Notes on Transliteration, Conventions and Translations
Arabic and Persian transliterations follow a modified system based on the standard of the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Names, terms and toponyms from non-Latin alphabets are transliterated, unless common in English. The latter are also not italicized; thus hajj, not Ḥajj, sharia, not sharÄ«Ê¿a. The genealogical sequence Muḥammad ibn Qasim, etc., is abbreviated with âb.â for ibn (son) and âbt.â for bint (daughter). The definite article on the nisba and the laqab of names is generally dropped after its first appearance, thus: from âal-SahlagÄ«â to âSahlagÄ«â, or âal-KhargÅ«shÄ«â to âKhargÅ«shÄ«â. Dates pertaining to Islamic history are indicated both in hijrÄ« and Common Era forms.
Capital letters are used for God, pronouns referring to Him and for divine names (e.g. al-RaḥmÄn), but not for divine attributes.
Translations of Qurʾanic verses are mainly those of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute (
All other translations are mine unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes.