The Kitab al-Milal wa al-Nihal (The Book of Sects and Creeds), written by the Persian scholar al-Shahrastani (d. 1153 CE), is widely regarded as the first systematic and objective study of comparative religion in history. Key Features of the Work
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If you are a student, these platforms allow you to request the PDF directly from professors. Search for "Shahristani Milal" here. The quality is superior because scholars upload high-resolution scans. The Kitab al-Milal wa al-Nihal ( The Book
You can access digital versions and manuscripts through several academic and archival platforms: 🏛️ Academic & Public Libraries NYU Digital Library Internet Archive (archive
The text acts as a concise encyclopedia of 12th-century thought, covering everything from: Islamic Sects:
The book is traditionally divided into two major parts, further subdivided into chapters. Understanding this structure helps you navigate any PDF you download.
Translated literally, al-Milal wa al-Nihal means “Religions and Sects” or “Creeds and Schisms.” Unlike many polemical works of the medieval period, al-Shahristani’s approach is remarkably systematic, descriptive, and often cited as being relatively neutral. He divides the work into two main sections: