Imparting lessons from the past, historians endeavoured to present standards for man’s actions. As mentioned in the Qur’an (11: 100, 120), the histories of the prophets and nations and the exposition of the factors leading to the rise and decline of nations urge man to take lessons and tread the path towards guidance. Abū ‘Alī Miskawayh entitled his work ‘Experience of Nations’. Ibn al-Athīr maintained that historical knowledge may foster human intellect and provide him with further stamina to face vicissitudes and urge rulers to administer justice in an unstable world.
This volume includes the articles devoted to the historians of the Islamic world, selected from the 16 hitherto published volumes of the Encyclopaedia of the World of Islam (EWI) which was originally compiled in Persian. Other entries from this encyclopaedia which are available in English include History and Historiography, Historical Sources of the Islamic World, The Pahlavi Dynasty, Periodicals of the Muslim World, and Ḥawza-yi ‘Ilmiyya.
