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Early Islamic Legal Theory
The RisÄla of Muḥammad ibn IdrÄ«s al-ShÄfiʾī
Series: - Studies in Islamic Law and Society, Volume: 30
Author:
The RisÄla of al-ShÄfiÊ¿Ä« (d. 204/820), the earliest preserved work of Islamic legal theory, has been understood in previous scholarship as either the elaboration of a hierarchy of sources of law (QurʾÄn, Sunna, consensus, and analogical reasoning) or an extended defense of the Sunna. Through a careful rereading of this celebrated text, this book offers a comprehensive reinterpretation of the RisÄla, in which ShÄfiÊ¿Ä« formulated an all-encompassing hermeneutic that portrays the law as a tightly interlocking structure organized around defined interactions of the QurʾÄn and the Sunna. Topics covered include ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs creative account of the lawâs architectonics, hermeneutical techniques, legal epistemology, relationship to kalÄm, and the role of consensus (ijmÄÊ¿).
Joseph E. Lowry, Ph.D. (1999) in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania, is Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania. He has published on Islamic law and Arabic literature.
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of the BayÄn
I. Introduction II. The Idea at the Heart of the RisÄla: ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of the BayÄn
III. The BayÄn and the Structure of the RisÄla
IV. Previous Scholarly Accounts of ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Notion of the BayÄn
V. The Reception of ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of the BayÄn
VI. Conclusion
Chapter 2: Hermeneutical Techniques
I. Introduction
II. General Hermeneutical Terms and Principles
III. Hermeneutical Rubrics Describing Source Interaction
IV. Hermeneutical Rubrics Specific to the Hadith
V. IjtihÄd and QiyÄs
VI. Conclusion
Chapter 3: Prophetic Sunna and Hadith in the RisÄla
I. Introduction
II. The Authority of the Sunna
III. The Khabar al-WÄḥid and its Wider Implications
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 4: The QurʾÄn in ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs RisÄla
I. Introduction
II. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Discussion of the QurʾÄn
III. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Use of the QurʾÄn
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 5: ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Epistemology
I. Introduction
II. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of Knowledge (Ê¿Ilm)
III. Objectively Correct Answers
IV. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Epistemological Dualism
V. Conclusion
Chapter 6: Internal Evidence for the RisÄlaâs Polemical Context
I. Introduction
II. Dramatis Personae
III. The RisÄla as Theological Polemic
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 7: IjmÄÊ¿ in the RisÄla
I. Introduction
II. Previous Conceptions of IjmÄÊ¿
III. The Authority of IjmÄÊ¿ and its Relationship to the Sunna
IV. IjmÄÊ¿ as a Tool of Legal Reasoning
V. Example Problems in which ShÄfiÊ¿Ä« Appeals to ijmÄÊ¿
VI. Schacht and Calder on IjmÄÊ¿ in ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Legal Thought
VII. Conclusion
Conclusion: The RisÄla and its Relationship to Mature Uṣūl al-Fiqh
Appendix
Bibliography
Indices
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of the BayÄn
I. Introduction II. The Idea at the Heart of the RisÄla: ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of the BayÄn
III. The BayÄn and the Structure of the RisÄla
IV. Previous Scholarly Accounts of ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Notion of the BayÄn
V. The Reception of ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of the BayÄn
VI. Conclusion
Chapter 2: Hermeneutical Techniques
I. Introduction
II. General Hermeneutical Terms and Principles
III. Hermeneutical Rubrics Describing Source Interaction
IV. Hermeneutical Rubrics Specific to the Hadith
V. IjtihÄd and QiyÄs
VI. Conclusion
Chapter 3: Prophetic Sunna and Hadith in the RisÄla
I. Introduction
II. The Authority of the Sunna
III. The Khabar al-WÄḥid and its Wider Implications
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 4: The QurʾÄn in ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs RisÄla
I. Introduction
II. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Discussion of the QurʾÄn
III. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Use of the QurʾÄn
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 5: ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Epistemology
I. Introduction
II. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Concept of Knowledge (Ê¿Ilm)
III. Objectively Correct Answers
IV. ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Epistemological Dualism
V. Conclusion
Chapter 6: Internal Evidence for the RisÄlaâs Polemical Context
I. Introduction
II. Dramatis Personae
III. The RisÄla as Theological Polemic
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 7: IjmÄÊ¿ in the RisÄla
I. Introduction
II. Previous Conceptions of IjmÄÊ¿
III. The Authority of IjmÄÊ¿ and its Relationship to the Sunna
IV. IjmÄÊ¿ as a Tool of Legal Reasoning
V. Example Problems in which ShÄfiÊ¿Ä« Appeals to ijmÄÊ¿
VI. Schacht and Calder on IjmÄÊ¿ in ShÄfiÊ¿Ä«âs Legal Thought
VII. Conclusion
Conclusion: The RisÄla and its Relationship to Mature Uṣūl al-Fiqh
Appendix
Bibliography
Indices
All those interested in early Islam, Islamic law, Islamic theology, early Islamic thought, as well as scholars of ancient legal thought, legal theory, and comparative law.