The spirit of Islamic law / Bernard G. Weiss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weiss, Bernard G.

Series:

Spirit of the laws (Athens, Ga.)

The spirit of the laws

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Islamic law.

Physical Description:

xiv, 211 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

Paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

Athens : University of Georgia Press, 2006.

Summary:

This study focuses on a Muslim legal science known in Arabic as usul al-fiqh. Whereas the kindred science of fiqh is concerned with the articulation of actual rules of law, this science elaborates the theoretical and methodological foundations of the law.

The Spirit of Islamic Law outlines the prominent features of Muslim juristic thought: espousal of divine sovereignty; a fixation on divine texts; an uncompromisingly intentionalist approach to the interpretation of those texts; a frank acknowledgment of the fallibility of human endeavor to capture divine intent; a toleration of legal diversity; a moralistic bent grounded in a particular social vision; and finally, a preoccupation with the affairs of private individuals -- especially family relations and contracts -- coupled with a concern to define the limits of governmental power.

The Spirit of Islamic Law is the fifth book in Georgia's Spirit of the Laws series. which illuminates the nature of legal systems throughout the world.

Contents:

The formation of Islamic law

Divine sovereignty and human subordination

The textualist/intentionalist bent

The venture beyond the texts

probabilism and the limits of certainty

Juristic authority and the diversity of schools

The moralistic bent

Private and public dimensions of the law.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [203]-208) and index.

ISBN:

0820328278

9780820328270

0820319775

9780820319773

OCLC:

84744434