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Note on the Transliteration
The scheme of transliteration that has been adopted for the Arabic, Persian (Tajik) and some Russian words in this study generally agrees with that of the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam (1997) with the following modifications:
j instead of dj 
q instead of 
v instead of w 
and diphthong au instead of aw 
(in Persian or Persianised words)
ch instead of č 
Likewise, the following letters are used without being underlined: kh 
, sh 
, dh 
, th 
and gh 
and zh 
.
All non-English words, except some well-known Arabic and Persian terms, such as Allah, Muhammad, Muslim, Islam, Imam, Imamate, Sunni, Sufi, Tajik, Afghan, Badakhshan and Pamir, are italicised (except people and places’ names) and transliterated. In addition, several new words and expressions are deployed in this work, either originating from or used in Tajik and Wakhī languages. The pronunciation of those words follows English usage with a few exceptions. For instance, ô is to be pronounced as in ‘door’.