In publishing the Encyclopedia of Islam I am indebted to a great many people. Creating an encyclopedia on any topic is necessarily a group project, requiring the shared knowledge, insights,perspectives, skills, and experiences of many. The task is made even more challenging when it i nvolves religion, which encompasses so many different subjects—ranging from the historical, social, political, and cultural to the spiritual, philosophical, and doctrinal. Moreover, the global nature of Islam and the sometimes intense differences that have arisen among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims during the nearly 1400 years of its history pose additional challenges when seeking to realize the ideals of comprehensiveness, factual accuracy, and fairness. In order to meet the challenges facing this undertaking, I have made a particular effort to draw upon the wide-ranging and deep scholarly talents of the faculty, postgraduate, and graduate students of the University of California, Santa Barbara, especially those specializing in Islamic and Middle East studies. My editorial assistants, John Iskander (now at the U.S. Department of State) and Michelle Zimney, helped me launch the project and assisted with editing early drafts of many of the contributed articles. Among the more than 40 contributors, I am especially grateful to Garay Menicucci (University of California, Santa Barbara), Nuha N. N. Khoury (University of California, Santa Barbara), Kathleen M. O’Connor(University of South Florida), Amir Hussain (Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles), Jon Armajani (College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University in Minnesota), Firoozeh Papan-Matin (University of Washington), Mark Soileau (Albion College), Anna Bigelow (North Carolina State University, Megan Adamson Sijapati (Gettysburg College), Aysha Hidayatullah (Emory University), Caleb Elfenbein (University of California, Santa Barbara), Linda G. Jones (Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona), Patrick O’Donnell (Santa Barbara City College), Nancy L. Stockdale (University of North Texas), Stephen Cory (ClevelandState University), Shauna Huffaker (University of Windsor), Heather N. Keaney (American University in Cairo), and Reza Aslan (University of California, Riverside). These individuals wrote a number of articles for the volume, offering fresh perspectives obtained from their recent research in their respective fields of expertise. Among other colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who have provided support and inspiration are R. Stephen Humphreys, the holder of the King Abd Al-Aziz ibn Saud Chair of Islamic Studies; Mark Juergensmeyer, director acknowledgments K K xx Encyclopedia of Islam of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies; Scott Marcus, associate professor of ethnomusicology; Kathleen Moore, associate professor of law and society; Nancy Gallagher, professor of history; and Professors Dwight Reynolds, W. Clark Roof, Catherine Albanese, and Richard Hecht in religious studies. My approach to this project was also guided by the humanism and spirit of public service exemplified by our late colleague Walter Capps and his wife, Lois. Over the years, Richard C. Martin, Fredrick M. Denny, Richard Eaton, Azim Nanji, Barbara Metcalf, William Shepherd, Steve Wasserstrom, Bruce B. Lawrence, Gordon Newby, Jane D. McAuliffe, Zayn Kassam, Tazim Kassam, and scholars and teachers at other colleges and universities, too many to mention by name, have also provided invaluable inspiration, directly orindirectly. My deep gratitude also goes to Kendall Busse, Ph .D. student in religious studies, who provided skilled editorial support and helpful feedback along the way, and to several undergraduate research assistants: Maria Reifel Saltzberg, Hassan R. Elhaj, and Hassan Naveed. Their work was funded by the Freshman Seminar Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Through the years, my undergraduate students haveconsistently affirmed my belief that education is an ongo ing process with mutual benefits that extend well beyond the classroom. Funding provided by Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects grants presented me with opportunities to accompany two groups of California K-12 teachers and administrators to Egypt in 2003 and 2004. I benefited greatly fromour workshop sessions, travel experiences, and the conversations we shar ed in Egypt, which enriched my understanding of the K-12 curriculum and the challenges our teachers face in instructing young people about unfamiliar religions, civilizations, and languages. I am especially obliged to Karen Arter, Frank Stewart, and Paul and Ruth Ficken for their encouragement and interest in this publication. I am also grateful for the hospitality and warmth extended to me by several cultural, interfaith, and religious organizations, including the Turkish-American Pacifica Institute of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the Interfaith Initiative of Santa Barbara County, the University Religious Center in Isla Vista, and the community of St. Mark’s Parish Catholic Church in Isla Vista. At Facts On File, I owe a great debt to Claudia Schaab and J. Gordon Melton for valuable advice and infinite patience in bringing the publicaion to completion. Gordon graciously shared photographs of mosques taken during his travels around the world. Publishing this book would not have been possible without the support of a wide circle of family and friends extending from the United States to Colombia (the land of my birth), Egypt, and India. These include Shafik and Gilane, Galal and Negwa, Amr and Janet, Mahmoud and Suhair,Saidand Soraya, Mehran and Nahid, Zaveeni, and Viji and Sujata. Above all, I am indebted to my wif e, Magda, to whom this book is dedicated, for her unwavering love and encouragementin good times and bad, and to our sons Andrés and Federico as they begin to follow their own pa ths in the world.