Weekend Scholarship Roundup

SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law In In the Shadow of the Prophet: Essays in Islamic History (Oneworld Publications, 2023), Roy P. Mottahedeh (Harvard University, Emeritus) "explores such diverse topics as … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup

A Lack of Resources in the bayt al-māl: A Sine Qua Non Condition for the Imposition of a Tax?

By Mehdi Berriah This is part four in a series of four posts on the financing of jihād during the Mamlūk period. As noted by Ibrāhīm b. ʿAlī al-Hanafī al-Ṭarsūsī, the … Continue reading A Lack of Resources in the bayt al-māl: A Sine Qua Non Condition for the Imposition of a Tax?

The Sharīʿa on the Financing of Jihād

By Mehdi Berriah This is part three in a series of four posts on the financing of jihād during the Mamlūk period. In the cases presented in the sources discussed in … Continue reading The Sharīʿa on the Financing of Jihād

Episodes in which the ʿUlamāʾ, according to Islamic Law, were Opposed to the Tax

By Mehdi Berriah This is part two in a series of four posts on the financing of jihād during the Mamlūk period. First Episode The first episode took place in dhū-l-qaʿda 657/November … Continue reading Episodes in which the ʿUlamāʾ, according to Islamic Law, were Opposed to the Tax

Wilāyat al-Faqīh and Collecting the Fifth: A Theory of Khums

By Mohammad Sagha The issue this paper seeks to address is how Ayatollāh Sayyīd Rūhullāh Khumaynī (d. 1386 sh./1989) conceptualized the collection of khums under the theory of the “Guardianship … Continue reading Wilāyat al-Faqīh and Collecting the Fifth: A Theory of Khums

Authority and Khums in the Absence of the Imām: Reflections of Two Safavid-era Jurists

By Mohammad Sagha This post examines how two Ṣafavid-era jurists, Ḥussayn b. ʽAbd al-Ṣamad al-ʽĀmilī (d. 985/1577-8),[1] and Muḥammad Bāqir Majlisī (d. 1111/1698) conceptualized the authority to collect and spend … Continue reading Authority and Khums in the Absence of the Imām: Reflections of Two Safavid-era Jurists

Judicial Authority and Roots of Twelver Shīʽī Tax Theory

By Mohammad Sagha The main question this study addresses is: how can the delegation of authority within the Shīʽī* community after the Minor Occultation of the Twelfth Imām in 260/874 … Continue reading Judicial Authority and Roots of Twelver Shīʽī Tax Theory

Historical Roots of Twelver Shīʽī Legal Tax Theory

By Mohammad Sagha This post provides a basic historical background, evolution, and categorization of Shīʽī[1]  attitudes on religious financial obligations (known as zakāt and khums) as conceived of by Shīʽī … Continue reading Historical Roots of Twelver Shīʽī Legal Tax Theory