But because Islam pervades all aspects of believers' lives, there are also entries on politics, law, economics, science and medicine, and the arts. The lengthy article Cassettes, for example, describes the impact of this technology on the politics of the Islamic world. Communism and Islam discusses the philosophical differences between these two belief systems and the places in the world where they have led to conflict. Muslim views on such social issues as Family Planning and Surrogate Motherhood are examined. Some entry headings are in Arabic, but see references lead from the English equivalent, for example, from Pilgrimage to Hajj and from Crusade to Jihad.
Entries conclude with bibliographies, some of which are annotated.
They list mostly titles in English, though occasionally sources in other languages are included. A few entries have tables, for example, data on universities in Education. A synoptic outline of contents in volume 4 lists all entries under such headings as Schools of Thought and Culture and Society. This outline helps the reader with limited knowledge of the topic to find appropriate entries. For example, listed under Mysticism are all the Sufi orders for which there are entries.