Joseph Lowry, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, was interviewed last month by FactCheck.org regarding a viral Facebook post which showed U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar alongside distorted quotations from the Qurʾān. Lowry explained how "some of the interpretations given in the meme are mistranslated, and all of them are … Continue reading Islamic Law Scholars’ Round-Up: Apr 22nd
This entry provides a definition and analysis of the term ḥadīth, drawing on works by SHARIAsource Senior Scholar, Joseph Lowry, Associate Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania. Ḥadīth = “the corpus of traditions from the Prophet”; reports of words and sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (for Sunnis) as … Continue reading Islamic Law Lexicon :: Ḥadīth
By Cem Tecimer Abstract: Joseph Lowry on the Legal Hermeneutics of Two Early Islamic Scholars: In this article, Lowry responds to Calder’s assertion that Shāfi‘ī’s Risāla was written around the ninth century, juxtaposing its use of language to that of Ibn Qutayba’s Ta’wīl. Lowry, in refuting Calder’s claim, shows how the two texts have much … Continue reading Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on the Legal Hermeneutics of al-Shāfi‘ī and Ibn Qutayba
By Cem Tecimer Abstract: Joseph Lowry on Islamic Legal Minimalism: Lowry, in line with his other work focusing on how the Qur’ān does not read as a detailed legislative text, draws attention to the fact that the Qur’ān does not often purport to normatively interfere in human affairs. Lowry conceptualizes this phenomenon as legal minimalism … Continue reading Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on Law and Commandment in Sūrat al-An‘ām
By Cem Tecimer Abstract: Joseph Lowry argues that, much like other legal systems, Islamic legal systems, since their formative periods, grappled with the question of how to reconcile competing jurisprudential arguments and a commitment to orderly jurisprudence. Lowry situates Ibn al-Muqaffa‘’s works in this context, arguing that he was among the earlier jurists with a … Continue reading Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on the First Islamic Legal Theory
By Cem Tecimer Abstract: Joseph Lowry elaborates on the prophetic authority of Muhammad as a lawgiver. While the Qur’ān remains the undisputed ultimate source for Muslims, Lowry draws attention to the Prophet’s exemplary behavior and especially his sayings, which have gained significant prominence in legal argumentation in Islam. As a consequence, the formal study of … Continue reading Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on the Prophet as Lawgiver and Legal Authority
By Cem Tecimer Abstract: Joseph Lowry questions whether the Qurʾān can be Read as a Law Book. Lowry argues that the Qur’ān is a text full of literary references, often cannot be read as imposing obligations onto its readers, and varies in its choice of legal form and vocabulary, all of which prevent it from … Continue reading Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on Reading the Qur’an as a Law Book
