Acknowledgments
The articles included in this volume are the product of my intellectual activity since the mid-1970s. During this long period many teachers inspired my work, among them Uriel Heyd and Gabriel Baer of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and Noel Coulson and Norman Anderson of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Their influence can be traced one way or another in my publications. During my study of the sijill of the Sharīʿa Courts of Ajdābiya and Kufra, and the legal documents from the Judean Desert, I was greatly influenced by Pessah Shinar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an outstanding scholar of modern Islam in the Maghrib with special reference to the Salafī and reformist movements. We frequently discussed issues pertaining to the interaction between the sharīʿa and tribal customary law and inspiration (ilhām) derived from the Prophet and God as a source of law in the revivalist movements that emerged in the course of my research. I am most grateful to him for intellectual inspiration and unfailing friendship over the years. This collected volume is dedicated to his memory.
Thanks are due to the editors and publishers of the journals in which the articles of this volume originally appeared (see below, Copyrights and Permissions) for their willingness to grant permission for this publication. My thanks are due also to Brill, in particular to Ruud Peters and Kevin Reinhart for accepting this volume for publication in their series “Studies in Islamic Law and Society.” Thanks are due also to my colleague and friend Amnon Cohen of the Hebrew University, who encouraged me to persevere with the preparation of this volume.
I began my research on modern Islam and its institutions almost fifty years ago. During all this time my wife, Bilha, has stood by me. I would like to take this opportunity to profoundly thank her and my children, Galia, Hadara, and Dan – who grew up with and developed along with my publications – for their patient understanding, moral support, and encouragement throughout this prolonged period of endeavor.
Jerusalem, January 2016