What's New
Track the latest additions, content expansions, and improvements to the Islamic Heritage Encyclopaedia.
Recent Updates
New Feature: Where the Sources Disagree
A new page gathers the 359 contested questions recorded in the Historiographical Notes of 128 articles, listed article by article with a link to each. It is linked from the footer of every page.
- Where the Sources Disagree page, linked from the site footer
New Article: Muhammad al-Baqir
A new article on Muhammad ibn Ali, the son of Zayn al-Abidin, who taught hadith and law in Medina and is the fifth Imam of the Twelver Shi'a.
New Article: Zayn al-Abidin
A new article on Ali ibn al-Husayn, the son of al-Husayn who survived Karbala and lived in Medina as a transmitter of hadith.
New Glossary Words: Mursal and Umm Walad
The Glossary grew from 274 to 276 terms.
- Mursal
- Umm Walad
New Article: Amir Khusraw
A new article on the poet of the Delhi Sultanate and disciple of Nizam al-Din Awliya.
New Glossary Word: Mathnawi
The Glossary grew from 273 to 274 terms.
- Mathnawi
New Feature: Shuffle Key Terms & Concepts
The Key Terms & Concepts section on the home page now has a Shuffle button that draws new terms from the whole Glossary.
- Shuffle button on the home page's Key Terms & Concepts
Rewritten Article: Alauddin Khalji
An existing article was researched again and rewritten from scratch.
Four Articles Rewritten
Four articles were rebuilt from the approved sources from scratch.
New Feature: Previews and Sourcing Panel on Every Article
Every article now shows what it rests on and previews its references where they appear.
- Hover previews for Qur'an verses, hadith and glossary terms
- A "How this article is sourced" panel
- A Hijri / Common Era date toggle
Two Articles Rewritten
Two articles were rebuilt from the approved sources from scratch.
New Article: Akbar
A new article was added on the third Mughal emperor.
Three Articles Rewritten
Three articles were rebuilt from the approved sources from scratch.
New Article: Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
A new article was added.
New Era: Age of the Prophets
A new historical era was added, gathering the prophets who came before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
- New era: Age of the Prophets
Three New Collections
Collections were expanded from 30 to 33.
- Iraq and the Abbasid Heartland
- Islam in Southeast Asia
- Islam in the West
Five New Learning Paths
Five new Learning Paths were added, taking the total from 23 to 28.
- Egypt, Syria and the Levant
- Islamic Arts and Letters
- Islam in Europe and North America
- Islam in Southeast Asia
- Society, Trade and Institutions
New Glossary Word: Convivencia
The Glossary grew from 242 to 243 terms.
- Convivencia
New Article: Ja'far al-Sadiq
A new article was added.
Seven New Glossary Words
Seven new Glossary terms were added.
- Taqiyya
- Nass
- Mutawatir
- Külliye
- Türbe
- Sebil
- Imaret
Rewritten Article: Mimar Sinan
An existing article was researched again and rewritten from scratch.
New Collection: Egypt and Syria
A new collection was added.
- New collection: Egypt and Syria
New Collection: The Ottoman Empire
A new collection was added.
- New collection: The Ottoman Empire
New Learning Path: Scholars and Religious Movements of Modern South Asia
A new Learning Path was added.
- New Learning Path: Scholars and Religious Movements of Modern South Asia
Seven New Glossary Words
Seven new Glossary terms were added.
- Barid
- Ghusl
- Maghazi
- Mu'akhah
- Nawab
- Qasida
- Zawiya
New Articles: Sayyida al-Hurra and Kösem Sultan
Fourteen New Glossary Words
Fourteen new Glossary terms were added.
- Alim
- Ansar
- Atabeg
- Hifz
- Hijab
- Kharijites
- Kunya
- Muhajirun
- Nisba
- Qari
- Rijal
- Tabaqat
- Takfir
- Zuhd
New Articles: Ibn Hisham and Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
New Articles: Four Companions of the Prophet
New Article: Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
New Articles: Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, Waraqah ibn Nawfal and Umm Ayman
New Articles: The Prophet's Immediate Family
New Articles: Halima al-Sa'diyya and the Battle of Hunayn
New Articles: Yasser Arafat and Amin al-Husseini
New Article: Al-Zamakhshari
New Articles: Four Sufi Masters
Sixteen New Glossary Words
Sixteen new Glossary terms were added.
- 16 new Glossary terms added, chiefly the Sufi vocabulary used in the new Sufi articles
Ten New Glossary Words
Ten new Glossary terms were added.
