Using examples from Islamic law, Ndembu divination, and Aranda religion, this book argues how the notion of "canon" is used to authorize and maintain certain types of interpretive reasoning and the social institutions that employ them. The bulk of the book outlines how the Ḥanafī school of Islamic law was able to legitimize itself by extending the canonical authority of the Qur'an to the sunnah of the prophet, the opinions of selected local authorities, and the scholarship of earlier generations. The Ḥanafī example shows that the application of canon is not about overcoming the limits of a "closed" text but rather about imposing limits on a range of interpretations made possible by a variegated and malleable textual corpus.
Argues how the notion of "canon" is used to authorize and maintain certain types of interpretive reasoning and the social institutions that employ them.
Ahmed El Shamsy's The Canonization of Islamic Law is a detailed history of the birth of classical Islamic law. It shows how Islamic law and its institutions emerged out of the canonization of the sacred sources of Quran and Sunna (prophetic practice) in the eighth and ninth centuries CE. The book focuses on the ideas and influence of the jurist al-Shāfiʿī (d. 820 CE), who inaugurated the process of canonization, and it paints a rich picture of the intellectual engagements, political turbulence, and social changes that formed the context of his and his followers' careers.
This excellent book is translated from the original Arabic book 'Nidham ul Islam' by Sheikh Taqiuddin An Nabahani, an Islamic jurist, 'alim, writer and the founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir - the largest Islamic global political party under a single leadership. It lays out the fundamentals to develop a strong Islamic personality and da'wah carrier. It begins with laying the foundation by explaining the correct way to belief. It proves the existence of a creator intellectually and the Quran as the final revelation sent to humanity by Allah (swt). It then goes on to clarify the important creedal concept of Al-Qada wal Qadar (fate and destiny), which is often held in a vague or confused manner. The third chapter, its largest concentrates on explaining the different ideologies that exists namely Capitalism, Communism and Islam highlighting the differences between them giving the reader a clear framework to understand the world that we live in. After having laid the basis for the correct belief, intellectual and political thinking, it then moves onto address the key Islamic legal principles. The short chapters are intended to focus on the most important aspects such as Usuli subjects like the meaning of Hukm Shar'i, the types of ahkam shariah, Sunnah and emulating (ta'assi) the actions of the Messenger (saw). The last section of the book also clarifies misconceptions regarding spirituality and morals according to Islam as well as articulating the need for a constitution for the future Islamic state.
In Carrying on the Tradition Garrett Davidson employs a variety of largely unutilized print, as well as archival sources collected from the Near East, North Africa, India, Europe, and North America. He analyses these sources to excavate the fundamental reinvention of the conceptions and practices of hadith transmission that resulted from the establishment of the hadith canon. Further, the book examines how hadith scholars reimagined the transmission of hadith, not as a scholarly tool, as it had originally been, but instead as, among other things, an act of pious emulation of the forefathers. It demonstrates the emergence of new genres and subgenres of hadith literature, as a result of this shift, examining them as artefacts of the cultural, social, and intellectual history of Muslim religiosity from the tenth to twentieth centuries.
The unique Arabic version of the Iberian canon law code 'Collectio Hispana', preserved in a mid-eleventh-century manuscript of the Royal Library of El Escorial, has been deemed "the most distinguished and characteristic" work of medieval Andalusi Christian writing. It represents an exceptional source witness to the internal legal organisation of Christian communities in Muslim-dominated al-Andalus as well as to their acculturation to Islamicate environments. Yet, the Arabic church law collection has received only little scholarly attention so far. 0The present volume presents the results of a recent interdisciplinary research project on the Arabic canon law manuscript, flanked by contributions from neigbouring fields of research that allow for a comparative assessment of the substantial new findings. The individual chapters in this volume address issues such as the origins of the Arabic law code and its sole transmitting manuscript, its language and translation strategies, its source value for both the persistence and transformation of ecclesiastical institutions after the Muslim conquest, or the law code's position in the judicial practice of al-Andalus. The volume brings together the scholarly expertise of distinguished experts in a broad range of disciplines, e.g. history, Arabic and Latin philology, medieval palaeography and codicology, Islamic art history, Coptology, theology and history of law.
Dr. Peter Hammond's bestselling book: SLAVERY, TERRORISM & ISLAM - The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat is a fascinating, well illustrated and thoroughly documented response to the relentless anti-Christian propaganda that has been generated by Muslim and Marxist groups and by Hollywood film makers. As Karl Marx declared: "The first battlefield is the re-writing of History!" Slavery, Terrorism and Islam was first published in 2005 and quickly sold out. It earned Dr. Peter Hammond a death threat "Fatwa" from some Islamic radicals. We have included the story of that in an appendix of this book. Slavery, Terrorism & Islam sets the record straight with chapters on "Muhammad, the Caliphas and Jihad", "The Oppression of Women in Islam", "The Sources of Islam" and "Slavery the Rest of the Story". With over 200 pictures, maps and charts, this book is richly illustrated. It consists of 16 chapters and 13 very helpful appendixes including demographic maps of the spread of Islam, a Glossary of Islamic Terms, a comparison of Muslim nations' military spending vs. their national prosperity, a chart on how Jihad works depending on the percentage of Muslims in the population and guidelines for Muslim evangelism.
Since the 1980s, Muslim women reformers have made great strides in critiquing and reinterpreting the Islamic tradition. Yet these achievements have not produced a significant shift in the lived experience of Islam, particularly with respect to equality and justice in Muslim families. A new approach is needed: one that examines the underlying instruments of tradition and explores avenues for effecting change. In Islamic Interpretive Tradition and Gender Justice leading intellectuals and emerging researchers grapple with the problem of entrenched positions within Islam that affect women, investigating the processes by which interpretations become authoritative, the theoretical foundations upon which they stand, and the ways they have been used to inscribe and enforce gender limitations. Together, they argue that the Islamic interpretive tradition displays all the trappings of canonical texts, canonical figures, and canon law – despite the fact that Islam does not ordain religious authorities who could sanction processes of canonization. Through this lens, the essays in this collection offer insights into key issues in Islamic feminist scholarship, ranging from interreligious love, child marriage, polygamy, and divorce to stoning, segregation, seclusion, and gender hierarchies. Rooting their analysis in the primary texts and historical literature of Islam, contributors to Islamic Interpretive Tradition and Gender Justice contest oppressive interpretative canons, subvert classical methodologies, and provide new directions in the ongoing project of revitalizing Islamic exegesis and its ethical and legal implications.
Drawing on canon studies, this book investigates the origins, development and functions of the core of the Sunni ?ad?th canon, the 'Authentic' ?ad?th collections of al-Bukh?r? and Muslim, from the time of their authors to the modern period.
What is so unique about Islam's scripture, the Quran? Who wrote it, and when? Can we trust its statements to be from Muhammad? Why was it written in Arabic? Does it command Muslims to fight Christians? These are a few of the thirty questions answered in this clear and concise guide to the history and contents of the Quran. Ayman Ibrahim grew up in the Muslim world and has spent many years teaching various courses on Islam. Using a question-and-answer format, Ibrahim covers critical questions about the most sacred book for Muslims. He examines Muslim and non-Muslim views concerning the Quran, shows how the Quran is used in contemporary expressions of Islam, answers many of the key questions non-Muslims have about the Quran and Islam, and reveals the importance of understanding the Quran for Christian-Muslim and Jewish-Muslim interfaith relations. This introductory guide is written for anyone with little to no knowledge of Islam who wants to learn about Muslims, their beliefs, and their scripture.
