ORGANIZING KNOWLEDGE

ORGANIZING KNOWLEDGE

ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY THEOLOGY AND SCIENCE Texts and Studies EDITED BY H. DAIBER and D. PINGREE VOLUME LXI

ORGANIZING KNOWLEDGE Encyclopædic Activities in the Pre-Eighteenth Century Islamic World EDITED BY GERHARD ENDRESS PREFACE BY ABDOU FILALI-ANSARY BRILL LEIDEN BOSTON 2006

Proceedings of a Colloquium held at the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations The Aga Khan University (International) in the United Kingdom (London, November14-16, 2003) This book is printed on acid-free paper Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Organizing knowledge : encyclopaedic activities in the pre-eighteenth century Islamic world / preface by Abdou Filali-Ansary ; edited by Gerhard Endress. p. cm. (Islamic philosophy, theology, and science ; v. 61) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-90-04-14697-6 ISBN-10: 90-04-14697-0 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Encyclopedias and dictionaries, Arabic History and criticism. 2. Islamic learning and scholarship History. I. Filali-Ansary, Abdou. II. Endress, Gerhard, 1939- III. Series. AG10.55.O74 2006 039.927 dc22 2006043937 ISSN 0169-8729 ISBN-13: 978-90-04-14697-6 ISBN-10: 90-04-14697-0 Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill Academic Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands

Aga Khan University s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) was established in 2002 in London. The Institute s goal is to strengthen research on, and promote understanding of, the cultures of Muslims, past and present. It works to address important issues of contemporary societies, including social justice, governance, moral and legal thought, and the environment. Its activities and educational programmes apply the methodologies of the humanities and social sciences to the study of Muslim cultures and seek to create opportunities for interaction amongst a wide audience across intellectual disciplines. Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, self-governing institution with teaching and research programmes in Egypt, Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan, Syria and the United Kingdom. The University includes a Medical College, a School of Nursing, two teaching hospitals, an Institute for Educational Development, an Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, and an Examination Board. A Faculty of Arts and Sciences is being built on a new campus near Karachi, and other major developments in Pakistan, East Africa and elsewhere are at the planning stage. The University is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private international development agencies working to improve living conditions and create opportunities for the disadvantaged in the developing world through social, economic and cultural development. www.aku.edu/ismc www.akdn.org

CONTENTS Preface... ix Abdou Filali-Ansary Editor s Note... xiii Gerhard Endress The Contributors... xv THE CONCEPT OF ENCYCLOPÆDIA Encyclopædic Activities in the Islamic World: A Few Questions, and No Answers... 3 Josef van Ess THE ARABIC ISLAMIC TRADITIONS Biographical Dictionaries as the Scholars Alternative History of the Muslim Community... 23 Wadad al-qadi Encyclopædic Activities in Islamic Jurisprudence... 77 Ridwan al-sayyid THE IRANIAN AND GREEK TRADITIONS The Greek and Persian Background of Early Arabic Encyclopedism... 91 Dimitri Gutas The Cycle of Knowledge: Intellectual Traditions and Encyclopædias of the Rational Sciences in Arabic Islamic Hellenism... 103 Gerhard Endress Organizing Scientific Knowledge: The Mixed Sciences in Early Classifications... 135 Elaheh Kheirandish

viii contents The Brethren of Purity (Ikhwàn al-íafà") and their Philosophical Treatises (Rasà"il)... 155 Mokdad Arfa INTEGRATIVE CONCEPTS Al-Qazwìnì s 'Ajà"ib al-makhlùqàt: An Encyclopædia of Natural History?... 171 Syrinx von Hees L Encyclopédisme dans l historiographie: réflexions sur le cas d Ibn Khaldùn... 187 Abdesselam Cheddadi A EUROPEANIST S PERSPECTIVE A Europeanist s Perspective... 201 Ann Blair Bibliography... 217 General Index... 227