In this final post reflecting on my primary source seminar “Readings in Islamic law,” I want to highlight three further topics covered in the course. The first of these is … Continue reading Comparative law, the role of the judge, and the law theorized
Fatwas: diverse in form, diverse in reach
After the first session of my Islamic law seminar this fall, I chose the readings for each class with an eye on the particular interests of the enrolled students. Accordingly, … Continue reading Fatwas: diverse in form, diverse in reach
Law in Action, in the Peripheral Vision of the Sources
In my last post I referenced Jack Tannous’s metaphor of “dark matter,” which draws our attention to the scattered traces of the vast majority of premodern Muslims who have left … Continue reading Law in Action, in the Peripheral Vision of the Sources
The Making of a Colonial Islamic Law in Northern Nigeria
[This post is a sequel to part 1, addressing secularism and Nigeria's colonial legacy] Situated within a broader research project aimed at disentangling the complex struggles over religion-state relations in … Continue reading The Making of a Colonial Islamic Law in Northern Nigeria
Different genres, different approaches
For the first session of my graduate seminar “Readings in Islamic Law” this fall, I asked students to read two texts: a hadith on divorce initiated by the wife (al-Bukhārī, … Continue reading Different genres, different approaches
Program in Islamic Law Celebrates Its New English Translation of al-Muwaṭṭaʾ
Earlier this fall, the Program in Islamic Law published the eighth volume in its Harvard Series on Islamic Law, an English translation of al-Muwaṭṭaʾ, the Royal Moroccan Edition, The Recension … Continue reading Program in Islamic Law Celebrates Its New English Translation of al-Muwaṭṭaʾ
Folk Interpretation and the “Dark Matter” of Pre-Modern Islamic Law
In his recent book The Making of the Medieval Middle East (Princeton University Press, 2018), Jack Tannous draws attention to the overwhelming majority of “simple” Christians and Muslims with minimal … Continue reading Folk Interpretation and the “Dark Matter” of Pre-Modern Islamic Law
:: Muwaṭṭaʾ Roundtable :: Journey of the Muwaṭṭaʾ in different periods of the history of South Asia: Shāh Walīyullāh’s Pursuit of Mālik
By Ebrahim Moosa (University of Notre Dame) It is one of those twists of history that in a region famed for hosting the largest number of followers of the Ḥanafī … Continue reading :: Muwaṭṭaʾ Roundtable :: Journey of the Muwaṭṭaʾ in different periods of the history of South Asia: Shāh Walīyullāh’s Pursuit of Mālik
:: Muwaṭṭaʾ Roundtable :: Mālik, the Muwaṭṭa’, and Sunni Identity
By Jonathan Brown (Georgetown University) I once found myself trapped on a phone call with an exercised adherent of the Ḥanafī school of Islamic law who made it clear that … Continue reading :: Muwaṭṭaʾ Roundtable :: Mālik, the Muwaṭṭa’, and Sunni Identity
Weekend Scholarship Roundup
Ashraf Booley argues that Tunisia should be seen as the vanguard of women-friendly legislation in the Arab world in "Progressive Realisation of Muslim Family Law: The Case of Tunisia," Islamic … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup