The Neglected History of Furūʿ and the Premodern/Modern Binary

By Marion Katz (New York University) This essay is part of the Islamic Law Blog’s Roundtable on Islamic Legal History & Historiography, edited by Intisar Rabb (Editor-in-Chief) and Mariam Sheibani … Continue reading The Neglected History of Furūʿ and the Premodern/Modern Binary

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 :: Who Are We Writing for When We Translate Classical Texts?

By Marion Katz (New York University)  Perhaps more than any other genre of academic writing, translations of primary sources raise questions about audience and purpose. In a Venn diagram of … Continue reading :: Muwaṭṭaʾ Roundtable :: Who Are We Writing for When We Translate Classical Texts?