- 10 new Glossary terms added, among them Mecca, Jerusalem, the Five Pillars, Wahy and Jannah
New Articles: Seventeen Scholars of South Asia
New Articles: Five Classical Scholars
New Articles: Andalusi Rulers, Tughluq Sultans, and the Ottoman Centuries
New Collection: Admirals and Navigators
A new collection was added.
- New collection: Admirals and Navigators
New Articles: Ottoman and Seljuk Sultans
New Articles: Companions, a Caliph, and Four Rulers
Eleven New Glossary Words
Eleven new Glossary terms were added.
- Sunni
- Shia
- Sharia
- Ridda Wars
- Crusades
- Reconquista
- Mihna
- Sirah
- Mu'tazila
- Ash'ari
- Maturidi
New Glossary Word: Suhuf
A new Glossary term was added.
- Suhuf
New Articles: Reformers, Rebels, and Institutions of Modern Muslim India
Five New Learning Paths
Five new Learning Paths were added.
- Foundations of Islamic Belief
- Al-Andalus
- The Ottoman Centuries
- Islam in Africa
- The Modern Muslim World
Fifteen New Collections
Collections were expanded from 11 to 26.
- New collections covering belief, worship, scripture, the sciences, dynasties, rulers, the arts, society, and five regions
Thirty-Four New Glossary Words
The Glossary grew from 136 to 170 terms.
- Hadith-criticism vocabulary, the acts of worship, Sufi terminology, and Ottoman and Mughal administrative titles
101 Earlier Articles
Articles added earlier in the project, before this feed began recording each one. Their exact dates are not recorded, so they are listed together here.
New Feature: Listen to Articles (Text-to-Speech)
A new audio narration feature was added to article pages.
- Listen to Article button on article pages
- Play, pause, stop, and seek controls
New Articles: Bayezid I and the Battle of Nicopolis
New Articles: Seven Overlooked Figures in Islamic History
New Article: Suhaib ibn Sinan al-Rumi
New Collection: The Prophets of Islam
A new collection was added, grouping all 25 prophets named in the Quran.
- New collection: The Prophets of Islam
Two New Collections
Two new collections were added.
- New collection: The Early Islamic Conquests
- New collection: Islam in South Asia
New Article: Abadi Bano Begum (Bi Amma)
New Article: Hasrat Mohani
New Article: Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib
New Articles: Five Commanders of the Umayyad Conquests
New Articles: Zamzam and Masjid al-Nabawi
New Articles: Six Mothers of the Believers
New Feature: Collections
A new Collections section was added, launching with 8 collections.
- New collection: Ashara Mubashara
- New collection: Ahl al-Bayt
- New collection: Mothers of the Believers
- New collection: Six Hadith Masters
- New collection: Four Imams of Fiqh
- New collection: Decisive Battles
- New collection: Women in Islamic History
- New collection: Great Mosques
New Articles: Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and Sa'id ibn Zayd
New Articles: Ertuğrul Ghazi and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
New Articles: Five Rulers of South and Central Asian Islam
New Feature: Dark Mode, Accent Colors, and Font Switcher
Three new personalisation features were added: dark/light mode, accent colour picker, and a font switcher.
- Dark mode toggle
- 5 accent colour presets
- 4 font options
New Feature: Bibliography Page
A new Bibliography page was added.
- New Bibliography page
New Learning Path: Women in Islam
A new Learning Path was added.
- New Learning Path: Women in Islam
New Eras and Article Categories
The encyclopaedia's historical eras were expanded to 14, including three newly added eras.
- New era: Medieval Islamic World
- New era: African Islamic Empires
- New era: South Asian Islam
Glossary Expanded to 85 Terms
63 new Glossary terms were added.
- 63 new Glossary terms added
New Article: Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr
New Articles: Five Muslim Statesmen and Scholars of Modern India
New Articles: Scholars, Saints, Cities, and Civilisational Themes
New Articles: Uhud, Khandaq and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
New Articles: Hadith Sciences and the Four Schools of Law
New Articles: Al-Bukhari, Harun al-Rashid, Baghdad and Cordoba
New Articles: Empires, Dynasties, and Geography
New Articles: Prophets, Women of Islam, and Core Theology
New Feature: Homepage Learning Paths and Discovery Sections
New homepage sections were added.
- Islamic Month Highlight section
- Featured Discoveries section
- Learning Paths preview section
- Glossary preview section
New Articles: Abbasid Scholarly Hub
New Articles: The Rashidun Era
Recently Updated Articles
The articles most recently added or revised, sorted by the date each was last updated.
Ali Khamenei
An Iranian Shia cleric who was the second Supreme Leader of Iran, holding the office from 1989 until his death in 2026. He had earlier served as Tehran's Friday prayer leader and as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989.
The Islamic Calendar - Hijri Calendar System
The Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar of twelve months, four of them sacred, instituted as an era by the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab and counted from the Hijra of 622 CE. It governs Islamic worship, festivals, and historical dating.
Addas: The Christian of Nineveh Who Recognised the Prophet at Ta'if
Addas was a Christian slave from Nineveh, owned by one of the sons of Rabi'a of Mecca, who served grapes to Prophet Muhammad in an orchard outside Ta'if and recognised his prophethood from his knowledge of Jonah.
Zaynab bint Ali: The Eloquent Voice of Karbala
Zaynab bint Ali (626-682 CE), granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad and sister of Husayn, played a crucial role in preserving the legacy of Karbala through her eloquence, courage, and steadfast leadership during one of Islam's most tragic events.
Imam Hussain: The Martyr of Karbala
Al-Hussain ibn Ali (626–680 CE) was the younger grandson of Prophet Muhammad, son of Ali and Fatimah, and a central figure in early Islam. His death at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE shaped the development of Shia Islam and left a lasting mark on Islamic memory across traditions.
Topkapi Palace - Heart of the Ottoman Empire
Topkapi Palace (1459-1856 CE) served as the primary residence and administrative headquarters of Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries. Located on Seraglio Point overlooking the Bosphorus, this vast complex represents the pinnacle of Ottoman architecture and imperial power.
Medina (Al-Madinah)
The second holiest city in Islam, where Prophet Muhammad established the first Islamic state after the Hijra in 622 CE. Home to the Prophet's Mosque and his burial place, Medina served as the capital of the early Islamic community.
Islamic Education Systems: From Madrasas to Universities
Islamic education systems revolutionized learning through institutions like Al-Azhar and the House of Wisdom, establishing early universities with comprehensive curricula integrating religious and secular knowledge while developing pedagogical methods that influenced global education.
Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi
An Indian scholar, educator and writer associated with the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband and with its first consultative council for nearly four decades. He taught at Bareilly College, served in the colonial education department, and wrote Urdu commentaries on the Arabic literary classics.
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
A scholar of hadith and Qur'anic commentary, chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband. He completed Mahmud Hasan's Qur'an glosses, began the Arabic commentary Fath al-Mulhim on Sahih Muslim, and led the Deobandi scholars who supported the creation of Pakistan.
Shah Ahmad Shafi
A Bangladeshi scholar of hadith who led the seminary at Hathazari in Chittagong for more than three decades and chaired the country's Qawmi madrasa education board. Trained at Hathazari and Darul Uloom Deoband, he wrote a commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari.
Muhammad Rafi Usmani
A Pakistani Hanafi jurist who led Darul Uloom Karachi as its president from 1986 until his death in 2022. Titled Grand Mufti, he served on Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology and wrote on zakat, on Hanafi law, and on the hadith commentary Fath al-Mulhim.
Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi
A hadith scholar of Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur who taught for over fifty years and wrote a six-volume Arabic commentary on Malik's Muwatta. His Urdu devotional tracts, collected as the Faza'il series, became the standard reading of the Tablighi Jamaat.
Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi
The second leader of the Tablighi Jamaat, who directed it from 1944 to 1965 and oversaw its spread beyond South Asia. A graduate of Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur, he compiled Hayat al-Sahaba, a three-volume Arabic collection on the lives of the Prophet's Companions.
Mufti Muhammad Shafi
A Hanafi jurist who served as head mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband and founded Darul Uloom Karachi in 1951. His Urdu commentary Ma'arif al-Qur'an, which began as a radio programme, became one of the most widely read Qur'anic commentaries in South Asia.
Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi
A scholar of hadith and Qur'anic commentary who taught at Darul Uloom Deoband, Hyderabad State, Bahawalpur and Lahore. He wrote an eight-volume Urdu tafsir, an Arabic commentary on the Mishkat al-Masabih, and a four-volume Urdu life of the Prophet.
Anwar Shah Kashmiri
A Kashmiri scholar of hadith who rose to be chief teacher and shaykh al-hadith at Darul Uloom Deoband, and led it after 1915. His lectures became the Arabic commentaries Fayd al-Bari on Sahih al-Bukhari and al-Arf al-Shadhi on Jami al-Tirmidhi.
Abul A'la Maududi
A journalist, Qur'anic commentator and political thinker who founded the Jamaat-e-Islami at Lahore in 1941. His six-volume Urdu commentary Tafhim al-Qur'an and his writings on the Islamic state were among the most widely circulated Muslim political works of the twentieth century.