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Shariah law is a subject that is misunderstood and misrepresented by many in the West. More than simply a system of law, it is concerned with a set of values and rules that are essential to the understanding and practice of Islam. In this volume, Mohammad Hashim Kamali, a world-renowned expert on Shariah, adopts a question-and-answer format to provide a clear introduction to its most salient aspects.
Extending from the sources of Shariah in the Qur¿an, hadith and the legal maxims of Islamic law to the discussion of issues such as freedom of religion, gender equality and human rights, Shariah Law: Questions and Answers connects the theoretical aspects of the law with how it is applied in the world today. At once scholarly and accessible, it is sure to be a vital resource for students, teachers and general readers, addressing as it does a range of contemporary concerns, including jihad, democracy, the environment, genetic engineering, human cloning, euthanasia and abortion.
List of contents
Acknowledgments IntroductionI Shariah and
Fiqh – Meaning, Definition, Sources, Salient Features and Comparisons with other Legal Systems
II Legal Opinion (
fatwa) and Independent Reasoning (
Ijtihad)
III Shariah and Acts of Worship (
͑Ibadat)
IV Schools of Islamic Law, the
Madhhabs V The Scale of Five Values (
al-Ahkam al-Khamsah)
VI Shariah Court Proceedings, Evidence and Proof
VII Shariah, Criminal Law and the Prescribed
Hudud Punishments
VIII
Hudud in the Present-Day Muslim Countries
IX Shariah, Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties
X Jihad, Violence and War
XI Shariah, Gender and Family
XII Islamic Banking and Finance
XIII Shariah and Private Property
XIV Modern Bioethical and Environmental Questions
XV Freedom of Religion and the Rights of Minorities
XVI Goals and Purposes (
Maqasid) of Shariah
XVII Legal Maxims of
Fiqh (
Qawaʿid kulliyyah fiqhiyyah)
Qur’anic Verses, Hadith and Legal Maxims (in Original Arabic) Bibliography Glossary Index
About the author
Professor Dr Hashim Mohammad Kamali is the Dean of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) at the International Islamic University, Malaysia.
Summary
An illuminating introductory volume on a system of law that has often been characterised as backward and brutal by opponents in the West
