Writing an IEQ Entry
IEQ consists of 523 alphabetically arranged entries in five categories, based on their length:
These entries comprise all concepts, events, person, places, and things mentioned in the Qur’an. Writing a short (1-2 page) entry is far easier than a special entry, but all entries are based on primary Islamic sources and have certain common features and follow IEQ structure:
- They begin with Definitions and Usage
- Mention sources chronologically
- Use abbreviations for the frequented cited works
- Integrate source material
- Use in-line references to related entries
Each category has certain distinct features; there are also features common to all entries. All entries begin by defining the title: “Definitions and Usage”
- mention cited sources chronologically;
- use abbreviations (see Abbreviations of Commonly Cited Works);
- provide birth/death dates in Hijri/CE format for all persons cited;
- include cross-references to other entries; and
- integrate source material in a fully-referenced academic text that retains the spiritual elevation of the sources used for generating the text.
Writing a short Entry
▪ STEP 1
Define, in the most precisely manner, what the entry is about. For example, the entry “Bābil” begins as: An ancient Mesopotamian city in present-day Iraq, where some Israelites learned sorcery, mentioned once in the Qurʾān (Q 2:102).
• STEP 2
Explain what the word/term means etymologically; this applies to all words used in the Qurʾān for the entry. In this case, there is only one word, Bābil:
Etymology
Bābil is considered to be a derivative of balbala, infinitive noun of balbal, meaning confusion (Farāhīdī, ʿAyn).
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