A Dictionary of Islam

The first major English-language encyclopedia of Islamic knowledge, compiled by Victorian scholar Thomas Patrick Hughes. Originally published in 1885, this monumental reference work systematically organizes thousands of entries covering Islamic theology, jurisprudence, rituals, customs, and technical terminology. Hughes drew upon Arabic sources and contemporary scholarship to create a comprehensive resource that served as the primary Western introduction to Islamic practice and belief for decades. The book reflects both the limitations and the genuine intellectual curiosity of its era, offering modern readers a fascinating window into how educated Victorians understood and categorized Islamic civilization. This dictionary remains valuable not as a final authority on Islamic teaching, but as a historical document revealing the evolution of Western Islamic scholarship. Students of comparative religion, historians of Victorian-era Orientalism, and researchers tracking the development of English-language Islamic literature will find it an indispensable resource. Its alphabetical organization allows for both targeted inquiry and serendipitous discovery, making it as useful for casual browsing as for serious research. The work captures a particular moment in cross-cultural understanding, preserving terminology, definitions, and explanations that have since been superseded by more recent scholarship.