAKĪ (b. Ḏu’l-ḥeǰǰa, 659/November, 1261, d. 21 or 22 Raǰab…

JAʿFAR B. MOḤAMMAD B. ḤARB, ABU’L-FAŻL AL-HAMDĀNI (d. 236/850 at the age of 59), also called al-Ašajj (‘scar-face’ or ‘skull-broken’),…

JAHM B. ṢAFWĀN, ABU MOḤREZ, Islamic theologian of the Umayyad period (d. Marv 128/746). Documentation about him is scarce and…

ABAD, Arabic theological term meaning “eternity a parte post” (already in early Muʿtazilite theology); it corresponds to Greek atéleuton. It…

ESKĀFĪ, ABŪ JAʿFAR MOḤAMMAD b. ʿAbd-Allāh, Muʿtazilite theologian of the 9th century (d. 240/854). His family originated from Samarkand, but…

EBN RĀVANDĪ (or Rēvandī), ABU’l-ḤOSAYN AḤMAD b. Yaḥyā (d. 298/910?), Muʿtazilite theologian and “heretic” of Ḵorāsānī origin. While still young,…

DĪNAVARĪ, ABŪ MOḤAMMAD ʿABD-ALLĀH b. Mobārak (d. first half of the 10th century), author of a tafsīr (koranic exegesis) entitled…

DĪNAVARĪ, ABŪ MOḤAMMAD ʿABD-ALLĀH b. Ḥamdān b. Wahb b. Bešr (d. 308/902; incorrectly identified with ʿAbd-Allāh b. Mobārak Dīnavarī, by…

DĀREMĪ, ABŪ SAʿĪD ʿOṮMĀN b. Saʿīd b. Ḵāled SEJESTĀNĪ, Persian traditionist and jurist (b. ca. 200/816, d. Herat Ḏu’l-ḥejja 280/February…

RITTER, Hellmut (b. Lichtenau, Kurhessen, Germany, 27 February 1892; d. Oberursel, Hessen, 19 May 1971, FIGURES 1-2), German scholar of…

JORJĀNI, ZAYN-AL-DIN ABU’L-ḤASAN ʿALI B. MOḤAMMAD B. ʿALI AL-ḤOSAYNI (b. in the village of Ṭāḡu near Astarābād in Gorgān, whence…

FOWAṬĪ, HEŠĀM b. ʿAMR (d. Baghdad, probably before 230/845), Muʿtazilite theologian of Basran affiliation and student of Abu’l-Hoḏayl (q.v.). In…