Concise Encyclopedia of Islam

Having demonstrated its competence and experience with encyclopedias through the Diyanet Encyclopedia of Islam, İSAM published a new encyclopedia, which was prepared between 2010 and 2019 with the contributions of around 180 scholars and experts, in eight volumes under the name The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam project was initiated after Russian Muslims requested a Russian-language edition of the Diyanet Encyclopedia of Islam. The work introduces the message of Islam based on authentic sources and was produced with the following objectives: contributing to the need for religious knowledge and education in regions where Muslims live, providing accurate and sufficient information to a wide range of readers about the fundamental issues and concepts of Islam, introducing the prophets and prominent scholars, serving as a source of daily religious information, and outlining the Islamic perspective on the major issues of today.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam contains 1,426 articles, 1,132 connected/referring articles, 383 infographics, and biography articles which have been enriched with 353 identity cards. Visual elements, such as images, maps, classification charts, tables, timelines, and lists, which are assembled under the title of infographics, can be used as educational materials by instructors, in addition to serving as an auxiliary resource in religious services and guidance activities.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam was produced in order to:
- Fulfill the needs for religious knowledge and education of Muslim communities all over the world, specifically those who live in countries where Islam is not the dominant way of life
- Summarize the provisions of Islam regarding the principles of faith, ethics, worship, halal and haram, interpersonal relations, and social life in as comprehensive a manner as possible
- Transfer religious knowledge based on authentic sources and the moderate understanding that constitutes the mainstream in terms of the consciousness of the ummah throughout history
- Introduce religious terms, important chapters (ṣūras), the most beautiful names of God (al-asmā’ al-ḥusnā), differing sects, Sufi orders (ṭarīqas), adjacent religions, the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an, important events of the Prophet’s time, the Companions (ṣaḥāba), and prominent scholars
- Use bullet points to explain Islam’s approach to concepts that have become important topics of discussion in the modern age, such as: banking, education, economy, clothing, communication, human rights, media, advertising, and sports, through the lens of jurisprudence (fiqh)
- Assemble the concepts and terms frequently used in religious sources and branches of science, which constitutes approximately two-thirds of the encyclopedia articles
- Present biographical articles on the prophets, important related historical figures, the Companions, and distinguished scholars throughout Islamic history, of which there are 392 listings
- Include visual identity cards with concise information about the people whose biographies are available
- Include articles on the religions prevalent throughout the world and adjacent to Muslim societies, various scholarly traditions, differing sects, and social/political movements that have emerged in the history of Islam
- Enrich the existing information with 383 infographics which illustrate various concepts, topics, and events in a digestible way
- Combine the notions of knowledge and spirituality
- Present the information in an understandable language and style
- Provide an educational resource that can be used as supplementary materials in secondary and higher education.