This is an abridged translation of volume eight of Ibn Sa'd's Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. This deals exclusively with the women who met the Prophet (saas) or transmitted from him.

This novel, banned shortly before publication in Sept '08 by Random House, attracting British and world-wide media attention, tells for the first time the moving but little known love story between Mohammed and his favoured wife Ai'sha. A wonderful fast-paced novel and an uplifting subject that readers from all religions will enjoy.

This book is the translation of Volume 7 of the Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir of Ibn Sa?d which deals with the Companions, Tabi?un and the subsequent generations of the people of knowledge in Basra, Baghdad, Khurasan, Syria and Egypt. This book is of particular interest because its pages demonstrate the attitude and action of the Companions and the Tabi?un when confronted by the most dangerous of trials ? fitna, or civil war. This is extremely important in the modern age, in which fitna is commonplace, for we can learn a great deal from how the early Muslims dealt with it.

Expanding on her work Islam: The Empowering of Women, this dictionary is a comprehensive reference source of Muslim women throughout Islamic history from the first century AH to roughly the middle of the thirteenth century AH. A perusal of the entries shows that Muslim women have been successful as, for example, scholars and businesswomen as well as fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers for the past fourteen centuries. This is a most timely work in this age of limiting perspectives.

Examines the socio-cultural history of the regions where Islam took hold between the 7th and 16th century. This two-volume work contains 700 alphabetically arranged entries, and provides a portrait of Islamic civilization. It is of use in understanding the roots of Islamic society as well to explore the culture of medieval civilization.