Category: Encyclopedia

POPULAR RELIGION

POPULAR RELIGION. [To consider local beliefs and practices as they differ from mainstream Islamic traditions, this entry comprises six articles: 1-An Overview 2-Popular Religion in […]

POLYGYNY

POLYGYNY. The practice of one man simultaneously having several wives is a controversial issue in modern Islamic societies. Before the advent of Islam polygyny was […]

POETRY

POETRY. See Devotional Poetry; and articles on specific languages and literature.

PIR

PIR. A word of Persian origin meaning “old man,” the term pir (Ar., pir) has been taken up into Sufi discourse as a common title […]

PILLARS OF ISLAM

PILLARS OF ISLAM. The foundations (arkan) upon which the religion of Islam rests are known as the five pillars, a belief based in a saying […]

ZIYARAH

ZIYARAH. Literally, “visitation,” ziyarah technically refers to visiting gravesites (ziydrat al-qubur) for the purpose of praying for the dead and remembering death. According to well-documented […]

PILGRIMAGE

PILGRIMAGE. See Hajj; Ziyarah.   HAJJ. Unique among the world’s great pilgrimages, the hajj is in many ways also the most important.