AHMAD BARELWI, SAYYID
See Sayyid Ahmad.
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Those who are qualified to act on behalf of the Muslim community in electing a caliph are known as ahl al-hall wa-al-`aqd (less frequently, ahl al-`aqd wa-al-hall. In medieval political theory, their main function was contractual, namely, to offer the office of caliphate to the most qualified person and, upon his acceptance, to administer to
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Literally “people of the household,” ahl al-bayt refers to the family of the prophet Muhammad and his descendants. Shi’i Muslims are particularly devoted to the family of the Prophet-his cousin and son-in-law, `Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661), his daughter, Fatimah (d. 632), and their sons, Hasan (d. 669/7o) and Husayn (d. 680)-and the other
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There are thirty-four countries with both significant agricultural sectors and majority Muslim populations. They form a broad band running from west to east across the tropics and northern subtropics of Africa and Asia, spanning a diversity of natural environments from the verdant rain forests of West Africa and the East Indies to the barren deserts
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A private, nondenominational, philanthropic institution established by the Aga Khan, the Isma’ili imam, in 1967 to translate “the Muslim ethic of care and compassion for those of the society in greatest need,” the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) was conceived as an extension and outreach to the developing world by way of relating Islam’s humanitarian philosophy
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The Nizari Isma’ili imams since the time of Hasan ‘Ali Shah (d. 1881) have borne the title Aga Khan. The present imam, Prince Karim alHusayni, Aga Khan IV, is according to this tradition the forty-ninth hereditary imam of the community worldwide, representing direct lineal descent and succession from the first Shl’i imam `All and his
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The reality of the afterlife is integral to an understanding of the Islamic views of both the individual life cycle and the flow of human history. It is also the basis for the structure of ethical responsibility in Islam: one’s condition in the afterlife, felicitous or painful, is determined by the degree to which one
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A Turcoman line ruling in Iran from 1736 to 1796 was known as the Afsharid dynasty. The empire established by the dynasty’s founder, Nadir Shah Afshar (r. 1736-1747), stretched from Iraq to northern India; Nadir’s successors reigned only in northeastern Iran(Khurasan province). Nadir Shah began his career as commander-in-chief for Tahmasp II, claimant to the
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[This entry articulates the themes and values in the languages and literatures of Muslims in sub-SaharanAfrica. Reflecting major linguistic divisions, it comprises two articles: East Africa andWest Africa. For discussion of the literatures of North Africa, see Arabic Literature. See also Islam, article on Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa.] East Africa Islam was brought to the
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