Methodology
Preface
The researches that will be included in this encyclopedia are special researches that are not published like the rest of the general researches. This specialization is based on two main things:
The first is that they are researches prepared to be included in a scientific encyclopedia, and one of the characteristics of encyclopedias is that the research in them is short in size, based on a general but comprehensive view of the subject of the research, without indulging in details and particulars, and is characterized by clarity in its language and content, logical order in its construction, sections and titles, and with accurate documentation of its quotations, and references, aiming in all of this to be an introduction to the research topic, helping researchers to refer to it and delve into it, and guide them to its references and sources..
The second is that they are researches included in an encyclopedia of political terms and topics that were mentioned in political jurisprudence from the Islamic heritage, which makes them researches framed by a specific field of knowledge, that of Islamic heritage in the section devoted to political jurisprudence in all its aspects, direct and indirect, and in its founding sources; The Qur’an and the Sunnah, and its investigations in reality, and if the research leaves this field in a limited way for comparison or to show what it might be affected or influenced..
Based on this privacy, this research is ongoing as follows:
1- The structure of research
First: Issues and Concepts:
The research is based on the following elements:
- A brief introduction with a few lines which include the definition of the topic, the framework for research, its importance and the extent of its spread in political jurisprudence.
- Indicating whether the subject/term has been mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith, and listing the texts related to that, especially the founding texts.
- A statement of the origin of the research in the subject/term in political jurisprudence, its development over time, and the most important stages it passed through.
- Presenting the most important resources in which the topic was mentioned from the heritage books, with a statement of the most important ones, especially those that were distinguished by leadership and innovation.
- Presenting the meanings contained in the subject of the research, the elements it contains, and the implications it contains as mentioned in the heritage with its various manifestations; the direct (books of legal politics) and the indirect (the rest of the literature: interpretations, general jurisprudence, and theology.).
- Presenting comparisons with similar topics and terms in the constitutional jurisprudence prevailing these days.
- Problems related to the research topic, if any.
- Providing a list of the most important references and sources that benefit the researcher in the subject of the research.
- Keywords.
Second: المفاهيم السياسية الكبرى:
ويبنى فيها البحث على العناصر التالية:
- مقدّمة تمهيدية مختصرة للتعريف بالمفهوم وأهميتها.
- ذكر المفهوم في القرآن والسنة.
- مراحل تطور المفهوم في الفقه السياسي.
- ذكر المفهوم في كتب التراث، وخاصة ما تميز منها بالريادة والابتكار.
- التفرعات والمعاني والعناصر التي يتضمنها موضوع البحث.
- المقارنة مع المواضيع والمصطلحات المشابه في الفقه الدستوري الوضعي السائد اليوم.
- الإشكالات المتعلقة بالمفهوم إن وجدت.
- إيراد قائمة بأهمّ المراجع والمصادر التي تفيد الباحث في موضوع البحث.
- الكلمات المفتاحية.
Third: Figures
The research is based on the following elements:
- Introducing the figure.
- His biography (teachers, students, and school of thought).
- A brief summary of his books in the field of Islamic political jurisprudence.
- His most important political opinions.
- Providing a list of the most important references and sources that benefit the researcher in the subject of the research.
- keywords.
Fourth: Parties and Sects::
The research is based on the following elements:
- Defining the sect and the party.
- Origin and development.
- The most important ideas they represent.
- The most important members of the party with an indication of their contributions.
- The sect’s contribution to issues of Imamate and political affairs.
- Comparing ideas if necessary.
- Providing a list of the most important references and sources that benefit the researcher in the subject of the research.
- keywords.
Fifth: The Book
The research is based on the following elements:
- Introducing the author of the book.
- The different ideas of the book.
- The position of the book in Islamic political thought.
- Providing a critical view of the book’s ideas.
- Keywords.
2- Research Methodology
The research methodology is based on the following principles:
- The research is carried out on the basis of aggregating, totality and comprehensiveness of all aspects of the subject , and avoiding inundation with details, so that the reader comes out with a general and accurate perception of the subject, which enables him to go deep in his research and reach the full details of it..
- Arranging the elements of the subject in a logical sequential order with the inclusion of what is partial of them in the total in order to achieve the clarity required by encyclopedia research..
- The language of research depends on simplicity, accuracy, clarity and smoothness of style. Encyclopedias are visited by those interested from all classes; students, researchers and academics. Everyone should find it easy to benefit from..
- Since the nature of research in encyclopedias is to be an introduction to deepening and expanding thought, this requires that the documentation be accurate in what is cited and referred to. Since the nature of this encyclopedia is that it is essentially a heritage encyclopedia, it requires citations, quotations and referrals be extensive in these researches of the encyclopedia, reminding that the first idea from which the preparation for the encyclopedia was launched is to include the heritage texts in the approved articles and to be content in editing..
- Because the heritage issues related to legitimate politics are spread in more than one field of heritage, this requires that the references adopted by the research be comprehensive for all assumptions; from direct books on legal politics, to books on theology, to interpretations, to economic books (books on tax and money for example), without excluding recent research on the same topics..
- In order for the research to be not purely theoretical, and for the sake of further benefit, it is necessary – as we estimate – to discuss the practical development of the subject of the research in the political reality of Muslims in terms of the extent of what has been achieved from what has been presented theoretically in the reality in which politics took place in the political history of Muslims, and comment on that fate in its causes and effects..
3- Citation
Because one of the main objectives of the encyclopedia is to open the doors for researchers to expand on the listed topics and go deeper in them, this requires that each research should be appended with a list of references and sources that benefit the researcher in that, whether they are quoted and referenced in the body of the research or not. Sources and references included in this list should be about the most important topics in the research. We estimate that the average of what is included in this list should be at least ten references and sources in each research..
4- References
• The encyclopedia is open to all references, with priority given to Arabic literature prepared by specialists as basic sources in Islamic political jurisprudence..
Not excluding non-Arabic sources. Rather, the encyclopedia management believes that it is necessary to take advantage of these sources, especially since it is not possible in the current era of cultural openness to be sufficient with one language, or to dispense with what is written in foreign languages about Islamic thought..
Dealing with previous research ( quotation or summary ) should be clear, documented and brief.
Clear reference to the original sources and references.
The researcher’s addition and personal opinions (explanation or criticism) should be clear, with fairness and avoidance of fanaticism..
The encyclopedia adopts the “ cross-referral” method, in order to prevent repetition, as the researcher focuses on one specific topic and then refers side issues to other entries within the encyclopedia.
5- Research volume
Despite the variety of the importance of the topics included in the encyclopedia, the research that we deal with, we estimate that it averages between ten and fifteen pages (between 3000 and 5000 words approximately) , and according to this, the size of the encyclopedia can be more than seven volumes, each of which is in 500-600 pages..
6- Arrangement
Encyclopedia entries are arranged lexically, according to the first letter of each word; without considering (the), so we write, for example:: Hisbah, Ministry, Allegiance, and that instead of The Hesba,The Ministry, The Allegiance. In the case of proper names, what is attached to the names, such as Abu, Ibn, Walad, and Al, is omitted, but the nickname or date of death is established in parentheses, for example:: Muhammad bin Jarir ((Al-Tabari, d.310 AH).
Paying attention to the arrangement of the material according to special standards that are followed in the order; such as chronological precedence, frequency, references, etc.